Pension insurance for grant recipients
As a recipient of a grant for artistic or scientific work in Finland, your pension insurance is provided by Mela in accordance with the applicable Farmers’ Pensions Act (MYEL). In addition to MYEL pension insurance, we provide security to grant recipients in the event of an accident, illness or incapacity for work. We insure more than 6000 recipients of artistic and scientific grants each year.
Who is entitled to MYEL pension insurance?
If you have been awarded a grant in Finland, your pension insurance is provided by Mela. You have a legal obligation to apply for pension insurance if you meet the following conditions:
- Your grant has been awarded for work lasting at least 4 months
- The amount of your grant when converted into annual income is 4130 euros or more (2022)
- The grant has been awarded in Finland
- You are not employed by the same body that awarded the grant
- You are between the ages of 18 and 68 but not yet on an old-age pension
- Your permanent residence is in Finland or you are covered by Finnish social security system while working abroad
If you have an existing pension policy, in certain conditions you can also qualify for pension insurance for grant work lasting less than 4 months by adding it to your existing insurance policy.
Pension insurance is based on your annual earnings, which are calculated according to the amount of your grant
The amount of your annual earnings (MYEL earnings) determines how much pension is accrued from your grant work. Your annual earnings also determine the amount of benefits paid by Kela, such as maternity, parental and sickness allowances.
Since your insurance cover is valid only for grant work, the annual earnings that are used to determine your insurance cover are calculated according to the amount of the grant you have been awarded for your work. If the grant or any part of it is intended to cover work-related expenses, you can deduct the expenses on your insurance application. For example, the annual earnings for a 10,000-euro grant covering 6 months of work amount to 20,000. If 2000 euros of the grant are used to cover expenses, the annual earnings amount to 16,000 euros.
Security during your leisure time
If you wish, you can supplement your security with voluntary leisure-time accident insurance. Mela’s leisure-time MATA non-occupational accident and disease insurance covers accidents that occur outside of your grant work, including accidents that occur while performing private household tasks, accidents that occur while engaged in recreational activities and accidents that occur while traveling abroad.
How to apply for insurance
Once you have been awarded a grant that meets the conditions for insurance and are about to begin your grant work, fill in an insurance application using our e-Services. You can log in using your personal online banking codes. You can also print out an insurance application from our website under “Forms”, fill it in and mail it to Mela.
Find out more about insurance for grant recipients under “Grant and scholarship recipients”
