If your employment contract says you must retire at 65, that’s no longer the last word. A new law came into effect this week that gives you more say over when you stop working.

What’s Changing, and When

From 29 June 2026, the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 gives employees the right to keep working past their contractual retirement age right up to the State Pension age of 66.

One important thing to be clear on: the State Pension age itself hasn’t changed. It’s still 66. What’s changed is that if your employment contract sets a lower retirement age (commonly 65), you now have the right to ask to stay on until you reach State Pension age, if that’s what you want.

It doesn’t apply to roles where retirement age is set by law (like An Garda Síochána or the Defence Forces), or to contracts that already have a retirement age of 66 or higher.

What to Look Out For

  • If your contract says 65, you now have a choice. Whether you want to use that extra year is up to you.
  • You need to give notice. To stay on, you must formally tell your employer you don’t consent to retiring at the contractual age, giving between 3 and 12 months’ notice. It’s worth thinking about ahead of time if 65 is on the horizon.
  • Employers can still say no but they need a solid reason. A new WRC Code of Practice now backs this up, so it’s not simply at an employer’s discretion anymore.

A Good Moment to Think About Your Pension

Whether you decide to work that extra year or not, changes like this are a useful nudge to check in on your pension because private pension contributions remain one of the most effective tax reliefs available in Ireland. You get relief at your marginal rate on what you put in, which means it’s one of the few ways to reduce this year’s tax bill while building for the future at the same time.

If you’re not sure how much you could be saving, or what you’re entitled to claim, it’s worth taking a few minutes to check.

Try our Pension Contributions Tax Relief Calculator to see if you could save tax by increasing your contributions.

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