When can you retire?

You must have two years’ service completed after 5 April 1988 or five years pensionable service completed at any time to be able to receive benefits from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. Your service may just be in the final salary or career average arrangement or a combination of both. For example if you’ve completed six months in final salary and then a further 18 months in career average, you will qualify for benefits. If you've transferred in from another scheme, this may mean you qualify for benefits.

The earliest retirement benefits can be paid is age 55, unless you’re granted ill health benefits. Further information about ill health benefits can be found in our Ill health factsheet. Please note that the minimum pension age of 55 is set by the Government who have stated that they intend to raise it to 57 in 2028, and then keep it ten years below the State Pension Age.

• Download detailed guide to conditions for accessing pension benefits.
• Download our document on conditions to access benefits.
• Download our document on Combinations of benefits.

What is my Normal Pension Age

Your Normal Pension Age (NPA) depends on which pension arrangement or arrangements you’re in.

Protected members

If you’re a protected member and so will stay in the final salary arrangement, your NPA will be either 60 or 65 depending on when you entered pensionable service.

If you were in service before 1 January 2007 your final salary NPA is 60 provided you’ve not:

• Had a repayment of contributions;
• Transferred the service out of the Scheme; or
• Had a break where you were out of service for more than five years ending after 31 December 2007.

If you entered pensionable service on or after 1 January 2007 or after a break your final salary NPA will be 65.

Tapered members & transition members

As a transition or tapered member, you’ll have benefits in both the career average and final salary arrangements and therefore will have more than one NPA.

Your NPA for your final salary is 60 or 65 depending on when you entered pensionable service.

If you were in service before 1 January 2007 your final salary NPA is 60 provided you’ve not:

• Had a repayment of contributions;
• Transferred the service out of the Scheme; or
• Had a break where you were out of service for more than five years ending after 31 December 2007.

If you entered pensionable service on or after 1 January 2007 or after a break your final salary NPA will be 65.

Your NPA for your career average benefits is either your state pension age or age 65 whichever is the later date.

If you’ve benefits in both the final salary and career average arrangements, your final salary benefits are protected and will remain in final salary. When you retire we’ll use your salaries earned in career average to calculate your final salary benefits. This is called the final salary link. If you’ve a break in pensionable service of more than five years then the salary link is broken and we’ll use the salaries at the time of the break to calculate your final salary benefits.

New members (only in career average)

As a new member to the Scheme in the career average arrangement, your NPA is either your State Pension Age or age 65 whichever is the later date.