Spouse’s pension

Kela can pay a starting pension from the beginning of the month following the death of your spouse. It can be paid for up to 6 months. If you receive a national pension, your starting pension will only consist of the amount that exceeds the national pension.

Payment of the starting pension will end as soon as you reach the age of 65. It will also end if you remarry before turning 50.

After the starting pension, you may be able to get a continuing pension. It consists of a basic amount and possibly also an additional amount.

• Read more about the basic amount.
• You qualify for the additional amount if your income is low.

Payment of the continuing pension ends when you turn 65.

It will also end if you remarry before turning 50.

If you remarry before you are 50 and have by that time received a spouse's pension for at least a year, Kela will provide you a lump-sum payment, which can be equal to up to three years’ payments of the continuing pension.

You can get a spouse’s pension if you were married to your spouse or registered your partnership with your partner before he or she turned 65.

You can get a spouse’s starting pension and continuing pension.

Basic or additional amount of the continuing pension?

You are entitled to the basic amount of the continuing pension. The basic amount is paid until the youngest child that you have with your spouse/partner reaches the age of 18, or until you reach the age of 65.

You are also entitled to the basic amount of the continuing pension, if your child with your spouse/partner has reached the age of 18, but you have a child (either yours or your spouse’s/partner’s) under the age of 18 living with you. An additional requirement is that your child or your spouse’s/partner’s child was living in the same household with you and your spouse/partner when your spouse/partner died. The basic amount is paid until the child turns 18 or moves out of your home at an age younger than 18.

If your income is small, you can get an additional amount to the continuing pension.

You can be paid an additional amount until you reach the age of 65, even if your child is over 18.

How long is the spouse’s pension paid?

• If you were born before 1975:
  • You can get spouse’s pension up to age 65.
• If you were born in 1975 or later, and your spouse/partner died before 1 January 2022:
  • You can get spouse’s pension up to age 65.
• If you were born in 1975 or later, and your spouse/partner died on or after 1 January 2022:
  • You can get spouse’s pension for 10 years or at least until any child living with you turns 18.
  • You will, however, no longer be eligible for spouse’s pension after you have reached the age of 65.

You have a right to spouse’s pension only if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You were at least 50 years old when your spouse/partner died.
• You were under 50 years of age, and your spouse/partner was under 65 when you were married or entered into a registered partnership.
• Your marriage or registered partnership lasted at least 5 years.

You have a right to spouse’s starting pension and possibly to continuing pension.

Basic or additional amount of the continuing pension?

If your income is small, you can get an additional amount to the continuing pension. 

If the above requirements are met and you have a child (either your own or your spouse’s/partner’s) under the age of 18 living with you, you can also get the basic amount of the continuing pension. An additional requirement is that your child or your spouse’s/partner’s child was living in the same household with you and your spouse/partner when your spouse/partner died. The basic amount is paid until the child turns 18 or moves out of your home at an age younger than 18.

How long is the spouse’s pension paid?

• If you were born before 1975:
  • You can get spouse’s pension up to age 65.
• If you were born in 1975 or later, and your spouse/partner died before 1 January 2022:
  • You can get spouse’s pension up to age 65.
• If you were born in 1975 or later, and your spouse/partner died on or after 1 January 2022:
  • You can get spouse’s pension for 10 years or at least until any child living with you turns 18.
  • You will, however, no longer be eligible for spouse’s pension after you have reached the age of 65.

You have a right to spouse’s pension if you cohabited with your partner and you meet all of the following requirements:

• Your partner died on or after 1 January 2022.
• You started cohabiting before your partner reached the age of 65.
• You had cohabited for a consecutive period of at least 5 years at the time when your partner died.
• You have a child under the age of 18 with your partner and the child has lived in the same household with you and your partner.

You are entitled to surviving spouse’s starting pension and continuing pension.

If you yourself were married to another person at the time of your partner’s death, or if your partner was married to another person at the time of his or her death, then you are not entitled to surviving spouse’s pension.

