This chapter covers what you need to know about claiming an old-age pension (vanaduspension) in Estonia. This chapter covers your rights, the documents required in the application process and other important information.

In what situation can I claim?

The old-age pension is a type of state pension.

The following people have the right to receive old-age pension:

• permanent residents of Estonia;
• foreigners residing in Estonia on the basis of temporary residence permits or temporary right of residence.

People who have reached 63 years and 9 months of age and who have accumulated 15 years pensionable service in Estonia have the right to receive an old-age pension.

What conditions do I need to meet?

On April 7, 2010, the Estonian Parliament adopted the Act to amend the State Pension Insurance Act and the Related Acts, which provides for a general pensionable age of 65 years. A transition period, starting in 2017 is provided for people born between 1954 and 1960, for whom the retirement age will gradually increase by 3 months for every year of birth, reaching the age of 65 in 2026.

People born between 1953 and 1960 have the right to claim old-age pension at the age stated below:
Year of birth - Age
1953 - 63 years
1954 - 63 years 3 months
1955 - 63 years 6 months
1956 - 63 years 9 months
1957 - 64 years
1958 - 64 years 3 months
1959 - 64 years 6 months
1960 - 64 years 9 months

As of 2027, pensionable age will be based on the average life expectancy of men and women at 65 as published each year by Statistics Estonia.

Pensionable age may be increased by not more than three months in a year.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Old-age pension consists of three parts:

• the base amount;
• a part calculated on the basis of years of pensionable service, the amount of which equals the number of years of pensionable service multiplied by the value of a year of pensionable service (covering periods up to 1998);
• an insurance part, the amount of which equals the sum of individual social contribution payments multiplied by the value of a year of pensionable service (covering periods from 1999 to 2020);
• a joint part, the amount of which equals the sum of half of the insurance components and half of the solidary components multiplied by the value of a year of pensionable service (covering periods from 2021).

The base amount from 1 January 2023 is EUR 275.7562

The value of a year of pensionable service from 1 April 2022 is EUR 7.718 .

To claim, you must contact the Estonian National Social Insurance Board.

Jargon busters

• Insured person - someone who pays the pension insurance part of social contributions or whose pension insurance part of social tax is paid by the employer; or someone for whom the right to receive a state pension is based on other grounds (right for national pension depends on residency).
• Years of pensionable service - years of pensionable service include the period of activity for which the employer was required to pay social tax. These years are taken into account until 31 December 1998. The amount is dependent on the number of years of pensionable service accumulated by the insured person, i.e. work years and years regarded as work years (e.g. the raising of children, military service).
• Insurance component - to calculate the insurance component of an insured person, the State (pillar I) pension insurance part of their individually registered social contribution is divided by the State’s average amount of the pension insurance part of the individually registered social contributions (i.e. if a person’s social contribution equals the State’s average social contribution then the insurance component is 1.000). If a person’s social contribution is lower/higher than average then the insurance component will also be lower/higher than 1.000.
• Joint component – the insurance components from 2021 and new solidary component are added and divided by two. In order to calculate the solidary component, the amounts of the State pension insurance part of individually registered social tax calculated for the insured person will be totalled and divided by the pension insurance part of individually registered social tax calculated on the minimum wage for January of the corresponding year multiplied by twelve.
• Value of the year - the value of the year of a pension is the monetary value of one year of pensionable service and an insurance component of 1.000.

Forms you may need to fill in

To claim an old-age pension, you must contact the Estonian National Social Insurance Board, and you must submit the following:

• a standard application;
• a passport (with a valid residence permit, in case of foreigners) or an identification card (ID-card);
• an employment record book;
• a diploma from a vocational school, secondary specialised educational facility or a higher educational facility;
• a child's birth certificate;
• a military ticket;
• a marriage certificate for a person who changed their name during marriage;
• 1 photo (3 x 4 cm);
• the account number, if the applicant wishes to transfer the pension to their bank account.

The application form is available from the client service offices of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board (the addresses and reception hours of the client service offices are available under the Client service http://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/klienditeenindused-loeteluna ) section of the homepage.

You can file the pension application:

• At the customer service of the Social Insurance Board;
• By email (digitally signed);
• By regular mail.

Know your rights

• https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en/pension-benefits/applying-pension
• https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en/pension-types-pensions-and-benefitshttps://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en

Publications and webpage of the European Commission

• http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=849&langId=en.

Who do you need to contact?

The Estonian National Social Insurance Board has 17 client service offices across Estonia that deal with requests and applications in person, as well as via mail.

Information is available on telephone number 16106 (in Estonia) or +372 612 1360 between 9:00-17:00 on all working days and the general phone numbers of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board's offices (please see http://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/klienditeenindused-loeteluna ).

Visit us at our regional offices on any working day (please see Client Service http://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/klienditeenindused-loeteluna ).

Applications submitted electronically must be digitally signed.