YEL income review

We review your YEL income regularly to ensure that it reflects your work input and that your pension and social security remain at the right level.

Respond to the YEL income proposal

What does the YEL income review mean?

Pension companies review the YEL income of the self-employed every three years to ensure that your pension cover remains at the right level. As a result of this review, your YEL income may stay the same, increase or decrease.

If your YEL income is at the statutory level or would change by no more than five per cent, we will inform you that the review has been carried out and that your YEL income will not change.

If your YEL income is too low, you will receive a proposal for a new level of YEL income. We make this proposal based on information from official registers. This information includes, for example, your industry and your company's turnover or invoicing.

Use the calculator to find out the right level for your YEL income

What factors are taken into account in the YEL income review?

YEL income is an estimate of the value, in euros, of the work you do as a self-employed person during a 12-month period. YEL income must correspond to the annual salary you would pay to an employee with the same level of skills for the same work.

The basis for determining YEL income is the median salary in the industry.

Before we confirm your new YEL income, you can give us your view on your YEL income and send us further information about the factors affecting it. In our overall assessment, we will take the following additional information into account:

the amount and value of your work input
the scope of your entrepreneurial activities
your professional skills

You can also tell us, for example, whether your entrepreneurial activities are seasonal, full-time or part-time, or whether you have any employees.

How the review takes place

1. You’ll receive a proposal from us regarding a new level for your YEL income

We’ll send you the proposal

via Varma Online Service, if you use the paperless service, or
by post.

2. Become familiar with the YEL income proposal

If you accept the proposed YEL income

Take your time to familiarise yourself with our proposal. If the YEL income we have proposed suits your circumstances and you accept it, you do not need to do anything.

If the proposed YEL income is not suitable for your situation

If our proposal does not reflect your situation, tell us your own view of your YEL income level and provide further information about the factors affecting it. We will take this into account in our assessment.

Provide further information easily via Varma Online Service

The last point: We make a decision based on the information you have sent us

We will review the further information you send us and make a decision based on it. You will receive the decision either by post or via Varma Online Service if you use the paperless service.

The decision may be one of the following:

Your YEL income remains unchanged.
We confirm your YEL income at a lower level than proposed.
We confirm your YEL income as proposed.

If you cannot respond to the proposal in Varma Online Service

You can also respond as follows:

By secure email: Fill in the Response to YEL income review form and send it to us as a PDF via secure email. You do not need to sign the form if you send it by email.

Download the Response to YEL income review form

Send the form to us via secure email

By post: You can send the signed form by post to the following address: Keskinäinen työeläkevakuutusyhtiö Varma, PL 2, 00098 Varma.

We review your YEL income every three years. Your YEL income will be reviewed during the calendar year in which three years have passed since the start of your YEL insurance or since your YEL income was previously confirmed.

For example, if your YEL income was confirmed with effect from 1 December 2023, we will review it during 2026.

Your YEL income will change from the start of the second calendar month following the start of the review.

For example, if we send you a YEL income proposal in June, your new YEL income will take effect from the start of August.

No. The change will only affect the future.

A review can only be initiated if your YEL insurance is in force. Your YEL income will therefore not be reviewed if your YEL insurance is terminated, for example, due to retirement or for some other reason, before the review takes place.

If your YEL income changes, you will always receive a decision on the review either by post or via Varma Online Service if you use the paperless service. You can appeal against the decision if necessary.

We will also notify you of the review even if your YEL income does not change.

During the reviews carried out between 2023 and 2028, i.e. the so-called transition period, your YEL income may be increased by up to EUR 4,000 per review at the initiative of the earnings-related pension insurance company.

If you believe your YEL income should be higher than our proposal, you can respond to our YEL income proposal and give your own view on your YEL income. We will assess, on the basis of the information you provide and the information available to us, whether we can confirm your YEL income in line with your view.

You can share your views on your YEL income and send us further information on factors affecting your YEL income. We will take this information into account when assessing your YEL income level.

Transferring to a different earnings-related pension company does not affect the review or its schedule. If you transfer to a different pension company, your new company will take care of the review.

Voluntary supplementary pension insurance does not affect the level of YEL income under statutory pension insurance.

You do not need to respond to the YEL income proposal if the YEL income we have proposed reflects your situation, or if you do not wish to provide any further information that would affect your YEL income.

If you do not respond to the proposal, we will confirm your YEL income as proposed. You will receive a decision on this, which you may appeal against.

If you apply for a change in your YEL income this year before the review, we will confirm your YEL income at the statutory level. In this case, your confirmed YEL income may differ from the amount you applied for and may increase by more than EUR 4,000, which is the maximum increase allowed in the review.

The pension insurance company will review your YEL income again after three years at the earliest.

Your YEL income will not be reviewed if your YEL insurance is not in force, for example due to retirement or parental leave, at the start of the month in which your YEL income would change.

Once you receive the decision on your new YEL income, you will be able to view your new YEL contribution in Varma Online Service.

For example, the maximum increase of EUR 4,000 in YEL income will raise your YEL contribution by approximately EUR 85 per month.

Help with using our services

Take care of your YEL matters online

In our online service, you can, for instance

apply for a change in your YEL income
view your past and future YEL contribution
request an extended term of payment for an invoice

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