How to apply for pension and benefits

Make plans

Retirement is a big step in life and should, therefore, be planned well in advance. Read more about your different pension options:

-   Retirement based on age >
-   Security in case of a reduced work ability >
-   Survivors pension for widow(er) and children >

Get an estimate

Elo’s Online Service enables you to get an estimate of the amount of your old-age pension, partial early old-age pension and subsequent final pension, disability pension, partial disability pension or rehabilitation allowance.

The service enables you to compare the different pension options and the impact of a deferred retirement on the amount of your future pension.

Apply at the right time

You should submit your application for old-age pension and partial early old-age pension approximately two weeks before your intended retirement. An application for disability pension should be submitted approximately 2–3 months before the sickness allowance ends, and an application for a continuation of a rehabilitation subsidy at least one month before the previous pension ends.

Apply online

The most convenient way to apply for a pension or benefit is through Elo’s Online Service. Simply fill in the necessary information and your application is forwarded directly to processing. Remember to include your mobile phone number when you submit your application. This will enable us to send you interim information about the processing phases of your application by SMS.>

Calmly wait for the decision

We will issue a decision as soon as we have received all the necessary information. Average processing times:

2 days for old-age pension and 1 day partial early old-age pension applications,
6-8 weeks for disability pension applications,
3 weeks for vocational rehabilitation applications and
2 weeks for survivors’ pension applications.

If you have worked abroad, the processing time will be slightly longer.

Request a tax card from the tax authorities

Once you have received your decision, immediately request a tax card from the tax authorities for your pension or benefit. The tax card must be requested personally from the tax authorities in connection with your first pension payment, but Elo will retrieve all subsequent tax information directly from the tax authorities.

Manage your pension and rehabilitation matters online

In Elo's Online Service, you can do the following:

Get a pension estimate.
Review your pension record.
Apply for pension.
Get an estimate of the rehabilitation allowance.
Apply for rehabilitation and related travel reimbursements.

Frequently asked questions when applying for pension

How do I apply for pension?

How do I apply for pension?

The fastest and easiest way to apply for pension is through Elo’s Online Service. Log in to the Online Service, apply for your pensioin of choice and your application will transfer directly to processing. You can also apply for pension by completing and signing an application form and mailing it to us.

Log in to the Online Service >

Read more about the different pension options and benefits and the application process:

Retirement based on age>
Security in case of a reduced work ability>
Spouse’s and orphan’s pensions >

How can I track the processing of my application?

We will notify you about the progress of your application process approximately once every three weeks by SMS. Therefore, it's important to remember to provide us with your phone number when submitting your pension or benefit application.

Calmly wait for the decision, since every pension and benefit has its own processing time.

Application processing times:
- 1 week for old-age pension and partial old-age pension applications
- 6 weeks for disability pension applications
- 2 weeks for survivors’ pension applications
- 3 weeks for vocational rehabilitation applications.

The given processing times are estimated averages. We will issue a decision once we have received all the necessary information. If you have also worked abroad, the processing times will be slightly longer.

I live in Finland. How do I apply for the pension I earned while working abroad?

You can use the pension application for Finland to apply for pension from:

- all EU and EEA countries,
- Great Britain,
- Switzerland and
- countries with which Finland has a social security agreement: Australia, Chile, India, Israel, Canada (Québec), Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States.

You will need to attach an Appendix U to your application. The easiest way to submit your application is through Elo’s Online Service, which can also be used to submit your completed Appendix U.

Pension earned in countries other than those listed above must be applied for by contacting the relevant pension institution in the country in question.

Further information anout claiming your pension from another country is available at työeläke.fi: työeläke.fi

I live abroad. How to I apply for the pension I earned in Finland?

If you live in

- an EU or EEA country,
- Great Britain,
- Switzerland or
- a country with which Finland has a social security agreement: Australia, Canada (Québec), Chile, China, India, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea or the United States,

please contact a pension institution in your country of residence and apply for the Finnish pension through that company.

If you live in a country other than one of the aforementioned countries, you can apply for pension using the pension application for Finland. If you have online banking codes for a Finnish bank, you can also apply for pension online at Elo's Online Service >.

Further information anout claiming your pension from another country is available at tyoelake.fi.