Retirement support for University staff

Support staff

Support staff may choose to retire once they reach the minimum age for their pension scheme, or anytime afterwards. Further information for Support Staff can be found on the HR Support website. 

The Finance website includes further information for OSPS members who retire; visit the Retirement from OSPS webpage. 

Further information about normal retirement, early retirement, retirement after long service, preparing for your retirement and working after retirement can be found on the Retirement, early retirement and work after retirement webpage.

Employees at grades 6 to 10 and ALC6

Employees at grades 6 to 10 and ALC6 may choose to retire once they reach the minimum age for their pension scheme, or anytime afterwards. Further information can be found on the HR Support webpage: Retirement for staff at grades 6 to 10 and ALC6.

The Finance website includes further information for USS members including more information about the scheme and links to key pages. Visit the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) webpage.

Academic staff and academic-related staff at grade RSIV and clinical equivalents (E62 and E82)

Academic staff (Statutory and Associate Professors) and academic-related staff at grade RSIV and clinical equivalents (E62 and E82) are subject to the University’s Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA). Further information can be found on the EJRA webpage and further information on retirement options for academic staff and academic-related staff at grade RSIV and equivalents can be found on the HR Support website. 

For staff in USS or OSPS there is the option to take flexible or early retirement which allows employees, with approval, to achieve a mix of retirement and continuity at work. 
Anyone considering retirement can contact the Pensions Office to request an individual pension estimate; depending on the scheme, the size of each person’s pension benefits depends on factors including age and pensionable service.

The People and Organisational Development Team (POD) offer one to one coaching for employees who want to explore what the transition to retirement may look like and offer an online resource for staff planning for retirement. This downloadable guide includes links to various sources of information about retirement. You can find it under ‘Planning retirement’ on POD’s Course Listings webpage.

Retirement due to ill-health

Retirement due to ill-health may be applicable in certain cases. For staff seeking further information about ill-health retirement, please contact your departmental HR team. For further details, visit the HR Support website and the Pensions Office website.

There are a number of ways for retired staff to stay connected to the University, including opportunities for social contact as well as more practical benefits such as a University email address and options to continue to work post retirement. 

University Retiree Card

All staff who are employed by the University at the time of their retirement are eligible for a University Retiree Card, which allows continued access to the University libraries, discounts at the University Shop, free admission to the Botanical gardens, membership to the University Club and a @retired.ox.ac.uk email address. 

The University Retiree Card allows access to the University Sports Facilities at a discount on the public rate and to join the University Club. 

Retired Staff Association (AOUP)

All Oxford staff are invited to join the Association of Oxford University Pensioners when they retire.  The Association of Oxford University Pensioners, founded in 1985, has the principal object of keeping retired staff in touch with each other and with the University department or institution that employed them. They send out a newsletter twice a year and run a number of events. 

Congregation Membership 

Retired members of Congregation are able to keep their membership until age 75 if they are still active in teaching and/or research and remain members of the relevant faculty. 

Pensioners’ Welfare Officer

The University’s Pensioners’ Welfare Officer can provide advice on welfare issues for retirees and their dependants. They can be contacted directly by phone on 01865 616203 or by e-mail at julia.powles@admin.ox.ac.uk. 

Continued opportunities for learning 

There are options to continue learning through the Continuing Education Department and the Oxford University Language Centre. The Language Centre offers a discount to retired staff on its fees for the general public.

Affiliations and associations

There are a number of different ways for staff to stay connected with their Faculty/Department. These include the possibility of becoming an Honorary Researcher, opportunities to volunteer and undertaking consultancy or casual work. Further information on the various affiliations and associations can be found in the Retirement Guide available on the HR Support webpages.