Disability Pensions

Disability pension and rehabilitation subsidy – often referred to as sickness pension – can be granted as full or partial. Rehabilitation subsidy is also considered a disability pension. On this page, you will find information about different types of disability pensions and how the application process proceeds.

All of these are disability pensions:

disability pension is a full disability pension granted permanently
rehabilitation subsidy is a full disability pension granted for a fixed term
partial disability pension is a 50% disability pension granted permanently
partial rehabilitation subsidy is a 50% disability pension granted for a fixed term

Disability pension is often colloquially referred to as sickness pension.

Rehabilitation subsidy can be granted if your work ability is expected to recover. If recovery is unlikely, a permanent disability pension can be granted.

Partial rehabilitation subsidy or partial disability pension can be granted when your work ability has decreased, but you can still work part-time.

Rehabilitation allowance, rehabilitation increment and rehabilitation assistance are not disability pensions but benefits paid during vocational rehabilitation.

Disability pension is usually preceded by sick leave

A disability pension is granted if your work ability has been reduced for a prolonged period in all types of work.

Disability pension or rehabilitation subsidy is typically applied for after a long sick leave, most often following the sickness allowance period granted by Kela. Partial disability pension and partial rehabilitation subsidy are usually applied for after Kela’s partial sickness allowance period.

You can apply for disability pensions if you have not reached the old-age retirement age.

Applying for a disability pension

Request a medical statement

You need to attach a Medical Statement B to your application. Contact your attending physician and request a medical statement for your disability pension application. The physician will indicate in the statement whether you are applying for disability pension, rehabilitation subsidy, partial disability pension or partial rehabilitation subsidy.
Check the estimated amount of your disability pension in the online service

Log in to the Online Service for private customers
Apply for disability pension by completing the application in our online service

Log in to the Online Service
Remember to attach the Medical Statement B to your application

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Instructions for applying for a disability pension or rehabilitation subsidy

Instructions for applying for a partial disability pension or partial rehabilitation subsidy

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The online application was clear and easy to complete.

How is work ability assessed?

When you apply for disability pensions, your work ability is assessed as follows:

1. Specialist physician’s assessment

Our specialist physician makes an insurance medical assessment based on the medical reports received, to determine whether you can perform any work – not only your own occupation. An exception applies to persons over 60 with a long work history – for them, work ability is assessed in relation to their own work.

The specialist physician’s assessment is insurance medical, where medicine is part of the evaluation. Your attending physician’s assessment is medical. Therefore, these assessments may differ.

2. Work ability specialist’s decision

The work ability specialist makes the decision based on the specialist physician’s assessment, your application and its attachments, and the earnings-related pension acts.

Conditions for granting

Disability pension can be granted if your work ability has been reduced due to illness, defect or injury continuously for at least one year. Full disability pension or rehabilitation subsidy requires that work ability has decreased by at least 3/5. For partial disability pension and partial rehabilitation subsidy, a 2/5 reduction is sufficient.

Factors considered in the assessment

In addition to your state of health, the assessment takes into account your education, work history, age, and place of residence. Your work ability is evaluated in relation to all types of work.

Your work ability is assessed in relation to all work that you can reasonably be expected to perform. Being unable to work in your own profession alone is not sufficient; the evaluation considers whether you could do some other work, taking your health into account.

Income during application processing

If your right to sickness allowance has ended and you have not yet received our decision, you can apply for unemployment benefit. Contact Employment Services and apply for unemployment benefit from your unemployment fund or Kela.

Start and end of disability pension

When does disability pension start?

A full disability pension and rehabilitation subsidy usually begin after the primary period of Kela’s sickness allowance ends, which is about one year after your disability started. The primary period refers to the end of Kela’s sickness allowance, after which pension payments can begin.

Sometimes we need to wait for confirmation from Kela about the end of the sickness allowance. Kela usually provides this information about six months after the allowance started.

A partial disability pension and partial rehabilitation subsidy start when you notify us of your transition to pension and your gross earnings have decreased below the earnings limit stated in the preliminary decision.

