A full rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension for someone who lives alone is
EUR 783.41 per month
Rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension
On this page:
- Who pays rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension?
- What to do if your capacity for work has declined?
- Can I get rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension?
- How much is the rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension?
- How to apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
- Working and studying
If your capacity for work is decreased on a long-term basis because of illness or disability, you can apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension. These benefits can usually only be granted after you have received sickness allowance for about one year.
Changes to minimum age for rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension
The minimum age limit for rehabilitation subsidy, disability pension, rehabilitation allowances and sickness allowances from Kela will be raised from 16 to 18 years from the beginning of 2025. The changes would not apply to those receiving benefits at present. Read more about the planned changes to the age limits for rehabilitation subsidy and disability pensions.
Rehabilitation subsidy: a fixed-term disability pension
A disability pension can be payable for a specified time period or indefinitely.
- A fixed-term disability pension is called a rehabilitation subsidy. The objective is for you to return to work or study after the rehabilitation subsidy ends through treatment and rehabilitation.
- However, if your work capacity is not restored or improved during treatment or rehabilitation, you may have the right to a disability pension that is payable indefinitely.
Who pays rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension?
Your authorised pension provider, Kela, or both of them can pay you rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
The authorised pension provider
- pays rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension to you in the form of an earnings-related pension on the basis of your salaried work and self-employment
- can grant disability pension to you if you have not yet reached the age limit for old-age pension (disability pension can be granted if you are 17 years of age or older).
Find your pension provider (työeläke.fi).
Kela
- can pay disability pension in the form of a national pension, if your earnings-related pension is small or if you have not accrued any earnings-related pension
- can pay rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension if you are between 18 and 64 years of age. If you were born before January 1, 2009, the minimum age is 16 years.
Rehabilitation subsidy is not the same as rehabilitation allowance
Rehabilitation subsidy is a fixed-term disability pension. Rehabilitation allowance can be granted if you participate in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation subsidy and rehabilitation allowance cannot be paid for the same period of time.
What to do if your capacity for work has declined?
If your incapacity for work lasts less than a year, you can get sickness allowance from Kela. Sickness allowance is usually payable for a maximum of 300 working days (about a year).
Once you have been paid sickness allowance for 150 working days, you will get a letter from Kela about supporting your capacity for work and securing a living.
Discuss with your doctor whether it is possible to support your work capacity through rehabilitation. If the doctor considers that you could benefit from rehabilitation, the doctor will draw up a doctor’s statement recommending it for you. Rehabilitation services are provided by authorised pension providers, Kela and insurance companies. Contact your doctor or Kela to find out the types of rehabilitation you may be eligible for.
If the doctor recommends rehabilitation from Kela for you, learn more about different rehabilitation alternatives. Examples include vocational rehabilitation assessment, education and training, rehabilitation courses, and psychotherapy.
First you usually get sickness allowance. Sickness allowance can be paid for about one year. If you are still disabled for work at that point, you can apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
While you get rehabilitation subsidy, i.e., time-limited disability pension, you can participate in treatment and rehabilitation.
If your work capacity is not restored or improved during treatment or rehabilitation, you may have the right to disability pension.
Register as an unemployed jobseeker in time, if your right to sickness allowance ends or if a disability pension is not granted. You can get unemployment benefits from your unemployment fund or from Kela.
If you apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension and your right to sickness allowance ends before you get a pension decision or if a pension is not granted, you can apply for unemployment benefits. The unemployment benefit also provides an income for you when the payment of the rehabilitation subsidy has ended but your application for continued payment of the subsidy is still being processed. Also in such cases you must register as a jobseeker in time.
If you have a valid employment relationship and your application for a pension has been turned down because you are considered fit for work, you can get unemployment benefit until your pension decision is legally valid.
How does Kela evaluate your capacity for work?
When you apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, Kela will evaluate your work capacity and functioning on the basis of the doctor’s statement and the information provided in the application. The evaluation follows the definition in the National Pensions Act. This means that the illness or disability must prevent you from working in a job that ensures a reasonable income. A reasonable income is considered to correspond to the full amount of the guarantee pension, EUR 986.30 per month.
