Leaving Ireland With a Pension: What Happens to It and What to Do Before You Go

Illustration of a suitcase, a paper plane and a calendar representing moving to or leaving Ireland

Your Irish pension stays yours and stays invested when you move abroad. You can usually draw it from abroad from age 60 (PRSA) or the scheme's retirement age (company pension). What you decide before leaving — mainly about options letters, fees and fund choice — matters more than where the money sits.

IN SHORT

No Irish pension is lost when you leave Ireland: company pensions, PRSAs, PRBs and My Future Fund pots stay yours and stay invested until you reach the access age.
A company pension triggers a leaving service options letter with a reply deadline; miss it and the trustees may choose for you.
A refund of contributions is only possible with under 2 years in a company scheme, is taxed at 20% and usually loses your employer's money.

Leaving Ireland in the next 12 months? Message us on WhatsApp with questions about your pensions before you go — we'll explain how the rules apply to your pots, free and without obligation.

What happens to each type of Irish pension when you leave?

IN SHORT

No Irish pension is lost when you leave Ireland: every funded pot stays in your name and stays invested.
Company pensions trigger an options letter with a deadline; PRSAs, Personal Retirement Bonds and My Future Fund simply stop receiving contributions.
Access ages don't change because you moved: broadly 60–70 for company schemes, 60 for a PRSA and 66 for My Future Fund.

Pension type	What happens when you leave Ireland	Earliest access (current rules)
Company (occupational) pension	Your scheme sends a leaving service options letter; with over 2 years' membership you can keep the benefit in the scheme or transfer it.	Normal retirement age set by the scheme, between 60 and 70; from 50 if the scheme rules allow early retirement
PRSA	Contributions stop; the benefits are held until retirement or transferred.	60, or 50 in some circumstances
Personal Retirement Bond (PRB)	Stays invested in your name until retirement.	Depends on the bond's rules; ask the provider
My Future Fund (auto-enrolment, since January 2026)	Contributions stop when your Irish employment ends; the pot stays yours and remains invested.	State Pension age, currently 66

Sources: Pensions Authority on benefits payable on leaving, gov.ie on My Future Fund contributions.

What is a leaving service options letter and when is the deadline?

IN SHORT

A leaving service options letter lists your choices for a company pension when you leave a job, with a reply deadline often 30 to 90 days away.
If you miss the deadline, the trustees may choose for you — usually a preserved benefit left in the scheme.

Chase the letter if it doesn't arrive. Ask HR or the scheme administrator for it if it hasn't landed within a month of your last payday.
Put the deadline in your calendar the day it arrives. Replies are usually by form or through the provider's portal, and that's harder to sort out once you're abroad.
Typical choices: keep a preserved benefit in the scheme, move it to a Personal Retirement Bond, move it to a PRSA, or in some cases transfer it abroad.

Should you take the refund if you were in the scheme under 2 years?

IN SHORT

A refund of contributions is offered only with under 2 years' qualifying service, returns only your own contributions and is taxed at 20%.
You normally give up your employer's contributions, so keeping the money invested is often worth several times the refund at retirement.

Over 2 years means no refund. With more than 2 years' qualifying service the benefit must be preserved in the scheme or transferred (Pensions Authority).
The refund is taxed at 20%. Tax is deducted at the standard rate under section 780 TCA 1997 (Revenue Pensions Manual, chapter 12). The charge does not apply if at least 75% of your scheme membership was in employment outside Ireland.
Ask about a transfer instead. Moving the benefit to a PRB or PRSA keeps your employer's contributions and the tax relief you've already received.

How much can fees cost you if you leave a pension behind?

IN SHORT

Fees on a pension left behind compound for decades: on a €40,000 pot left for 25 years, 1 percentage point of extra charges costs about €28,800.
Check the annual management charge on each pot before you leave; moving an expensive old pension to a lower-cost PRB or PRSA is often the simplest fix.

EXAMPLE

Worked example (illustration, not a forecast; returns are not guaranteed):

Scenario	Calculation	Value after 25 years
5% net growth a year	€40,000 × 1.05²⁵	€135,454
4% net growth (same fund, 1% more in charges)	€40,000 × 1.04²⁵	€106,633
Cost of the extra 1%	€135,454 − €106,633	€28,821

I'm 30 to 40 and leaving Ireland: what should I do now?

IN SHORT

At 30 to 40 you don't need a retirement plan yet, but you need five decisions made before you leave Ireland — each takes about an afternoon.
Once you stop earning in Ireland, Irish tax relief on new contributions generally ends, so new savings usually belong in your new country's system.

Reply to every options letter before its deadline.
Think twice before taking a refund: for most people, keeping the money invested is worth more.
Check fees on every pot; moving an expensive one is often worth considering.
Check the fund: with 25+ years to go, a cautious default fund can cost as much as high fees.
Keep the pension in Ireland for now unless you are certain where you will retire; a transfer locks it into one country's rules.

When can you take the money, and does living abroad change it?

IN SHORT

Access ages for Irish pensions stay the same wherever you live; what changes is tax.
Company pensions are usually taxed in your new country, but Irish tax is deducted at source on ARF and vested PRSA withdrawals even if you live abroad.
The lifetime tax-free lump sum limit is €200,000; the next €300,000 is taxed at 20% in Ireland.

The lump sum rules follow you. The first €200,000 of retirement lump sums across all your pensions is tax-free in Ireland and the next €300,000 is taxed at 20% — but your new country may tax the lump sum under its own rules. More in our pension lump sum guide.
Where each pension is taxed depends on the type and the treaty. Full detail in Irish pension tax for non-residents.

What to do before you leave Ireland: checklist

IN SHORT

List every pension, reply to options letters, set up online access, save your documents and note your departure date.
You are generally non-resident in a tax year if you spend fewer than 183 days in Ireland that year and fewer than 280 across two consecutive years.

List every pension: provider, policy number, current value, annual charge.
Reply to options letters before their deadlines.
Register for online access with each provider using a personal email.
Save your PPS number, Statements of Liability and latest pension statements in one folder you can reach from abroad.
Note your departure date: the 183-day and 280-day residence tests decide when you stop being Irish tax resident — our tax residence checker works it out.
Before you go, check whether Revenue owes you a refund for your final year: see leaving Ireland tax refund.

Questions we get asked

Do I lose my Irish pension if I leave Ireland?

No. Company pensions with over 2 years' membership, PRSAs, PRBs and My Future Fund pots stay yours and stay invested. You claim them from abroad when you reach the access age.

Can I keep paying into my PRSA after I leave?

You can usually keep it open, but Irish tax relief on new contributions generally depends on having Irish taxable earnings. Without them, new savings often work better in your new country's system.

What happens to My Future Fund if I move abroad?

Contributions stop when your Irish employment ends. The pot stays invested and you can draw it from State Pension age, currently 66. Contributions restart if you return to eligible Irish employment.

Should I combine my Irish pensions before I leave?

Often yes, if it cuts fees and paperwork. Old company pensions can usually move into a PRB or PRSA. Check exit charges and compare annual fees first.

Is a pension transfer abroad a good idea?

Only in specific cases, mainly when you are sure where you will retire. See our guide to transferring an Irish pension abroad.