Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: For Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund members whose membership began on or before July 1, 2013, normal service retirement is age 48 with at least 25 years of service. For members whose membership began after that date it is age 52 with at least 25 years. A member who joined after July 1, 2013 may still retire at 48 with 25 years, but the pension is reduced to the actuarial equivalent of the amount payable at 52. The pension is 60 percent of average annual salary at 25 years, rising to a maximum of 72 percent.
The two membership groups
The OP&F service retirement guide says: “For persons whose OP&F membership began on or before July 1, 2013, normal service retirement eligibility is age 48 with at least 25 years of service.” “For persons whose OP&F membership began after July 1, 2013, normal service retirement is age 52 with at least 25 years of service.”
Retiring at 48 with a reduced pension
“you may still retire at age 48 with 25 years of service, but with a reduced pension. Your pension benefit will be reduced to the actuarial equivalent of the amount payable had you retired at age 52.” The statute reads: “A member of the fund whose membership began on or after July 2, 2013, and who has twenty-five years of service credit and has attained forty-eight years of age may elect to retire.” “the amount shall be reduced to be the actuarial equivalent, as determined by the fund’s actuary, of the amount payable had the member retired at fifty-two years of age.”
If you have the service but not the age
“If you have 25 years of service credit but have not reached the required minimum age, you can terminate employment, but you must wait until you have reached the minimum retirement age to start receiving a pension.” “If you terminate police or fire employment with at least 15 years of service, you may qualify for a service commuted retirement when you reach the minimum retirement age and 25 years have elapsed from the date of your full-time hire.”
What the pension is based on
The guide: “the pension benefit is equal to 60 percent of your average annual salary. The percentage increases each year after 25 years to a maximum pension of 72 percent of your average annual salary after 33 years of service credit.” The statute puts the ceiling this way: “The annual pension shall not exceed seventy-two per cent of the member’s average annual salary.”
A worked example with invented numbers
Take an invented member with 25 years of service credit. That is 60% of average annual salary at 25 years, or 60% (computed) of a final average salary of $80,000 (invented, for the computation), which comes to $48,000 a year (computed).
Now take an invented member with 33 years of service credit, the point where the guide says the maximum is reached. That is the 72% maximum, or 72% (computed) of a final average salary of $80,000 (invented, for the computation), which comes to $57,600 a year (computed).
What the documents do not say
No vesting period appears in the member’s guide, the statute section or the FAQ read here. The reduction for retiring at 48 is set by the fund’s actuary and is not printed as a rate. The guide prints the per-year accrual steps (2.5, 2.0 and 1.5 percent) in a chart, so the example here uses only the 60 percent and 72 percent figures the guide states in prose. Disability, survivor and Deferred Retirement Option Plan rules are not covered.
Common mistakes
- Treating 48 as the age for every member. For membership that began after July 1, 2013 the unreduced age is 52.
- Expecting a fixed reduction percentage. The statute leaves it to the fund’s actuary.
- Counting 25 years of service as the same as eligibility to be paid. The guide says you must wait until you reach the minimum retirement age.
Related: Ohio Police and Fire retirement decisions, the Ohio Police and Fire COLA for 2027, how public pension decisions work, and whether Ohio taxes pensions.
Find the right next step for your situation
About how much do you have invested? Pick the range that fits; your next step appears immediately below.
Talk to an advisor about retirement income
For U.S. investors with $250,000 or more in investable assets. WiserAdvisor is an independent service matching you with 2 to 3 vetted advisers. Its form asks for your ZIP code and answers to a few questions; a match is not guaranteed.
Free to request, with no obligation to hire. By submitting, you consent to calls, texts and emails from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisers. Advisers pay for introductions.
Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying completed form. An introduction is not a Clear Money Guide recommendation.
Opens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Explore advisor help with retirement income
Considering financial advice? Request an adviser introduction with no obligation to hire.
The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Requesting an introduction is free. Submitting the form shares your contact details with advisers, so expect calls and texts. Advisers pay for introductions. Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying submitted form, whether or not you hire anyone. A match is not guaranteed.
The Kapitalwise form opens here; you stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions: age, investable assets, location; then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Prefer flat-fee or hourly pricing instead? Compare ranges here.
Answer againSources
- Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund, Member’s Guide to: Service Retirement: www.op-f.org
- State of Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code Section 742.37: codes.ohio.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 410, Pensions and annuities: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 411, Pensions: the General Rule and the Simplified Method: www.irs.gov
Read from the primary documents linked above on October 30, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.