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Ireland: the State Pension age that did not rise

The State Pension age is 66; a planned rise to 67 was reversed. Ireland is the exception in this list, nearly every other country here has an age that is climbing, either on a legislated timetable or with life expectancy. Ireland's increase to 67 was legislated and then cancelled before it took effect, and the age has stayed at 66.

That has a practical consequence for the projection. Where a British, Dutch or Swedish reader should treat the age on this page as provisional, an Irish one can reasonably take 66 as the working assumption, while noting that the reversal is itself the evidence that this age is a political decision rather than an actuarial one.

The State Pension (Contributory) provides part of retirement income and is not modelled here. It is a flat rate built on PRSI contributions rather than a percentage of what you earned, so it covers a much larger share of a modest income than a high one. The higher your salary, the more of the gap the portfolio on this page has to close, and the further above zero the income target belongs.

Irish assumptions: a 6.5% nominal return and 2% inflation, a real return of 4.41% a year.

For how the calculation works, the formula behind it and what it leaves out, see the full guide.

Data sources

  • Irish consumer finance conventions

    Effective 2021-01-01 onward · retrieved 2026-08-30

    The scheduled increase in the State Pension age was cancelled, leaving it at 66.

    How we checked these figures

    Citizens Information publishes 66 as the State Pension age, with a deferral option to 70.

    Current

This calculator in other countries

Each country has its own rates, thresholds and rules, and its own page with the official sources they came from.

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