Personal retirement bonds: your old pension, in your name

Left a job with a pension behind? A personal retirement bond moves it out of your old employer's scheme and into a policy in your own name, with your choice of provider and funds.

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Review your old pension

Two minutes online. Tell us about the old pension and a senior advisor is in touch with your options.

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Your pension optionsStep 1 of 5

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Tax relief, contribution limits and the right plan differ between the three.

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What it is

A pension from an old job, moved into your name

A personal retirement bond, also known as a buy-out bond, is an insurance policy bought by the trustees of your old scheme in your name. It replaces your right to claim benefits from that scheme. The value of your pension moves across and stays invested until you retire.

You choose the provider and the funds. You no longer depend on the old scheme's trustees, its default fund or its decisions. Revenue treats the bond as a retirement benefits scheme, so company pension tax rules come with it.

  • Bought by your old scheme's trustees, in your name
  • Your choice of provider and funds
  • Company pension tax rules carry across
  • The whole benefit moves, partial transfers are not allowed

Your options when you leave a job

Your legal right to a transfer ends if you do not use it within two years of leaving, unless the scheme or its trustees allow longer. Check the date on yours.

OptionWhat happensPoints to weigh
Leave it in the schemeA preserved benefit, paid from the scheme's retirement age, if you have two years' qualifying serviceThe trustees keep control of funds and charges
Move it to your new employer's schemeBenefits bought in the new schemeDepends on the new scheme accepting it
Move it to a PRSAYour own PRSA, usually with a certificate comparing the benefitsPRSAs and bonds cannot transfer to each other later
Move it to a personal retirement bondA policy in your name with the provider you chooseCompany pension rules continue to apply
When it suits

When a bond makes sense

A bond suits most people with a defined contribution pension from a job they have left. You get control, a choice of funds and charges you can compare. It also suits people whose old scheme is winding up, and people who want every pension reviewed in one plan.

It needs more care with a defined benefit pension. That kind of scheme promises an income, and a transfer swaps the promise for a fund. We show you both in figures before anything moves, and sometimes the answer is to leave it where it is.

  • Defined contribution pensions from previous jobs
  • Schemes that are winding up
  • Funds sitting in an old default fund
  • Defined benefit pensions only after a full comparison
Access and charges

When you can draw it, and what it costs

A bond follows company pension rules. Benefits can usually be taken from the normal retirement age, between 60 and 70, and from 50 because you have already left the employment the pension came from. Ill health retirement is possible at any age.

Charges vary from provider to provider: the yearly fund charge, any charge on the transfer and the cost of the funds you pick. We compare them side by side across every main Irish provider, so you see the cost in euro before you sign.

  • Normal retirement between 60 and 70
  • Early retirement from 50
  • Lump sum, ARF or annuity at retirement, within Revenue limits
  • Charges compared in euro across providers
What happens next

How it works

1

Tell us about the old pension

The form on this page: the employer, roughly what it is worth and when you left.

2

We get the details

Your benefit statement, funds and charges from the scheme, with your permission.

3

Options compared

Leave it, move it to your new scheme, a PRSA or a bond, in figures.

4

The transfer

We deal with the trustees and the new provider and handle the paperwork.

5

Reviewed every year

Funds and charges checked as you get closer to retirement.

Google reviews

What clients say about their advisor.

Read all Google reviews
We (Richie and Nickey) received excellent pension advice that was clear, honest, and tailored to my situation. Everything was explained in a way we could easily understand, and we felt confident making decisions about my future. Highly professional service and very reassuring throughout the process.
RO
Richard O NeillPension advice
They made setting up a company pension on a deadline extremely easy and stress free. You can tell they understand the products inside out. Very approachable, great availability for support with instant and clear answers.
MK
Mairead KilbrideCompany pension
True Wealth was super efficient in locating my UK pension. They were very professional and responsive in dealing with the relevant pension organization. I would highly recommend True Wealth.
BW
Bridget WhooleyUK pension trace
Thank you for the several calls to advise me. Great client attention! Eimear is fantastic! I had my pension sorted and a few insurances arranged. All the best.
RD
Renan DevitaPension and protection
Excellent service. Always there if I had any questions, would recommend without hesitation. A 5 star service. Thank you everyone.
AH
Anthony HGeneral
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers with the figures. If yours is not here, a senior advisor answers it in your review.

Is a personal retirement bond the same as a buy-out bond?

Yes. Both names describe a policy bought by the trustees of a pension scheme in a former member's name, replacing the right to claim benefits from that scheme.

Can I move only part of my pension?

No. A transfer must move the whole benefit.

Is there a deadline to transfer?

Your legal right to a transfer payment ends if you do not use it within two years of leaving the scheme, or a longer period the scheme or its trustees allow.

Can I move a bond into a PRSA later?

No. Transfers between a PRSA and a buy-out bond are not permitted, which is one reason to choose carefully the first time.

What can I do at retirement?

Take a retirement lump sum within Revenue limits, with the first €200,000 tax-free across all your pensions, and use the rest for an approved retirement fund or an annuity, under company pension rules.

Will moving my pension cost me anything?

Charges vary by provider and by fund. We show you the charges on your old scheme and on each option before you decide.

I was a director of the company. Does anything change?

Where a director with a 20% interest or more takes early retirement benefits, Revenue generally requires them to cut all links with the business, including disposing of all their shares. We check this before you plan to draw from 50.

Sources

Checked 7 October 2026.

Warnings

Warning: The value of your investment may go down as well as up.

Warning: If you invest in this product you may lose some or all of the money you invest.

Warning: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.

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