10. I am work-sharing now or was job-sharing – how is my pension calculated?

You have your worksharing or job-sharing service treated on a pro-rata basis and the pensionable remuneration is the notional full rate of pay for the job.  This means that the period of jobsharing/worksharing service is reckoned pro-rata to whole time reckonable service and the salary base is the whole time equivalent salary.

11. At what age are benefits payable?

a)      Provided an officer has a minimum of 2 years' qualifying service, benefits are payable on retirement either at maximum retirement age of 65 (60 in the case of Prison Officers) or at any time after reaching age 60 (55 in the case of Prison Officers).  Prison Officers may retire on reaching age 50 provided they have served for at least 30 years in the Prison Service.  Benefits may be paid before those ages if the person is retiring on grounds of ill-health.  Officers, who leave the civil service with preserved benefits, receive a pension and lump sum, on application, at age 60.

With effect from 1 April 2004, a facility was introduced to allow a member who has a minimum of 2 years' qualifying service to retire from age 50 with immediate, actuarially reduced superannuation benefits in lieu of preserved benefits at a later date.  This provides greater flexibility to members in terms of retirement planning.  The benefits expressed as a % of the Preserved Benefits which would be payable at age 60 are:

Increases in civil service pensions are awarded at the discretion of the Minister for Finance under Regulations made by him/her under Section 29 of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1964. The Act does not prescribe what form the increases should take or how they should be calculated.  In the Civil Service, since 1986, the application of the Minister's discretion, in this regard, has been based on 'parity' which means that, where increases paid to serving staff are being passed on to pensioners, the pension increases are effective from the same date as the increases being paid to serving staff.  This is not the same as providing that pensioners are paid at the same rates as serving staff. There is no provision for a pensioner to be paid an increase in advance of any such increase having been paid to their serving counterpart.

In practice, all general increases since 1986 have been passed on to pensioners on the same basis as to serving staff.  In the case of special pay increases for serving staff, some are passed on to pensioners, others are not.

Some of the conditions which may have to be met before special pay increases are passed on to pensioners are:

• the increase must apply to all staff serving in the grades or posts concerned;
• assimilation of serving staff to the revised pay scales must be on the basis of “corresponding points” (i.e. not on “starting pay on promotion” or ‘‘re-grading’’ terms); 
• the increase must not have been awarded in consequence of a substantial restructuring or alteration of duties which, in effect, constitutes regrading of the posts or grades concerned; 
• the increase must not have been awarded in respect of increased productivity from serving staff and 
• the increase must be a permanent feature of the pay scale.

In addition, if an allowance becomes pensionable from a particular date, the benefit is not passed on to pensioners who retired before that date. If a new pensionable allowance is introduced, it does not apply to pensioners who never held that allowance while serving.

13. Are the benefits reduced if an officer is retained or re-employed in the Civil Service after age 65?

Lump sum payments are not reduced or postponed but pension is reduced to ensure that the total of pay and pension does not exceed the current equivalent of the officer’s pay on the date of retirement.  If an officer is retained after age 65 the service after that age is not reckonable for established scheme benefits.

14. How are pensions paid?

Pensions are paid fortnightly in arrears by the Office of the Paymaster General.

Before retirement, officers complete a Pensions Declaration Form.  Payment of the pension begins with effect from the day following the last day of paid service.

Payments are normally made direct to the pensioner's bank account; otherwise cheques are posted to the pensioner's home address.

Certain deductions may be made from pension if the officer so wishes, e.g. VHI, life assurance premiums, etc.  The pensioner must make the appropriate arrangements with the Office of the Paymaster General.

15. What benefits are payable if I have to retire early because of ill-health?

If an officer has to retire before age 60 because of permanent ill-health, pension and lump sum are paid immediately at retirement if the officer has more than 5 years reckonable service.  The benefits are based on actual service up to the last day of paid service, plus, where appropriate, extra years of service known as ill-health added years.  An addition of 6 2/3rds years is fairly common.

If a person has to retire because of ill-health with less than 5 years but more than 2 years reckonable service, the person has a choice of taking a once-off lump sum (short service gratuity) or opting for preserved benefits payable in the normal way at age 60.

16. What is a short service gratuity?

A short service gratuity is payable to an officer who has to retire on grounds of ill-health who has more than 1 years service but less than 5 years service.  The amount of the gratuity is 1/12^th of pensionable remuneration for each year of reckonable service plus 3/80^ths of pensionable remuneration for each year of reckonable service provided reckonable service is in excess of 2 years.

