Pension When You Change Jobs in Ireland: The 4 Most Important Decisions for Professionals

"There's a pension somewhere in your name that you haven't looked at in five years." That's a sentence Paddy finds himself saying in client meetings more often than you'd expect. Across a 25-year career, the typical Irish professional works for three or four different employers — and the result, by the time someone reaches their mid-fifties, is often €100,000 to €500,000 spread across multiple dormant pensions that haven't been reviewed in years. In this episode, Paddy walks through what he calls the forgotten pension problem: the structural feature of Irish pension administration that means employer-funded pensions don't follow you when you change jobs. He explains the 2-year vesting rule, what it means to be a "deferred member" of a scheme, and the four decisions every senior professional faces when leaving a role with a pension: leave it where it is, transfer to your new employer's scheme, transfer to a Personal Retirement Bond, or transfer to a PRSA. He also covers two structural changes that took effect at the start of 2026. The first is auto-enrolment "My Future Fund", which launched on 1 January 2026 and now automatically enrols workers earning over €20,000 who aren't already in a workplace pension. The second is a new restriction: transfers from group occupational schemes to personal pension structures (PRSA or PRB) are now only permitted before Normal Retirement Age — a planning point for anyone approaching a late-career exit. The episode closes with the annual pension audit — three questions Paddy walks through with clients each year to address the forgotten pension problem deliberately rather than letting inertia decide. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction to Forgotten Pensions (01:53) Understanding the Forgotten Pension Problem (07:32) Options for Managing Your Pension (18:26) Recent Changes in Pension Regulations (27:12) Key Considerations for Senior Professionals (31:15) Strategies to Address the Forgotten Pension Problem RESOURCES MENTIONED •  Full blog post (with the four-options framework, 2026 rule changes, and audit checklist):     https://www.informeddecisions.ie/pension-when-you-change-jobs-ireland/ •  Companion episode — PRSA vs Company Pension / Master Trust:     https://www.informeddecisions.ie/prsa-vs-company-pension-ireland/ •  All Informed Decisions podcast episodes:     https://www.informeddecisions.ie/podcast/ ABOUT THE SHOW The Informed Decisions podcast is hosted by Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA — independent, fee-only retirement planner in Ireland. The podcast and the blog at informeddecisions.ie are educational resources for Irish professionals, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals navigating retirement, tax efficiency, and investment strategy. Find Paddy at https://informeddecisions.ie DISCLAIMER This podcast is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute personalised financial advice. Figures and rules referenced reflect the position as at May 2026 and are subject to change. Always speak to a qualified, independent financial advisor about your specific situation.