Early Retirement Incentive – Important information for DND public service employees and their managers

December 2, 2025 - Defence Stories

Budget 2025 proposed a voluntary Early Retirement Incentive program to help manage federal public service workforce reductions to the greatest extent possible through attrition and voluntary departure.

As a preliminary step, employees who meet the age, pensionable service and employment criteria of the program, will receive a letter informing them that they may be eligible to apply. It is important to note that these letters are not associated with any Defence Team workforce reduction decisions.

Eligible employees will receive this letter in the Pension Portal, with an email notifying them of this new message. If an employee doesn't have access to the portal, the letter will be mailed. These letters will be sent out the week of December 1, 2025.

If you receive a letter, there is no action required at this time. This program is not yet available. It is subject to approval by Parliament of relevant legislation.

Should the program be approved, meeting the preliminary eligibility criteria would not guarantee participation in the program. Additional parameters would be set by the Treasury Board to maintain essential services and business continuity.

All available details about the program can be found on the Pension and benefits webpage. This page will be updated as new information becomes available.