17. What benefits apply if I die in service?

On production of probate or letters of administration, a death gratuity is payable to the officer’s legal personal representative.  It is the greater of:

·        One year’s pensionable remuneration (at the rate applicable at the officer’s death); or

·        The amount of lump sum that would have been payable had the officer retired on grounds of ill-health at the date of death, subject to a maximum of 1 1/2 times the officer’s pensionable remuneration at the date of death.

There is no minimum service requirement.  If the amount payable is €20,000 or less it may be paid without probate or letters of administration to the person(s) appearing to be entitled to benefit from the estate.

18. What benefits apply on death after retirement?

19. What benefits apply on departure from the civil service otherwise than on age or ill-health retirement?

On voluntary resignation from the civil service before reaching 60 years of age a civil servant has the following options:

20. Who is eligible for a marriage gratuity?

Any established civil servant who was appointed from a competition advertised before 1 February 1974 is eligible for a marriage gratuity if the following conditions are fulfilled

o       The officer has a minimum of 5 year’s reckonable service, and

o       The officer resigns on marriage or within 2 years following the date of marriage.

The rate of gratuity is one month's pensionable remuneration for each year of service, subject to a maximum of one year’s pensionable remuneration.

Only service up to the date of marriage is reckonable.  The gratuity is calculated on pensionable remuneration on that date or, if the resignation takes place within 2 years following the date of marriage, the then equivalent of that amount.  Since the gratuity is in lieu of preserved benefits payable at age 60, no further benefits will be payable to an officer who has received a marriage gratuity.

21. What happens if I got a marriage gratuity and then rejoined the Civil Service?

If a civil servant who has received a marriage gratuity re-enters the civil service the former service is amalgamated with the subsequent service for superannuation purposes if the gratuity is repaid with appropriate compound interest added.  (A reinstated widow repays only the actual gratuity received).  Such repayment may be made at any time during the period of subsequent service or by deduction from retirement lump sum.

22. What is the Spouses’ and Children’s Contributory Pension Scheme?

This is a contributory scheme, membership of which is compulsory for men appointed on or after 1 January, 1969 and women appointed on or after 1 June, 1981.  Men and women serving prior to the relevant dates were given options to join the scheme.

The original scheme provides pensions for the spouse and/or dependent children of a member or dependent children of a member who dies in service, or after qualifying for pension (or preserved pension).  It does not provide pensions for spouses of marriages occurring after retirement or children resulting from such marriages.  A further option was given to all officers in 1984 to join the “new” spouses' and children’s scheme.  This covers the spouses of post-retirement marriages and all the officer’s children.

If you are unsure whether you are covered for Spouses’ and Children’s benefits or which Scheme you may be a member of, then you should check with your Personnel Section.

23. How is the spouse’s pension calculated?

When a member dies after retirement a spouse’s pension of one-half of the former member’s pension is payable.

Where a member dies in service or following retirement on grounds of ill-health, the spouse’s pension is based on the service that the member would have had if he or she had served to age 65 (60 in the case of prison officers) subject to a maximum of 40 years.

The civil service spouse’s pension is payable in addition to the widows’ and orphans’ pension entitlements payable under the Social Welfare Code.

24. What children are eligible for pensions?

Dependent children under the age of 16 or age 22 if in full time education are eligible.  Where such a child is permanently incapacitated by reason of mental or physical infirmity from maintaining him or herself there is no age limit provided the infirmity was there from birth or arose while the child was eligible for benefit.

25. How much is a child’s pension?

A Child’s pension is one-third of the spouse’s pension for each of the first three eligible children.  If there are more than three eligible children than an amount equal to the spouses pension is divided between them.

Where both spouses are deceased and there is only one eligible child the amount of pension is two-thirds of the deceased spouse’s pension.  Where there are two or more eligible children then an amount equal to the deceased spouse’s pension is divided equally between them.

A spouse’s pension along with children’s pensions can bring the total amount payable up to the level of the deceased person’s pension.

26. Do I pay for the Spouses' pension?

Periodic deductions of 1½% of salary are made during an officer’s working life.  In addition, a single deduction of 1% of final salary is made from the retirement lump sum or death gratuity, as appropriate, in respect of each year of reckonable service for which periodic contributions have not been made.  This would include pre-scheme service and any potential service to age 65 (60 in the case of Prison Officers) credited for the spouse’s pension (see above).  A similar deduction is also made in respect of any additional notional service.  It is possible, in certain circumstances, to reduce the amount of this lump sum deduction by making additional periodic contributions during service.

A 1% deduction is also made from the lump sum for each year of reckonable service in respect of pensionable allowances included in the pensionable remuneration.

27. Who benefits from preserved entitlements?

28. What are added years?

Notional service or added years may be awarded in certain exceptional cases:- 

i.        On ill-health retirement;

ii.      Where the essential competition requirements (e.g. qualifications, experience, age requirements) are such as to preclude appointment by age 25;

iii.    On recruitment to certain designated grades.

