Survivors’ pension or surviving spouse’s pension and child’s pension

A survivors’ pension secures income in the event of the loss of a spouse or parent. The survivors’ pension comprises the surviving spouse’s pension and the child’s pension.

What do decedent and beneficiary mean?

The decedent is the deceased person after whose death a survivors’ pension is payable to his or her beneficiaries.

A beneficiary is a person entitled to a survivors’ pension.

Who receives a survivors’ pension?

If the decedent died on or before 31 December 2021, a survivors’ pension is payable to

  • the surviving spouse (from marriage or registered partnership)
  • children under the age of 18
  • the decedent’s former spouse if the decedent was liable to pay the former spouse child support.

A survivors’ pension was not payable to a cohabiting spouse before 2022.

If the decedent died on or after 1 January 2022, a survivors’ pension is payable to

  • the surviving spouse (from marriage or registered partnership)
  • the cohabiting spouse with whom the decedent has a child under the age of 18
  • children under the age of 20
  • the decedent’s former spouse if the decedent was liable to pay the former spouse child support.

Who receives a survivors’ pension from Keva?

An application for a survivors’ pension must be made to the pension provider which paid the decedent’s pension or to the pension provider of the decedent’s last employer. If the decedent received a pension from Keva or if his or her last employment was with a public sector employer, Keva deals with the application for a survivors’ pension. See ”How to apply for a survivors’ pension” for more details.

If the decedent received a pension from Keva, please refer to the Death of pension recipient webpage for instructions on reporting the death to Keva and on payment of the decedent’s pension.

Keva does not offer funeral allowance

Keva does not offer funeral allowance to beneficiaries or the estate of the deceased.

 

Who is eligible for a surviving spouse’s pension?

You are eligible for a surviving spouse’s pension when all three following conditions are met:

  • you and your spouse were married or in a registered partnership and
  • the marriage was entered into or the partnership was registered before your spouse reached the age of 65 and
  • you have/had common children with your spouse.

If you have/had no common child, the requirement is that

  • the marriage was entered into or the partnership was registered before your spouse reached the age of 65 and
  • you were aged 50 or older when your spouse died or you had been receiving disability pension for at least three years and
  • the marriage was entered into or the partnership was registered before you reached the age of 50 and the marriage or partnership had lasted for at least five years.

As a cohabiting spouse, you are eligible for a surviving spouse’s pension when all six following conditions are met:

  1. the decedent died on or after 1 January 2022 and
  2. the decedent was under the age of 65 when the joint household began and
  3. you have a common child under the age of 18 with the decedent and
  4. the common child lived at the same address as you did and
  5. the joint household had continued for at least 5 years prior to the death of the decedent (joint household means resident at the same address shown in the Population Information System on the day of the decedent’s death) and
  6. neither you nor the decedent are married to “a third party”.

 

Who is eligible for a child’s pension?

A child’s pension is payable to the children and adopted children under the age of 20 of the mother or father who died on or after 1 January 2022. Eligibility for the pension does not depend on whether or not the child lived at the same address as the deceased parent.

A foster child is not eligible for survivors’ pension.

A child of the surviving spouse may receive a child’s pension if

  • the child lived with the surviving spouse and the decedent in the same household at the time of the decedent’s death and
  • the surviving spouse and the decedent were married or in a registered partnership.

However, a child’s pension ends when the child reaches the age of 18 if

  • the decedent died on or before 31 December 2021 and
  • the child was born before 2004 and reached the age of 18 on or before 31 December 2021.

When you apply for a child’s pension, you must complete a separate application for each child.

Amount of survivors’ pension

The amount of survivors’ pension depends on:

  • the amount of the decedent’s earnings-related pension
  • the number of children
  • the amount of the surviving spouse’s own earnings-related pension.

The following do not impact on the amount of the pension:

  • national pension
  • voluntary pensions
  • the assets of the estate

The amount of survivors’ pension depends on the amount of the deceased spouse’s/parent’s earnings-related pension. If the decedent had not yet retired, the basis for calculation is the pension that would have been paid on the date of death had the decedent become unable to work.

