Supplementary artist pensions awarded to 59 artists

Decisions are based on an assessment by the national arts councils of the applicant’s artistic activities, as well as information about the applicant's pension and other permanent income. A supplementary artist pension may be awarded to an artist above the age of 60 or who has a permanent work disability and whose earnings do not exceed the set limit.

The average pension income of artists remains very low, and a supplementary artist pension can be very important for the livelihoods of ageing artists. The current economic challenges are reflected in the continuous growth in the need for pensions. The number of applicants increased by approximately 12 percent compared to last year, amounting to 803 applicants.

“The pension system is becoming more challenging with each year. The growth in the number of applicants even seems to be accelerating, which reflects the challenges related to the pension security of artists. A functioning pension system strengthens the long-term sustainability of an artist's career and supports the different stages of the career path,” says Henri Terho, Director of the Arts and Culture Funding Department at the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency.

From the beginning of 2026, the amount of each supplementary artist pension will be 1637 euros per month. If the applicant's other pension income exceeds the pension amount, he or she may be granted a partial pension. Pensions are paid from the state budget, which has earmarked an amount corresponding to 51 new full artist pensions. The number of new pension recipients varies annually due to the ratio of full and partial pensions awarded. A total of approximately 1150 artists currently receive a supplementary artist pension.

The highest number of artist pensions were awarded in the fields of the visual arts and music, which also accounted for the most applications. The differences between artforms are very large in terms of both the number of applicants and the accumulation of pensions. Altogether 13 new artist pensions were awarded to musicians and 15 to visual artists, which is also the largest number of new pensions awarded to a single artform.
Due to data protection considerations, Taike does not publish the names of recipients of supplementary artist pensions. 

Supplementary artist pensions awarded by artform:

•    Architecture 2
•    Cinema 3
•    Literature 6
•    Visual Arts 15
•    Media Art 2
•    Multidisciplinary Art 3
•    Design 3
•    Music 13
•    Illustrations and Comics 2
•    Circus Art 1
•    Art Journalism 1
•    Dance Art 3
•    Theatre 2
•    Photographic Art 3
 

Further information

Henri Terho, Director, Arts and Culture Funding, [email protected], t. +358 295 249 006