Topical issues

Finnish Parliament has approved a transitional provision under which partial old-age pensions will not be considered in the means testing for the general social security benefit if the pension decision was issued before 1 May 2026. Parliament broadened the transitional provision beyond what the Government had originally proposed.

An amendment of the earnings-related pension index results in an increase of around 52 euros for a gross monthly pension that is around 2,000 euros. Every year, pensions in payment are adjusted with the earnings-related pension index to help maintain purchasing power.

Are you conducting research on pensions and retirement? We offer you the opportunity to present your work at the third ETK Pension Research Forum to a broad international audience of pension experts, academics, stakeholders and policymakers.

Finland was again rated as having the most reliable pension system governance in the international Marsh CA Institute Global Pension Index comparison. Although its total score improved slightly this year, Finland dropped one notch to 9th place. The other Nordic countries also scored well in the comparison.

The earnings-related pension sector will begin accepting electronic medical statements at the beginning of 2027. After a medical appointment, the statement can be sent directly to the pension provider processing the benefit application.

Paid work is the main basis for pension accrual, but most people in Finland also accrue pension while receiving social security benefits. Pension accrued from these benefits is particularly important for people on low incomes.

Pension policy is often expected to solve problems that originate elsewhere in society or the economy. In his keynote address at the ETK-INPeR research seminar, Yves Stevens described this as “smuggling”.

Farmers use family leave more often and for longer periods than other self-employed persons and employees. This is evident in a register-based study that examined farmers’ use of parental leave and child home care allowance in 2019–2024.

Earnings-related pension accrues differently at different ages because earnings generally increase as people get older. On average, a person in their fifties accrues around twice as much earnings-related pension in a year as a 25-year-old. Your pension record shows how much pension you have accrued and helps you understand what your future pension may be. The amount of your pension depends on your earnings and the length of your working life.

Around 90 per cent of people who have claimed a partial old-age pension are satisfied with their choice. The most common reasons for claiming the pension are its financial profitability and the claimants’ uncertainty about their health and remaining life expectancy. In the first large-scale survey of its kind, the Finnish Centre for Pensions examined the experiences of people who had claimed a partial old-age pension.