Guarantee pension

The guarantee pension secures a minimum pension for residents of Finland.

Can I get a guarantee pension?

First, apply for all of the Finnish and foreign pensions to which you may be entitled. After that, you can get a guarantee pension if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You receive a pension that entitles you to a guarantee pension.
• The total amount of all of your pensions before taxes does not exceed EUR 982.90 per month.
• You have lived in Finland for at least 3 years after reaching the age of 16.

If you have lived in Finland for at least a year, any insurance period accumulated in other EU or EEA countries or in Switzerland can be taken into account. Young disabled persons do not have to meet the residence criterion if they have received disability allowance for persons under 16 years of age.

Pensions that entitle you to a guarantee pension include:

• old-age pension and early old-age pension provided by Kela
• old-age pension provided by an authorised pension provider (The old-age pension entitles you to a guarantee pension after you have reached the lowest old-age retirement age in your own age group.)
• rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension provided by Kela
• farm closure compensation.

The following pensions entitle you to a guarantee pension if they have been granted on account of full incapacity for work:

• full rehabilitation subsidy and full disability pension provided by an authorised pension provider
• occupational accident pension and life annuity paid on the basis of statutory workers’ compensation insurance
• occupational accident pension and life annuity paid on the basis of the Military Injuries Act
• disability pension paid on the basis of statutory motor liability insurance
• compensation for loss of income paid on the basis of statutory motor liability insurance. (The compensation will not entitle you to a guarantee pension until one year after the traffic accident.)

If you are an immigrant and do not receive any other pension, you may be entitled to a guarantee pension if you have reached the age of 65 or if you have reached the age of 18 and are incapable for work within the meaning of the National Pensions Act. If you were born in 2008 or earlier, the minimum age is 16 years.

How much is the guarantee pension?

You can only receive the full amount if you have no other pension income.

The amount of the guarantee pension is reduced by nearly all other pension income you receive from Finland and from abroad. Such pension income includes:

• pensions provided by authorised pension providers
• pensions provided by Kela
• occupational accident pensions.

In addition, taking the old-age pension early reduces the amount of the guarantee pension.

The gross (i.e. before-tax) value of your other pension income is deducted from the guarantee pension.

The guarantee pension is not reduced by:

• earnings (except if you receive a disability pension or a guarantee pension on the grounds of incapacity for work)
• capital income
• assets
• care allowance for pensioners
• front-veterans’ supplement
• child increase to the pension
• voluntary pension insurance you have taken out yourself
• informal care allowance paid by the municipality
• the pensions, other income or assets of your spouse or partner.

If the amount of the guarantee pension is less than EUR 8.01 per month, it is not paid out.

Kela makes an annual index adjustment to the guarantee pension. The index adjustment may reduce or increase the amount of the guarantee pension. You do not have to do anything about the index adjustment, as Kela will automatically adjust the amount of the guarantee pension.

Payment date

If banks are closed on the scheduled payment date, the pensions are paid on the nearest preceding banking day.

How to apply for a guarantee pension

First, apply for all of the Finnish and foreign pensions to which you may be entitled.

Apply for a guarantee pension on the form Guarantee pension GE 1e (PDF). To make sure that the form functions properly, you need to use the latest version of Adobe Reader. It is available as a free download on the Adobe website (get.adobe.com). Read our instructions for technical problems.

1. Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
2. Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
3. After you have filled in the form, save it in PDF format. You do not have to sign the form.
4. Send your application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes).
5. Send supporting documents in OmaKela by selecting Lähetä liite (Send a supporting document). Take photographs of the documents you are sending if they are not in a digital format.

Go to OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. You will also see how much you will get and when it will be paid. If supporting documents are missing from your application, you will get a reminder about that in OmaKela. 

In OmaKela, you can also give consent for Kela to send you messages. This will help make your application process and other contacts with Kela quicker.

If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Fill in the form and print it out. Remember to sign the form. Send the form together with any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

If you cannot apply for a guarantee pension in OmaKela or on a paper form, you can do so verbally. Call Kela’s customer service number 020 634 2650 or visit a Kela service point.

The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with something, you can call one of our English language customer service numbers.

Things to remember when you apply for a guarantee pension

Report changes that affect your guarantee pension

If you receive a guarantee pension, you must tell Kela about any changes that may affect your guarantee pension. Tell Kela if:

• you begin to receive another pension, compensation or survivors' pension from Finland or from abroad or if the amount of these changes
• you move abroad or stay abroad for more than 3 months.

If you are under 65 years of age and receive a disability pension from Kela in addition to a guarantee pension, tell Kela if you start a job that pays you more than EUR 986,30 per month.

If you are an immigrant and receive a guarantee pension on the basis of incapacity for work, you must also tell us if:

• you are under 65 years of age and start a job that pays you more than EUR 986,30 per month  
• your health status or capacity for work improves
• you complete a vocational education
• you drop out of a rehabilitation programme.

Do not forget to check how any changes in your circumstances will affect other benefits that you receive from Kela.

 What else is going on in your life?