Partial old-age pension

Partial old-age pension can bring flexibility to life in the late stages of your career. You can flexibly combine work and pension.

Apply for partial old-age pension in Varma Online Service

You only need to submit your pension application two weeks before you plan to retire. Pension may begin the earliest at the start of the month after it has been applied for. Please note that partial old-age pension cannot be paid retroactively.

1. Find out the age limit for partial old-age pension

The age limit for partial old-age pension depends on your year of birth.

  • for those born in 1963 or earlier, the age limit is 61 years and
  • for those born in 1964, 62 years.

For those born in 1965 and after, the age limit is three years before their own minimum age for old-age pension.

Check the age limit for partial old-age pension using the pension calculator

2. Estimate the amount of your pension before submitting your pension application

You can estimate the amount of your pension in our online service and use it to support your decision-making. Partial old-age pension is 25 or 50 per cent of the pension you have accrued up until the end of the previous year.

Reduction for early retirement: If your partial old-age pension starts before your minimum retirement age, a reduction for early retirement (0.4%/month) will be made on the pension, reducing the amount of your pension. The reduction for early retirement is permanent.

Increase for late retirement: If you retire on partial old-age pension after the minimum retirement age, a pension increase for late retirement (0.4%/month) will be calculated, which increases your pension. The increase for late retirement is also permanent.

If your partial old-age pension starts at your minimum retirement age, the pension will not be affected by the reduction for early retirement or the increase for late retirement.

Calculate your pension estimate in Varma Online Service

3. Determine the impact of pension on other benefits

We can grant you partial old-age pension if you have not been granted any other pension based on your work. A voluntary pension paid by the employer or your own voluntary pension does not prevent you from receiving partial old-age pension.

Partial old-age pension does not affect the amount of earnings-based daily allowance. Instead, partial old-age pension is taken into account in the assessment of the need for general social security benefit. You should ask the party paying your benefit to determine the impact of pension.

4. Complete the partial old-age pension application in Varma Online Service

Apply for pension two weeks the desired start date of pension. Before completion, you can browse the online application and check what information you will need.

  • To complete the pension application through Varma Online Service, log in to the service. Select "Pension applications" in the navigation area of the online service and then select partial old-age pension as the type.
  • Find out your IBAN account number, information on other benefits or pensions and information on other benefits or daily allowances for the current and previous year for the application in advance.
  • You can choose to take 25 or 50 per cent of your accrued pension. If you take 25% first, you can take another 25% later if you wish. 
  • You can easily monitor the processing of the application in Varma Online Service. The average processing time varies, but it is currently about a week.

Apply for pension by logging in to Varma Online Service

The last point: Pension decision

You can see your pension decision in Varma Online Service when you choose paperless service. Otherwise, we will send the decision by post to your home address.

Along with the decision, you will receive instructions that include important matters for pensioners, as well as a reminder to apply for a new tax card for your pension as soon as possible after your pension begins. Read how to request a tax card for your pension.

Working while on a pension

You can work on partial old-age pension. Working while on pension is not required or restricted.

Your employment relationship does not need to end at the start of partial old-age pension. You do not need to inform your employer of your partial old-age pension. If you want to change your working hours, agree on it with your employer.
If there is a change in your work as a self-employed person while you are on partial old-age pension, you can easily report the change in Varma Online Service.

You can read more about working while on a partial old-age pension

Changes in pension

You can apply for partial old-age pension that is 25 or 50 per cent of the pension you have accrued by the end of the previous year.

If you take out 25% of your pension first, you can take out the second 25% part later. You can apply for the second 25% by completing the partial old-age pension application in Varma Online Service. The pension component of partial old-age pension cannot be changed in any other direction or in any other way.

We will pay you partial old-age pension until you switch to full old-age pension. When you decide to retire on old-age pension, fill in an old-age pension application in Varma Online Service.

Cancelling pension

Partial old-age pension is a permanent pension. However, you can cancel your partial old-age pension within three months of the date of the decision. After this, you can no longer cancel your partial old-age pension. You can cancel your pension by sending a message in Varma Online Service.

Help with using our services

Take care of your pension matters online

In our online service, you can, for instance

  • fill in an application for partial old-age pension
  • see which processing phase your application is in
  • see Varma’s decision
  • use the services for pensioners once you have received a decision
  • send and receive messages and attachments.