Civil Service Bureau

Civil servants are normally required to retire from service upon reaching prescribed normal retirement age. This policy helps to facilitate circulation of blood within the civil service and to maintain career aspirations for younger officers.

The pensions legislation provides that the normal retirement age for civil servants appointed on pensionable terms is 55 under the Old Pension Scheme and 60 under the New Pension Scheme. The pensions legislation has also provided that the prescribed retirement age for disciplined services officers under the New Pension Scheme is 55 or 57. As for those staff covered by the Civil Service Provident Fund Scheme, the normal retirement age is 55 for disciplined services staff in general, 57 for certain prescribed disciplined ranks and 60 for all other staff. Further employment beyond the retirement age would not normally be considered save in exceptional circumstances.

Civil servants appointed on agreement or other terms would normally not be appointed beyond the age of 60.

On retirement, an officer is eligible for retirement benefits as provided in the pensions legislation or specified in his terms of appointment. Officers appointed before 1 June 2000 on terms which attract pension benefits may be granted pension benefits under respective pension schemes upon retirement.

Other officers who are not appointed on pensionable terms, including officers appointed on or after 1 June 2000 on new probationary or new agreement terms would be provided with mandatory provident fund benefits under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (save for those exempted from the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance). Upon appointment to new permanent terms, an officer would be eligible for benefits under the Civil Service Provident Fund Scheme.

Retirement