The greater the number of children aged under 20 in the family, the higher the survivors’ pension. Where there are no children, the survivors’ pension consists solely of the surviving spouse’s pension, which is then half of the decedent’s pension.

Proportion of the surviving spouse’s pension and child’s pension of the decedent’s pension

Number of children Surviving spouse’s pension Total child’s pensions Total survivor’s pensions
no children 6/12 0 6/12
one 6/12 4/12 10/12
two 5/12 7/12 12/12
three 3/12 9/12 12/12
four or more 2/12 10/12 12/12

The surviving spouse’s pension and child’s pension are a fixed part of the decedent’s pension. The total amount of survivors’ pension is at most the same as the decedent’s pension was or would have been. Where there is more than one child, child’s pensions are divided equally among the children. Where there is no surviving spouse, the children also receive the surviving spouse’s share.

The amount of survivors’ pension may be affected if a survivors’ pension is also paid by another earnings related pensions provider.

Taxation of survivors’ pension

A survivors’ pension is taxable income. Read more about the taxation of pensions on our website.

 

Reduction of surviving spouse’s pension

The amount of your own pension only affects the surviving spouse’s pension not the child’s pension. If there is a child eligible for child’s pension in your family, any reduction of the surviving spouse’s pension will only be made when the youngest child reaches the age of 18.

If there are no children eligible for a child’s pension and you do not yet receive your own earnings-related pension, any reduction will be made six months after the decedent’s death and until then half of the decedent’s pension will be paid as surviving spouse’s pension.

When you retire on an earnings-related pension, the amount of surviving spouse’s pension will be recalculated.

If you have reached the age 65 or receive your own earnings-related pension, any reduction will be made immediately you start to draw the surviving spouse’s pension.

Start and end of survivors’ pension

Eligibility for a survivors’ pension starts at the beginning of the month following the decedent’s death.

It’s advisable to submit the pension application as soon as possible after the decedent’s death since survivors’ pension can only be paid retrospectively for six months preceding the month of application.

End of child’s pension

A child’s pension ends when the child reaches the age of 20 or if he or she is given up for adoption outside the family.

End of surviving spouse’s pension

Survivors’ pension starting on or before 1 January 2022

  • A surviving spouse’s pension is granted indefinitely irrespective of the year of birth of the surviving spouse.

Survivors’ pension starting on or after 1 February 2022 and the surviving spouse is born on or before 31 December 1974

  • A surviving spouse’s pension is granted indefinitely

Survivors’ pension starting on or after 1 February 2022 and the surviving spouse is born on or after 1 January 1975

  • The surviving spouse’s pension ends once 10 years have elapsed since the decedent’s death or when the youngest child eligible for a child’s pension reaches the age of 18, whichever is the later.

Survivors’ pension starting on or after 1 February 2022 and a cohabiting spouse

  • The surviving spouse’s pension ends once the youngest child eligible for a child’s pension reaches the age of 18.

In addition, the surviving spouse’s pension ends in all the above situations if the surviving spouse remarries when under the age of 50.

How to apply to for a survivors’ pension

A survivors’ pension always needs to be applied for.

Eligibility for a survivors’ pension begins at the start of the month following the death of the spouse or parent.

You can apply to Keva if

  • the decedent received a pension from Keva OR
  • the decedent’s last employer was a local government, the State, the Church, Kela, the Bank of Finland or the Government of Åland.

If needed, Keva may forward the pension application to the right pension provider.

How to complete the application

A separate application must be made for each beneficiary:

  • complete the surviving spouse’s pension application for the surviving spouse
  • complete a separate child’s pension application for each child aged under 20.

Complete the electronic application

See the general instructions on how to apply for a pension and what you need to do when you receive a pension decision.

If for any reason you are unable to use the My Pension service, you can use the forms below to apply for a pension in writing. In which case, you should send the paper application and accompanying forms together with all other supporting documents by post to Keva at Keva, 00087 KEVA. 

Forms: