Artists may apply for the national supplementary artist pension separately. The artist pension can be granted to persons who are currently living or have permanently lived in Finland, as recognition of an outstanding contribution to art.
This pension is only granted to persons under the age of 60 in special circumstances. Inability to work due to illness or injury can be considered to fall under special circumstances, in which case the pension can be granted to a person under the age of 60.
The amount of the artist pension is not calculated based on any other pensions. Instead, it is paid in addition to the artist’s other pensions, including the national pension. An exception to the above is the guarantee pension, to which recipients of an artist pension are not entitled in practice.
The artist pension is considered taxable income, and it can be granted in full or in part. You can check the annual amounts of the artist pension from the Arts Promotion Centre website.
The amount granted depends on the applicant’s other pensions and permanent income. The pension can be granted as a full pension if the applicant’s income – excluding the national pension – falls below the amount of the artist pension. If this amount is exceeded, the pension is granted as a partial pension.
As a rule, the applicant’s monthly income from pensions is considered permanent income, affecting the amount of pension. If no pension has been granted yet, the calculated income from pensions can be used. The amount of pension also depends on capital income if it can be considered permanent.
If your permanent income from pensions and other sources (excluding the national pension) is more than twice the amount of the monthly artist pension, you are not entitled to the pension. You can check the income limit from the Arts Promotion Centre website.
A partial pension can be increased to a full pension if the permanent income falls below the amount of the artist pension.
Applications for the artist pension are submitted to the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. After receiving the application, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland grants the pension, provided it has obtained a statement issued by a national arts council. Pension applications are processed once a year. Artist pensions are paid by Keva.
For more information about the artist pension and the application forms, visit the website of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.