From what age is a Korean civil service pension paid? Article 43(1) of the Public Officials Pension Act says that after 10 or more years of service and retirement, the retirement pension is paid from age 65 until death. But Addendum Art. 11 of the 2018 wholly amended Act (No. 15523) applies a phased age from 60 to 65 by retirement year to officials appointed from 1996 who retire in 2016 or later, and Art. 12 extends it to those appointed from 2010. Retiring in 2024 to 2026 means 62. To start earlier you can choose the early retirement pension under Art. 43(2), reduced to 95% down to 75% for life depending on how many years short you are.
1. 10+ years of service and retirement for a pension; under 10 years, a retirement lump sum (Art. 51).
2. Age by retirement year: 2016–2021 60 · 2022–2023 61 · 2024–2026 62 · 2027–2029 63 · 2030–2032 64 · 2033 on 65.
3. Early pension: 5% less for each year earlier — 1 year 95%, 2 years 90%, 3 years 85%, 4 years 80%, 5 years 75%; 5 years is the limit.
Calculator
Updates as you type. The retirement year is the year of the day before you retire. The table by year applies to those appointed from 1996 who retire in 2016 or later (Addendum Arts. 11 and 12). Early pension: 5% less for each year short, up to 5 years (95% to 75%). The special rules for mandatory or rank age limits and abolished posts (Addendum Art. 11(2)) are not applied here.
Pension age by retirement year — Addendum (Act No. 15523) Art. 11(1)
| Retirement year | Pension starts at | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2021 | 60 | — |
| 2022–2023 | 61 | — |
| 2024–2026 | 62 | Retire this year (2026) and it’s 62 |
| 2027–2029 | 63 | — |
| 2030–2032 | 64 | — |
| 2033 on | 65 | Same as the main text, Art. 43(1)1 |
The Addendum defines the retirement year in brackets as “the year of the day before retirement, or the year of death”. So retiring on 1 January 2027 makes 2026 the retirement year (the day before is 31 December 2026) and the age 62, while retiring on 2 January makes it 2027 and 63 (our sums). It covers those appointed between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2009 and in service on 1 January 2016 (including later appointees credited with such service); Art. 12 applies it to those appointed from 2010.
Early retirement pension — Act Art. 43(2)
| Years short | Amount | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 | 95% of the pension | From 61 if the pension age is 62 |
| Over 1, up to 2 | 90% | — |
| Over 2, up to 3 | 85% | — |
| Over 3, up to 4 | 80% | — |
| Over 4, up to 5 | 75% | The earliest start |
The Act says the early pension “may be paid until death”; nothing says the rate later returns to 100%. Addendum Art. 11(3) lets the early pension be counted against the yearly ages in paras. 1 and 2, so the years short are measured from the table above. National Pension early and deferred claims are in National Pension early vs deferred.
Rank age limits and abolished posts — Addendum Art. 11(2)
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Those appointed 1996–2009 who leave under Act Art. 43(1)2–4 (retirement age under 60, rank age limit, post abolished or over establishment) | The main text says “5 years after” |
| Retire 2016–2021 | When the cause arises | — |
| 2022–2023 | 1 year after it arises | — |
| 2024–2026 | 2 years | — |
| 2027–2029 · 2030–2032 | 3 years · 4 years | — |
| 2033 on | 5 years | Same as the main text |
| Proviso | If the para. 1 age comes first, from then | Whichever is earlier |
The calculator leaves this out. If it applies to you, check with the Government Employees Pension Service using the date the cause arose (our gloss).
Four sums — our examples
| Example (ours) | Pension age | Result (our sums) |
|---|---|---|
| Born March 1966, retires 1 January 2027, 30 years | Retirement year 2026 → 62 | Reached March 2028 |
| Same person, retires 2 January 2027 | Retirement year 2027 → 63 | Reached March 2029 — one day, one year |
| Born July 1968, retires 2028, wants to start at 62 | 63 | 1 year short → 95%, from July 2030 |
| Born January 1975, retires 2034, wants to start at 60 | 65 | 5 years short → 75%, from January 2035 |
In the third example, 57 would be 6 years short and the calculator says it can’t start more than 5 years early. Which month the first payment covers (the month the age is reached or the next) was not checked in the provisions we read.
Checklist
- ☐ 10+ years of service (military service is counted only on request, Art. 25(3))
- ☐ Which year the day before retirement falls in — especially at year end
- ☐ Appointed in 1995 or earlier? (Addendum Art. 10 of Act No. 6328 comes first, Addendum Art. 11(4))
- ☐ An early pension stays reduced for life
- ☐ Lump sum instead of pension? — see civil servant retirement allowance calculator
Questions that remain
Can I combine it with National Pension years?
Even under 10 years of civil service, linking with National Pension membership to reach 10 years gives linked pensions. See pension linkage checker.
Does the pension shrink if I work after retiring?
Art. 50 suspends all of it on re-appointment as an official and part of it when business or employment income exceeds the average pension. See civil service pension income reduction calculator.
What if the early age is before I retire?
The early pension is also for an official “who has served 10 or more years and retired”, so it isn’t paid while in service (our reading). Enter an age after retirement.
Sources
- Korea Law Information Center — Public Officials Pension Act Arts. 43, 51; Addendum (Act No. 15523) Arts. 11, 12 — source (current text, effective 2 October 2026, Act No. 21857; checked 3 November 2026). Pension conditions (10 years, 65) and items 2–5, early pension 95–75%, the lump-sum option, Addendum Art. 11(1) ages 60–65 by retirement year and its definition, para. 2 rank-limit rules, para. 3 early pension, para. 4 pre-1996 appointees, Art. 12 for 2010 appointees.
- Not read. Addendum Art. 10 of Act No. 6328, Addendum Art. 7 of Act No. 9905, the Decree on disability and service-limit ages, the rule on the first payment month.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- Government Employees Pension Service — your own service period and pension age (we did not read its guidance pages).
- Your agency’s HR or pension officer — retirement date and cause.
Written on 3 November 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
