The Public Service Pension Plan of The Statute Laws of The Bahamas is a non-contributory plan. The purpose of the plan is to award pensions and gratuities to public officers.  The amount of the pension awarded to public officers is determined by the number of continuous months of employment and the annual salary at the time of retirement. The benefits and awards described below are for public officers who qualify for benefits under The Pensions Act, Chapter 43 of the Statute Laws of The Bahamas.

Officers may take the maximum (full) pension for their months of service, in which case they will not receive the lump sum gratuity. However, officers may opt to take a reduced pension of 75% of their maximum (full) pension, and in this case they would receive a lump sum gratuity equal to 25% of their maximum (full) pension multiplied by ten (10).  

Officers who do not qualify for the award of a pension, and provided they had completed at least ten (10) years of continuous monthly service, will be eligible for a gratuity equivalent to 4% of the annual salary at the time of retirement, multiplied by the number of completed years of service (less any periods taken on unpaid (no pay) leave and / or contract).  

Public officers, who are members of the Pensionable Establishment  may qualify for the award of pension provided he:

• is a member of the permanent staff.
• has at least five (5) years minimum full-time service.
• service is continuous or unbroken.
• has completed at least 30 years of continuous service.
• is at least 55 years of age.
• is considered by a Government Medical Board to be medically unfit for continued employment.
• has reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 years.

Pensionable officers may retire early, with the award of pensions, provided they meet at least one of the following options:

• Have served for thirty years.
• Submitted a request for early retirement on medical grounds.

The following officers should refer to the relevant Act for Benefits and Awards for further information:

•  Judges – Judges Remuneration and Pensions Act
• Members of The Royal Bahamas Police Force – The Police Force Act 2009
• Prison officers – The Prison Act
• Officers of The Defense Force – The Defense Force Act

1. Six months before the desired retirement date, the officer should liaise with the Human Resource department to verify whether (s)he qualifies for retirement benefits.  
2. Officer must complete and submit an application form for pension/gratuity along with supporting documents and a letter giving the date that (s)he wishes to retire to his/her immediate supervisor
3. The supervisor/HR must then complete a request for benefit and submit it to the PS/Head of Department for signing.
4. The PS/Head of Department must then prepare and submit a recommendation to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service.
5. The Department of Public Service will verify the accuracy of employee information and compute the benefit that is due to the Officer.
6. A recommendation is then prepared for the Public Service Commission for final consideration.
7. The Public Service Commission makes a final determination regarding the benefits due to the officer and returns this to the Department of Public Service.
8. Department of Public Service will then prepare a letter to the officer advising of the amount of his/her benefits.
9. At this point the file is then passed on to the Accounts section of the Department of Public Service who will prepare a voucher for the gratuity and add the officer to the pension payroll.  
10. The officer may contact the Treasury Department regarding the collection of the cheque.  
11. Note:  Pension Payment will be remitted to the allocated account monthly.
    

Please note:

• Maximum service for pension is 40 years, or; 480 months. All periods of continuous (unbroken) service count, for the award of pension / gratuity i.e. temporary (weekly or monthly) terms and permanent employment. Only paid (salary) service counts, unpaid (no-salary) periods cannot be counted.
• The rate of inflation is not reflected in the Pension Plan. However, The Bahamas Government may from time to time increase the amount of the monthly pension paid to former public officers. The percentage of the increase will be decided by the government.
• The pension awarded to public officers is payable for life. On death of the pensioner the surviving spouse or dependant may make application for a gratuity called an Ex-Gratia Award equivalent to one (1) year’s pension, upon presentation of certain documents.

The following forms, available at the offices of the Department of Public Service, and at the Human Resources departments across ministries and agencies.

• Application for Pension/Gratuity form
• Request for Retirement/Resignation/Death Benefits form

The following original documents must be submitted:

By the employee with the application for pension

• Birth Certificate
• Passport

By the agency’s HR department:

• All submission by family member/LPR
• Proof of Unpaid Leave
• Memorandum verifying that the officer is not indebted to the government
• Salary Progression
• Letter of appointment to the public service

By Family Island employees

• Copies of Blue G vouchers for each quarter of the last five years of service

Not Applicable

The Department of Public Service
Poinciana Hill Complex
Meeting Street
Nassau, New Providence
The Bahamas
Tel.  (242) 502 7200
Fax. (242) 326 6929
Opening hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays