Louis O'Hara
Ceist:184. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the age of eligibility for a pension (details supplied); the person's entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44694/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 11 June 2026
Ceisteanna (184, 190)
Louis O'Hara
Ceist:190. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the age of eligibility for a pension for a person (details supplied); what they are entitled to; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44696/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 190 together.
In response to the Deputy, I can confirm that the minimum pension age in the public service is generally determined by the date of initial recruitment and is provided for in primary legislation and/or the terms of the relevant pension scheme.
The preserved pension age is 60 in the case of a person whose public service employment commenced prior to 1 April 2004, 65 for those who are “new entrants”, and 66 for members of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.
In the case referred to by the Deputy, Departmental records indicate that the individual concerned commenced employment on 24 February 2004 and has no break in service exceeding 26 weeks. Accordingly, the individual is a member of a pre-2004 scheme and may retire from age 60.
In addition, teachers appointed prior to 1 April 2004 (“non-new entrants”) and serving on or after 1 September 1996 may be eligible to retire on pension, without actuarial reduction, from age 55, provided they have at least 35 years of qualifying service. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, limited credit may be granted in respect of pre-service training, in line with scheme rules: 2 years’ credit where pre-service training is of 4 years or more, and 1 year’s credit where pre-service training is at least 3 years but less than 4 years.
A Cost Neutral Early Retirement option may also be available, subject to the conditions of the scheme. This allows a member to retire up to ten years before preserved pension age, with retirement benefits actuarially reduced to reflect early payment.
The Department can provide a Statement of Benefits for the individual concerned upon receipt of a request submitted through the Customer Management System, which is available at: https://cs.education.gov.ie/. This ensures that the request is recorded, prioritised and processed based on expected retirement dates.
Pending receipt of a formal statement, the Pension Modeller, available at www.gov.ie/en/service/school-staff-pension-modeller/, may be used to obtain an indicative estimate of pension entitlements.