Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no statutory retirement age in the State, and the age at which employees retire is a matter for the contract of employment between them and their employers.

Where a person exits the workforce before reaching State pension age they may apply for either the jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance schemes. Jobseeker’s payments are paid to eligible jobseekers aged 18 to 66 years and all recipients of a jobseeker’s payment are subject to the rules of the scheme.

People in receipt of a jobseeker's payment must engage with my Department's activation measures and can face sanctions if they fail to do so. However, from January 2014, these criteria were eased for people aged 62 and over, such that they are not obliged to engage with the activation process. They are still able to voluntarily avail of an array of supports, which are available from my Department if they wish to return to work, training or education. Furthermore, the majority of these individuals will have to register with their local office only once a year and their payments will be paid directly into their bank accounts.

Once a person has exhausted his or her entitlement to jobseeker’s benefit, he or she may be eligible for jobseeker’s allowance, subject to the means test and other qualifying conditions. However, someone claiming jobseeker’s benefit from a date after his or her 65th birthday continues to be eligible for that payment until reaching State pension age.

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