Retirement Age & Pension in Nepal 2082/83 (2026)

At age 60 with at least 180 months (15 years) of SSF contributions. Below 180 months at age 60, the member receives a lump sum instead.

NPR 4,000 a month from age 68 under the Senior Citizens Act 2063; Dalit, Karnali residents and single women receive it from age 60. Paid by local government — confirm current rate.

The civil service retirement age is 58 years under the Civil Service Act 2049, and that remains the position in 2026. A proposal to phase it up to 60 has been discussed publicly but has not been enacted, so a civil servant retiring in 2026 retires at 58. Special categories sit higher — Supreme Court judges retire at 65 under Article 131 of the Constitution, and university professors at a higher age under their own framework.

Under the Civil Service Act 2049, a pension is broadly calculated as (last drawn salary × years of service) ÷ 50 — i.e. about 2% of the last salary for each year of service — with a 20-year service minimum and a floor and ceiling typically referenced as 50% to 100% of basic. So 20 years of service gives around 40%, 25 years around 50%, and 30 years around 60% of last drawn salary. A contributory scheme has been proposed for new recruits.

The Labour Act 2074 does not fix a universal compulsory retirement age for the private sector, leaving it to the employment contract and the employer's policy. Many employers align their internal retirement with the SSF old-age pension trigger at 60 so that the benefit pay-out and the end of employment line up. Collective bargaining agreements may set a retirement age for the covered workforce. Public-sector entities and statutory bodies follow their own enabling statutes.

Under the Contribution-Based Social Security Act 2074, the SSF Old-Age Protection Scheme provides a monthly pension from age 60 to a member with at least 180 months (15 years) of contributions, calculated on the accumulated contributions and returns over the contribution period. Members reaching age 60 with fewer than 180 months of contributions receive a lump sum instead. SSF administers the pension via ssf.gov.np.

The standard eligibility age for the senior-citizen allowance under the Senior Citizens Act 2063 is 68 years, with Dalit elderly, Karnali residents and single women receiving the allowance from age 60. Eligibility and amount are revised through the annual budget, and there have been periodic proposals to alter the threshold age. Confirm the current age and amount against the latest budget speech and the ward / municipality that disburses the allowance.

The monthly allowance is broadly NPR 4,000 under the current framework, though the specific amount can be revised through the annual federal budget, with separate rates for related allowances such as the single-women, disability and child-grant programmes. Disbursement is by the local government on the basis of registration with the Department of National ID and Civil Registration. Confirm the current rate against the latest budget circular if a precise figure is needed.

Yes. Alongside the senior-citizen allowance, Nepal runs the single-woman allowance, disability allowance (with red-card and blue-card distinctions for severity), and the child-grant programme (broadly targeted at Dalit children and all children in Karnali up to a defined age). All are disbursed by local government on the basis of registration. The amounts are set in the annual budget and are revised periodically, so the current rate should be checked against the latest budget speech.

For SSF-enrolled employers under the Contribution-Based Social Security Act 2074, the 31% SSF contribution on basic salary (11% employee + 20% employer) replaces the older statutory Provident Fund (10% + 10%) and gratuity arrangements that used to apply. EPF (Karmachari Sanchaya Kosh) and CIT continue to operate for civil servants in pensionable service, voluntary contributors, and employers that have not yet migrated. The old-age pension stream within SSF is what carries the retirement benefit forward.

Voluntary retirement is permitted in the civil service under the Civil Service Act 2049 framework, subject to the conditions for early retirement and the pensionable-service minimum. A civil servant retiring voluntarily before 58 may receive a reduced pension or different lump-sum treatment depending on the service rendered. Anyone considering voluntary retirement should run the entitlement calculation with the relevant department or a lawyer before deciding, because the financial impact is significant.

65 years under Article 131 of the Constitution of Nepal, applying to Supreme Court judges. High Court judges have their own retirement age set under the constitutional and statutory framework that governs the judiciary. Other constitutional offices — the Auditor General, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority commissioners and the like — also have ages set by the Constitution, and senior judicial and constitutional service therefore runs to higher ages than ordinary civil service.

The SSF old-age pension is calculated on the accumulated contributions (employee 11% + employer 20% on basic, plus returns) over the member's contribution period, with the monthly pension paid from age 60 for life subject to the 180-month minimum. The exact mechanics are set by the SSF regulations and operating procedures, so the actual amount depends on contribution history and the member's specific position. SSF provides member-specific estimates through its portal.

Yes. The SSF self-contributor scheme allows self-employed people, informal workers and NRNs to enrol voluntarily, contributing the full 31% themselves (no employer share), with the same Old-Age Protection benefits as a formal-sector member subject to the same eligibility — age 60 and the 180-month contribution minimum. This is one of the routes for NRNs and self-employed Nepalis to build a Nepali retirement pension alongside any foreign pension they hold.

For an SSF-enrolled worker, the older standalone gratuity obligation is replaced by the SSF contribution, with the retirement benefit paid out through the SSF Old-Age Protection Scheme rather than a one-time gratuity at termination under the Labour Act. Workers with mixed service — partly in an older PF/gratuity arrangement and partly in SSF — typically have transition mechanics for the older period, which is one of the technical points to check at retirement.

Registration is done at the ward or municipality of residence, on the basis of the citizenship certificate confirming age and identity (and any Dalit / single-woman documentation if applicable), with the disbursement managed by local government. The Department of National ID and Civil Registration also maintains records. The allowance is paid monthly through banks where available and through ward offices otherwise. Confirm the current registration steps with your ward.

A private-sector employee can retire at 58 if the employment contract or employer policy sets that as the retirement age, but the Labour Act 2074 does not impose it. Many private-sector employers align their internal retirement age with the SSF old-age trigger at 60, while others tie it to the civil service age of 58. The age the worker actually retires at depends on the contract — there is no single statutory answer for the private sector.

A contributory pension scheme has been proposed for civil servants newly recruited after a defined date, replacing the older defined-benefit pension for that cohort. The contributory scheme would have employee and government contributions to a fund and pay a pension on retirement based on the fund balance. The current status of the scheme — fully implemented, partially in force, or proposed — depends on the latest enactment, so confirm before treating it as the current law for a specific recruit.

When a retirement is planned, contested or delayed; when computing a civil-service pension or an SSF lump-sum versus pension entitlement; when an employer wants to set a private-sector retirement age in contracts; and when a survivor or dependent is claiming a pension benefit. A lawyer maps the right pension stream, computes the entitlement, and challenges a refusal at the relevant authority. Early advice — well before the retirement date — usually produces a cleaner outcome.