Even if you have a diagnosed illness and a doctor’s statement on incapacity for work, you are not necessarily incapacitated for work within the meaning of the National Pensions Act. When you apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, your remaining work capacity is evaluated in relation to both the work that you have done and also to other work that would ensure a reasonable income for you. Your age, vocation and education will be taken into consideration, as well as the assessment of your rehabilitation possibilities.
The definition of incapacity for work in connection with rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension is thus different from the definition in connection with sickness allowance. For the sickness allowance, the work capacity is only evaluated in relation to the work that you have done or a closely comparable job.
Can I get rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension?
You may have the right to rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension from Kela if you meet the following criteria:
- Illness or disability prevents you from working in a job that ensures a reasonable income. A reasonable income is considered to correspond to the full amount of the guarantee pension, EUR 986.30 per month. Kela will evaluate how your illness or disability affects your work capacity.
- You are between 18 and 64 years of age. If you were born before January 1, 2009, the minimum age is 16 years.
- You have a doctor’s statement (doctor’s statement B) on incapacity for work and a treatment or rehabilitation plan. The plan can also be a document separate from the doctor’s statement.
- You live in Finland or have lived in Finland for at least 3 years after having reached the age of 16 years. If you have lived in Finland for at least a year, any insurance periods accumulated in other EU or EEA countries, in Switzerland or in Great Britain can be taken into account. However, you do not need to fulfil this requirement if you became incapacitated for work before you turned 19 years old and were living in Finland at the time, or if you have previously received disability allowance for persons under the age of 16.
- You get no earnings-related pension or the earnings-related pension is less than
- EUR 1,617.13, if you live alone
- EUR 1,449.13, if you are married or cohabiting or in a registered partnership.
- You are permanently blind or lack mobility. In order to be granted a disability pension, your other pension income must not exceed Kela’s income limit.
If you are under 20 years of age, Kela first investigates whether rehabilitation is an option for you and you could get either rehabilitation allowance for young persons or rehabilitation allowance on the basis of vocational rehabilitation.
You can get rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension only if
- vocational rehabilitation and rehabilitation allowance for young persons are not possible according to Kela's findings
- vocational rehabilitation has been suspended due to illness or ended as not having any results.
If you are granted rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, the child benefit and any disability allowance will end. In this case, you can apply for care allowance for pensioners instead of the disability allowance.
Your work capacity and your right to rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension will be assessed again if your capacity for work is restored, you get well again or you study for a new profession.
If Kela is paying you a disability pension, it will be automatically converted into an old-age pension from the beginning of the month following your 65th birthday.
How much is the rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension?
You may have a right to rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension from Kela if your earnings-related pension is small. Your earnings-related pension and any other pension you may get affect the amount of rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
* A couple relationship refers to a cohabiting relationship, marriage or registered partnership.
The full amount is payable only if you get no other pensions or if their combined amount before taxes is EUR 66.29 per month or less. If you have more pension income, the rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension from Kela will be smaller or will not be available at all.
Rehabilitation subsidies and disability pensions that are less than EUR 7.97 per month are not paid.
See what types of income affect the amount of rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension.
Any pay you get for work you do may affect the amount of rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension.
Rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension are taxable income.
You can estimate the amount of rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension with the help of a calculation formula or ask for an estimate of the pension amount by calling our customer service number 020 634 2650.
First, the pension amount entitling to a full disability pension is deducted from a person’s earnings-related pensions. Then, half of the resulting amount is deducted from the full disability pension. In the calculation formula, the earnings-related pension is taken into account to its gross amount, i.e., before taxes.
Calculation formula for persons who live alone: EUR 783.41 – (earnings-related pensions – EUR 66.29)÷ 2
Calculation formula for persons living together with another person: EUR 699.42 – (earnings-related pensions – EUR 66.29)÷ 2
The calculation formulas cannot be used if you have lived or worked abroad.
When applying for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, list all the countries in which you have lived, worked or studied.