Basic or additional amount of the continuing pension?

You are entitled to the basic amount of the continuing pension. If your income is small, you can also get an additional amount to your continuing pension. It is not possible to get only the additional amount.

How long is the spouse’s pension paid?

The spouse’s pension is payable until the youngest child that you have with your deceased partner turns 18. You can be paid spouse’s pension up to age 65.

You can get spouse’s pension from Kela if you used to live abroad but now live permanently in Finland.

However, you must meet all the following criteria:

• Your late spouse/partner had lived in Finland for at least 3 years after turning 16.
  • If your spouse/partner lived in Finland for at least a year, any insurance period accumulated in other EU or EEA countries, in Switzerland or in Great Britain can be taken into account.
• Your late spouse/partner was living in Finland at the time of his or her death.
• You yourself have lived in Finland for at least 3 years after turning 16.
  • If you have lived in Finland for at least a year, any insurance period accumulated in other EU or EEA countries, in Switzerland or in Great Britain can be taken into account.
• You are living in Finland or you have moved back to Finland within one year of the death of your spouse/partner.

You can also get spouse’s pension from Kela if you are living in an EU or EEA country, in Switzerland or in Great Britain. If Kela pays you a spouse’s pension and you move abroad, the continued payment of the pension depends on where you move and how long you will stay. Read more about the payment of pensions to recipients outside Finland.

You can also get a pension from abroad on the basis of an international agreement. Read more about applying for a pension from abroad.

If you or your spouse/partner have lived abroad, you should check with Kela’s Centre for International Affairs for details on how foreign residence affects your spouse's pension.

*Marriage, registered partnership or cohabitation

The additional amount of the continuing pension is affected by almost all of your income, including wages and salaries, pensions paid by an authorised pension provider, benefits paid by Kela, and rental and dividend income. Any income you receive from abroad will usually also reduce the additional amount of the continuing pension.

However, only 60% of your earned income and any comparable income is taken into account.

Earned income includes wages and salaries. Unemployment benefits, sickness allowance, daily allowances for parents and the care allowance component of the child home care allowance are equated with earned income.

For farmers and self-employed persons, the income confirmed under the Self-Employed Persons’ Pensions Act (YEL) or the Farmers’ Pensions Act (MYEL) is counted as earned income.

You can earn up to EUR 65.62 per month (gross, i.e. before taxes) to qualify for a full additional amount.

If you have housing debt, the interest you pay on it is deducted from your income.

Your property and assets do not affect the additional amount.

Maija’s husband, Teppo, died in January 2024. Maija and Teppo have a daughter, Anne, aged under 18. Maija works part-time and has a salary of EUR 1,000 per month. Maija begins to receive a surviving spouse’s pension of EUR 1,200 per month on the basis of Teppo’s earnings-related pension.

After Teppo’s death, Kela pays Maija a starting pension of EUR 383.30 per month for 6 months. In total, Maija receives EUR 1,583.30 per month in surviving spouse’s pension from Kela and from the authorised pension provider

After receiving the starting pension for 6 months, Maija will get the basic amount of the continuing pension from Kela. The basic amount is EUR 120.06 per month and it is paid out because Maija has a dependent child who is under 18 years old. Maija is not granted an additional amount to the continuing pension because her income exceeds the maximum income limit. Kela has thus calculated Maija’s income as consisting of the surviving spouse’s pension paid by the earnings-related pension provider (EUR 1,200 per month) and 60 per cent of her earned income (EUR 600 per month).

When Anne turns 18, Kela will stop paying the surviving spouse’s pension.

If your spouse or partner once worked, studied or lived abroad, it will take longer to process your pension application. Kela must verify all the periods in which your spouse or partner lived, studied or worked in another country.

If there is a long wait to receive a pension decision from another EU or EEA country or from Switzerland or Great Britain, you can get a temporary decision on a Kela pension.

• Contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs if you have questions about how a period of foreign residence affects your pensions.
• Learn more about how to apply for a pension from abroad.