Working and studying when you are on a disability pension
Salaried employment may affect the payment of your disability pension. You can study while receiving a disability pension or rehabilitation subsidy.
Working when you are on a disability pension
You can earn some money while receiving a disability pension. However, if you earn more than a specified limit, your disability pension is suspended, i.e., its payment is stopped. Tell Kela if you are working. If you also receive a disability pension from an authorised pension provider, ask your pension provider how working will affect your pension.
If your pension is suspended, any pensioners’ care allowance you may have received will be suspended as well. However, in certain situations Kela can pay you a disability allowance at the highest rate instead of the care allowance.
Your earnings can also affect the housing allowance and your taxes.
How much can you earn?
Kela will continue to pay you a disability pension if your earnings before taxes (gross earnings) do not exceed EUR 976.59 per month. Wages, salaries, self-employment income, etc., count as earnings.
If your earnings are higher than the specified limit for three months in a row, your pension is stopped. The pension is stopped starting from the beginning of the first month in which your earnings exceed EUR 976.59 per month.
Eero gets a job while on disability pension. He starts work on 1 August. His employment contract is open-ended. Eero earns a salary of EUR 1,200 per month, which is higher than EUR 976.59 per month, the earnings limit applicable to disability pensions.
Eero tells Kela of his new job. Kela suspends the disability pension immediately from 1 August.
If the disability pension has been granted on the basis of permanent blindness or mobility disability, you can work without your earnings affecting the disability pension. However, working will affect the guarantee pension. You can earn up to EUR 976.59 per month while receiving a guarantee pension.
The pension will be suspended for at least three months but no more than two years. Your pension can also be suspended with retroactive effect if you do not tell Kela of your earnings in advance.
Return to work
When the payment of your disability pension has been suspended for two years and your work still continues, your disability pension will end.
If your health deteriorates again, you can file a new application for disability pension. Your work capacity will be assessed again.
Studying when you are on a disability pension
You can study while drawing a disability pension or rehabilitation subsidy. If you study for a new profession or university degree, you can plan how to start working or return to work. You can receive support for this from Kela and the TE Services.
When you graduate, tell Kela about it. If you receive a disability pension from an earnings-related pension scheme, you should also notify your authorised pension provider of completing your degree. Kela and the authorised pension provider will assess your eligibility to a disability pension.