Early retirement

Early retirement usually means retirement before the age of 65.

Early retirement may happen because you have to retire from your job at a certain age, or you choose to take early retirement or because you have been let go. Sometimes people who are described as taking early retirement have actually been made redundant. You can get more information about redundancy on our website.

Whatever reason you find yourself unemployed, there are special provisions for older jobseekers.

This page outlines your entitlements to social welfare benefits if you retire early, and what arrangements you should make to keep your entitlement to a State pension.

If you do retire early you should organise to continue your PRSI contributions so that your entitlement to a State Pension (Contributory) is maintained (see 'Credits' below).

Whether you consider yourself to be retired or unemployed, you may be entitled to a jobseeker’s payment. You may also be eligible for a range of back to work and back to education schemes.

To qualify for a jobseeker’s payment, you must be genuinely seeking work and be available for full-time employment. However, if you are claiming a jobseeker’s payment and you are 62 or over, you are not required to engage with the activation process and you will not be subject to penalty rates for non-engagement.

You can voluntarily avail of a range of supports (for example, training or employment support programmes) from the Department of Social Protection. Read more in our page on older jobseekers.

Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit

Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit (JPRB) is a payment you can get if you become unemployed. The amount of JPRB you get is directly linked to your earnings from work before you became unemployed. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) calculate your JPRB rate using information it gets directly from Revenue.

To qualify for Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, you must:

• Become fully unemployed on or after 31 March 2025 (your last day of employment must be on or after Friday 28 March 2025)
• Be under 66 years of age, or under 70 years and deferring your State Pension (Contributory)
• Be capable of work and be available for full-time work
• Be genuinely seeking work
• Have enough paid PRSI contributions at Class A, H or P

You can get Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit (JPRB) for up to 9 months (39 weeks), if you have at least 5 years of PRSI contributions from employment. You can get JPRB for up to 6 months (26 weeks), if you have between 2 and 5 years of PRSI contributions from employment.

Getting a redundancy payment does not affect your eligibility for Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit. If you start working again, you will need to close your Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit (JPRB) claim.

Jobseeker's Benefit

If you do not qualify for JPRB, you should check if you are entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit.

You can do a certain amount of work and continue to get some Jobseeker's Benefit. You should check with the Department of Social Protection before taking up work to see exactly what the effect will be.

If you are aged under 55 and you have received a redundancy payment of more than €50,000, you may be disqualified from Jobseeker's Benefit for up to 9 weeks.

If you have left work voluntarily, for example, if you have chosen early retirement, you may not get Jobseeker's Benefit for 9 weeks after leaving work. However, if you retire at 65, you may qualify for a new benefit payment until you reach 66.

As a general rule, Jobseeker's Benefit is payable for either 9 months or 6 months. However, if you are aged between 65 and 66 when your JB would normally end, you can continue to get it until the age of 66, provided you meet the PRSI requirements. Find out more about qualifying for a payment at 65.

Jobseeker's Allowance

If you are not entitled to Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit or Jobseeker’s Benefit (or used up your entitlement), you can apply for Jobseeker's Allowance if you are under 66. You must:

• Be fully unemployed (or work for 3 days a week or less)
• Be available for full-time work and genuinely seeking work
• Be capable of work
• Pass a means test
• Meet the habitual residence condition

If you have been getting an unemployment payment for some time, you may be eligible for the Back to Education Allowance.

If you retire early and do nothing, you will have a number of years during which you may have no PRSI contributions. This may impact qualifying for the State Pension (Contributory).

If you are not employed or self-employed, you do not have to pay PRSI contributions. However, you can keep your PRSI contribution record up to date either by getting credits or paying voluntary PRSI contributions.

Credits

You get social insurance credits while getting a jobseeker's payment. So, if you are getting one of these benefits up to age 65 or 66, you do not need to do anything else to maintain your social insurance record.

If you do not qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance because you do not pass the means test, you can sign on for credits. Usually, you are allowed sign on once a month.

If you do not qualify for a jobseeker's payment because you are considered to be unavailable for work, you may not be able to sign on for credits either. If this is the case or if, for example, you want to spend all or part of your retirement abroad, you can become a voluntary contributor to social insurance.