The award of added years at (ii) and (iii) can only be confirmed at retirement.  The amount of the award at (ii) and (iii) may be affected by an individual's circumstances such as retained benefits e.g. prior service, prior occupational pension, State Pension Benefits or age on leaving service.

29. What are the arrangements for the transfer of reckonable service?

The Transfer Scheme enables officers to transfer reckonable service between the civil service and the majority of State and semi-state organisations e.g. the Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Health Services, teaching etc.  A list of the “transfer network” organisations may be consulted in your Personnel Unit.

Officers should notify their Personnel Unit of any previous employment in the public service and officers resigning should state the name of their prospective employer (if any) so that reckonable service can be transferred, if appropriate.

30. What is the Purchase Scheme?

The scheme for the purchase of notional service allows officers who would have less than maximum pensionable service at maximum retiring age (normally 65) and who fulfil certain other conditions to purchase additional reckonable service at full actuarial cost.  The additional service purchased is treated as actual service in calculating pension and lump sum entitlements, including spouses’ and children’s benefits.

Payment may be made by a lump sum payment or by periodic deductions from pay.  Generally, purchase by lump sum must be made within 2 years of appointment (within 6 months if returning from a career break) or within 2 years of retirement.  Periodic contributions begin on the person’s birthday at any age up to 2 years before retirement age (65 in the new scheme and 60 in the old scheme, as appropriate).  Purchase rates depend on age at commencement of purchase.  Contributions are normally allowable against income tax in the same way as contributions to the spouses’ and children’s scheme, subject to the rules, including limits, set by the Revenue Commissioners.

If you opt to purchase service by periodic contributions, please note that if you leave before the maximum retirement age of 65 or cease to make the periodic payments the amount of added years you will have purchased at retirement will be less than the amount you contracted to purchase initially.

31. What are AVC’s

Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) schemes are a facility available to civil servants through their staff associations which allow them to enhance their superannuation benefits at their own expense, as permitted by the Revenue Commissioners.  They are essentially a private arrangement between the individual and a private sector pension provider.  The benefit is generally in the form of an additional cash amount of pension or lump sum rather than the additional notional years of service under the purchase scheme.  The cash benefit is ultimately dependent on the performance of the fund in which the AVC contributions are invested.  Contributions are allowable against income tax, subject to Revenue rules.

32. What is an Injury Warrant and what does it cover?

In certain very limited circumstances a pension may be payable to an officer who is forced to retire because of injury sustained in the performance of official duties.  The amount of the pension, which is payable in addition to the officer’s other superannuation entitlements, is determined by the degree of impairment caused by the injury.

A special gratuity may also be payable if the injury occurred while the officer was travelling by air.

If the injury results in death, the officer’s spouse and/or dependents may receive a pension in lieu of the pension(s) payable under the Spouses’ and Children’s Contributory Pension Scheme and all contributions made under that Scheme will be refunded.

33. Can I allocate part of my pension?

Any officer in good health may apply, up to 6 months before retirement, to surrender part of his or her retirement pension to secure a pension – not exceeding 1/3rd of the officer’s pension – for the spouse or one of the named dependent relatives.

The pension thus allocated will be the actuarial equivalent of the amount of the officer’s pension surrendered.

Pensions payable under the Spouses' and Children’s Contributory Pension Scheme are not affected if the person is also in receipt of an allocated pension.

34. How are benefits and contributions treated for income tax purposes?

Under the current rules, the retirement lump sum, marriage gratuity, death gratuity, balancing gratuity or Injury Warrant gratuity (if appropriate) are not subject to income tax.  Pensions are subject to income tax in the normal way.

Contributions for personal benefits, Spouses’ and Children’s Contributory Pension Scheme and Purchase Scheme contributions would normally qualify for income tax relief.

35. What happens to my pension if I get divorced or separated?

Your pension will only be affected by divorce or judicial separation if there is a Pensions Adjustment Order in force apportioning some of the superannuation entitlements to the spouse or dependant children.  Death gratuity and spouses pension entitlements may also be affected by a Pensions Adjustment Order.  Where there is no PAO then benefits will be payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

36. Where can I get more information?

Your Personnel Unit can supply further information on all aspects of the superannuation benefits outlined in this website.  A more detailed technical handbook on the schemes’ rules, “Superannuation Handbook – A Guide to the Superannuation Provisions Applicable to Civil Servants” is available for consultation from your Personnel Unit.

Officers approaching retirement are encouraged to attend one of the special pre-retirement courses run by the Civil Service Training & Development Centre.