Old-age pension under favourable conditions

Old-age pension under favourable conditions for raising children

You can go on old-age pension earlier if you are a parent, spouse of a parent, the parent's registered partner, guardian or caretaker, and have raised for at least eight years:

• three children – one year earlier
• four children – three years earlier
• five or more children – five years earlier
• a child with a moderate, severe or profound disability – five years earlier

If several persons have the right for early retirement in relation to the same child, they shall agree in written form on who will execute this right. If no agreement is reached, the right shall be equally distributed between the parents.

Example if an agreement is reached on the use of the right: If the parents have three children and agree that the mother will use the rights for all three children, then the mother can retire under special conditions one year earlier.

Example if no agreement is reached on the use of the right: If the parents have three children and do not agree in writing on who will use the children's rights in the pension calculation, the Social Insurance Board will divide the rights for the children equally between the parents. Since the parents raised at least three children together, both of them may retire under special conditions, but in this case, the period which they can retire earlier will also be divided, meaning both parents can retire under special conditions six months earlier.

You can retire 10 years earlier than the pensionable age, if you meet all the following requirements:

• You have worked at positions that are especially hard and extremely hazardous to health, specified in list number 1 (You will find lists 1 ja 2 in estonian here).
• You have a pension qualifying period of at least 20 years, of which you have worked at these positions for at least 10 years.
• You have worked at these professions or in these conditions full-time.
• You have stopped working at the hazardous profession or in such conditions.

You can retire 5 years earlier than the pensionable age, if you meet all the following requirements:

• You have worked at positions that are hard or hazardous to health, specified in list number 2 (You will find lists 1 ja 2 in estonian here).
• Your overall pension qualifying period exceeds 25 years, of which you have worked at these positions for at least 12 years and 6 months.
• You have worked at these professions or in these conditions full-time.
• You have stopped working at the hazardous profession or in such conditions.

If data about the working conditions are not included in your employment record book, you need to present additional documents to retire under favourable conditions. Working under hazardous conditions can be confirmed with a certificate by the employer, job description, archival notice, etc.

On January 1, 2024, the amendment to the old-age pension law will enter into force on preferential terms. According to the amendment, the time of working in professions until 31.12.2030 is included in the preferential length of service required to receive an old-age pension under favorable conditions. After that, the period of working in the profession no longer gives the right to an old-age pension under favorable conditions.

A distinction has been established for professions in the field of oil shale extraction, processing or beneficiation in underground and surface mining operations. In these professions, it is allowed to accumulate preferential seniority until 31.12.2049.