Summary of current position in relation to retirement and pension reform

Since the announcement by Heather Humphreys of a series of landmark reforms to the State pension system in Ireland in September 2022 employers still await certainty in this area. We await legislation in two of the key areas of reform; the introduction of an auto enrolment system and on measures to restrict the setting of mandatory retirement ages by employers below the State pension age of 66. Legislation to introduce a flexible State pension system where individuals can postpone their entitlements from the current age of 66 years to 70 years of age in consideration of an increased State pension payment came into force on the 1 January this year with the enactment and commencement of Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023.