When does disability pension end?

A fixed-term rehabilitation subsidy ends on the date specified in the decision. If your work ability has not been restored during the rehabilitation period, you can apply for an extension by sending us a new B medical certificate about your health.

A full disability pension continues until retirement age, at which point it converts into an old-age pension of the same amount. A partial disability pension also converts into an old-age pension at retirement age, but its amount doubles, becoming equal to a full disability pension.

The retirement age for the old-age pension following a disability pension or partial disability pension depends on when you became disabled:

If your disability began in 2017 or later, the pension converts to an old-age pension at the lowest retirement age for your age group. You can check your retirement age in the calculator.
If your disability began in 2016 or earlier, the pension converts to an old-age pension at age 63.
If your disability began before 2006, the pension converts to an old-age pension at age 65.

Applying for an Extension of Rehabilitation Subsidy and Partial Rehabilitation Subsidy

You can apply for an extension of the rehabilitation subsidy and partial rehabilitation subsidy if your work ability has not been restored during the support period. You do not need to submit a separate application; a new B medical certificate is sufficient. Send the B medical certificate through our online service 1–2 months before your support ends.

The average processing time for extension applications is about 3 weeks. Processing times may vary depending on the case. You will receive information about the decision via message.

Amounts of Disability Pensions Are Adjusted Annually According to the Pension Index

The indices securing earnings-related pensions are the earnings-related pension index and the wage coefficient. The purpose of index protection is to take into account changes in the value of money. For this reason, the amount of disability pensions is adjusted annually according to the indices.

Sometimes we have to wait for the confirmation of the pension index for the coming year before calculating the pension and issuing the decision. The indices are always confirmed by the beginning of November of the current year, after which the pension decision can be issued.

Working While on Disability Pension

While receiving a disability pension, you can work up to your personal earnings limit without it affecting the payment of your pension. You can check your earnings limit in our online service.

Receiving a Negative Decision

Pension decisions are based on earnings-related pension legislation. In addition, decisions follow established case law, which is based on rulings from appeal bodies. The reasons for rejecting your application are explained in detail in the decision’s justification. Take your time to review the decision and its attachments carefully.

The Health Insurance Act and Employees Pensions Act define work disability in different ways. Kela grants sickness allowance if you are unable to perform your established occupation. Disability pension can be granted if you are disabled for all kinds of work besides your established occupation.

In some cases, the difference between the definitions of work disability may lead to Kela having granted sickness allowance based on a disease, while the decision on disability pension is negative.

Take your time to review the decision and its justifications.

If your employment relationship is in force, you can contact your supervisor, occupational health care or HR. Assess the possibilities of continuing in your work with them.

Find out about the options of vocational rehabilitation if returning to your former work is not possible. The purpose of vocational rehabilitation is to find a route back to work that is possible in spite of your illness or injury. Your decision includes information about the responsibilities for arranging vocational rehabilitation.

Register as an unemployed job seeker with the TE Office if your right to sickness allowance has ended and you are unable to return to work. Apply for unemployment benefits from your own unemployment fund or Kela to secure your subsistence. If necessary, also investigate your eligibility for social assistance and housing allowance.

If you have any questions about the decision, you can contact our customer service.

If you disagree with the decision, you can submit an appeal to us in accordance with the instructions for appeal. You can also subsequently provide us with new statements and application, and we will review the matter again.

If you are not satisfied with a pension decision, you can lodge an appeal with the Pension Appeal Board. You can appeal against a decision of the Appeal Board in the Insurance Court. The appeal must reach the court within 30 days of having been informed of the pension decision. The applicant is considered to have been informed of a pension decision at the latest on the seventh day after the decision was sent by mail if the decision was sent by paper mail. If you chose an electronic decision, you are considered to have been informed of the decision on the third day after it was sent.

In your appeal, you need to specify what kind of amendment to our decision you are seeking and justify it. You can also submit additional clarifications of your health later during the processing of the appeal. We will examine all of the new clarifications and inform you in writing whether the decision can be amended based on them.

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