The time you have spent abroad may reduce your pension, if you have lived in Finland less than 80% of the time between age 16 and the start of the pension.
Contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs for details on how foreign residence affects your pension.
Kela annually adjusts the national pensions in line with an index. This may increase or reduce your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
The index adjustment is made automatically. You do not have to do anything.
Payment date
If banks are closed on the scheduled payment date, the payments are made on the nearest preceding banking day.
If you move abroad permanently, Kela can in certain situations continue to pay you rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
If you live abroad, send a written notification of your foreign bank details (IBAN account number and BIC code) to Kela's Centre for International Affairs. Without the bank account details, the pension cannot be paid.
What is the effect of other pensions and incomes?
Nearly all earnings-related pensions and other pensions that are paid on a continuous basis affect the rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension. Your other pensions will be taken into account according to their amount before taxes. Any pensions or benefits you get from abroad will usually also reduce the amount of rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension due to you.
- earnings-related pensions, such as old-age, disability and survivors’ pensions
- voluntary supplementary pensions and survivors’ pensions that are based on private- or public-sector employment, self-employment or the holding of a public office
- occupational accident pensions, survivors’ pensions, life annuities and assistance pensions payable on the basis of statutory worker’s compensation insurance
- rehabilitation allowance paid on the basis of statutory worker’s compensation insurance
- disability or survivors’ pension paid on the basis of statutory motor liability insurance
- compensation for loss of income paid on the basis of statutory motor liability insurance
- assistance pension paid under the Military Injuries Act
- basic amount of the farm closure compensation
- pensions and compensations from foreign sources.
Rehabilitation allowance and compensation for loss of income do not reduce the disability pension until one year after the accident or traffic injury.
Salaried employment and self-employment may affect the amount of disability pension.
- capital income or assets
- spouse’s income or assets
- earnings-related pensions accrued from periods of study or child care
- a deferral bonus to an earnings-related pension
- one-off increases in disability pensions.
How to apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
You can apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension either on a form or in the OmaKela e-service. OmaKela is currently only available in Finnish and Swedish. Kela’s forms are also available in English.
Apply in OmaKela
- Apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) if you have not accumulated any earnings-related pension or its amount is less than the income limit specified by Kela. You can apply for an earnings-related pension with the same application if you have accrued even a small amount of earnings-related pension.
- Information on rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension from the authorised pension providers is available on the website of your pension provider. If you do not know your own authorised pension provider, you can check it on the Työeläke.fi website.
- Take photographs of the supporting documents and send them in OmaKela. Enclose the following with the application:
- a doctor’s statement B that is at the most 6 months old and other documentation on your health status
- a treatment or rehabilitation plan from the treatment provider. The plan can be included in the doctor’s statement or as a separate document
- Appendix TM on form MelaKela 1801 (in Finnish) (PDF), if you are a farmer
- Appendix U on form ETK/Kela 7110e (PDF), if you have lived or worked in some other country besides Finland.
If you are applying for continued payment of the rehabilitation subsidy, file a new doctor’s statement. You do not have to file a new application because the continued payment of the rehabilitation subsidy will be determined on the basis of the doctor’s statement.
Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see reminders of, for instance, supporting documents missing from your application. The decision notice will also be sent to your home address unless you have opted out of paper mail.
Apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
Apply on a form
- Fill in and print out application form for disability pension ETK/Kela 7002e (PDF)
- Enclose additional documents in support of the application as necessary. The application form includes information on which supporting documents you need.
- Send the application and any supporting documents by mail. The address is Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see reminders of, for instance, supporting documents missing from your application. The decision notice will also be sent to your home address unless you have opted out of paper mail.
The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If interacting with Kela is challenging for you personally, you can authorise another person to do so on your behalf If you wish to discuss your matters more thoroughly with a Kela expert, book an appointment with Kela’s phone service.
Things to remember when applying for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
Submit your application in good time. Rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension awards can normally be backdated for no more than 6 months.
If your application has not yet been decided when your sickness allowance or sick pay ends and returning to work is not possible, or if your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension application is turned down, do as follows:
- Register as an unemployed jobseeker immediately with the employment services in your municipality of residence in the Työmarkkinatori e-service (tyomarkkinatori.fi)
- Follow the instructions of the employment authorities. The jobseeker status cannot be backdated. Renew your status as an unemployed jobseeker regularly.
- State that you are looking for a full-time job. Only jobseekers looking for full-time work are entitled to unemployment benefits. However, jobseekers on partial disability pension may apply for part-time work.
- Register as a jobseeker even if you have a valid employment relationship. Also, submit to Kela or your authorised pension provider a statement from your employer indicating that your employer is unable to offer you work which is consistent with your work capacity.
If Kela or your authorised pension provider turns down your application for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, you should find out if you can return to work or if you have the right to any unemployment benefits. You can also apply for vocational or medical rehabilitation. It is also possible to appeal a negative decision.
Notify Kela of changes that affect the rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
Remember to notify Kela of any changes in your circumstances so that the rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension can be paid correctly. Tell Kela if
- you start a job that pays you more than EUR 986.30 per month
- your health status or capacity for work improves
- you complete education or training
- your rehabilitation is interrupted
- you start getting some other pension or compensation from Finland or from abroad, or if the amount of these changes
- there is a change in your family circumstances
- you move abroad or stay abroad for more than 3 months.
If you do not notify Kela of changes, you may be paid benefits you do not have the right to. In that case, the benefit will be recovered from you later.
Kela obtains wage information from the national incomes register and uses this information when processing your case. We may ask for additional information, if necessary.
- Notify Kela of changes in the OmaKela e-service. OmaKela is available in Finnish and Swedish.
- You can also notify Kela of changes by calling our customer service number 020 634 2650.
- You can also complete a form and send the completed form to Kela. If your notification concerns
- changes in family circumstances, use form E 285e (PDF) for application for a review
- other changes (for instance health status, profession or education or training), use form EV 267 (in Finnish) (PDF) for a review of the disability pension.
Working and studying when you are on rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
Salaried employment may affect the payment of your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension. Studies do not affect the payment.
Working when you are on rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension
When you get rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, you can earn a maximum of EUR 976.59 per month. If you earn more, the payment of your disability pension will be suspended, i.e., interrupted. In that case, remember to
- notify Kela of your work
- check with your pension provider how your work may affect any disability pension paid by the pension provider.
Employment also affects
- the guarantee pension (you can earn up to EUR 986.30 per month while receiving a guarantee pension)
- the amount of housing allowance for pensioners and your taxation.
If your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension is suspended, any care allowance for pensioners you may have been paid 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.
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, your employment will affect your guarantee pension.
If your income from work exceeds the earnings limit for 3 consecutive months, your pension will be suspended, i.e., the payment will be interrupted. The pension is stopped starting from the beginning of the first month in which your earnings exceed EUR 986.30 per month. Kela will collect any overpaid pensions from you.
The pension will be suspended for at least three months but no more than two years. The pension can also be suspended retrospectively. Remember to notify Kela of your income from work before you start working.
Example
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 986.30 per month, the earnings limit applicable to disability pensions.
Eero tells Kela of his new job. Kela suspends the disability pension immediately as from 1 August.
Returning to work
When the payment of your rehabilitation subsidy or 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 evaluated again.
Studying when you are on disability pension
You can study while on rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension. If you study for a new profession or university degree, you can plan how to start working or return to work. You can get support for this from Kela and the employment services in your municipality of residence.
When you graduate, tell Kela about it. Kela will determine whether you still have the right to rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
Kun valmistut, ilmoita siitä Kelaan. Kela arvioi, onko sinulla edelleen oikeus kuntoutustukeen tai työkyvyttömyyseläkkeeseen.
What else is going on in your life?
Vocational rehabilitation can help you enter working life again despite illness
Vocational rehabilitation is arranged by Kela and the authorised pension providers.
Can you be granted disability pension from the authorised pension provider?
Do you need assistance with your housing costs?
You are eligible for the housing allowance for pensioners if you are living in Finland permanently, you have a low income and you receive a pension which gives you the right to housing allowance for pensioners.