Title 29 — LaborRelease 119-73
§631 Age limits
Title 29 › Chapter CHAPTER 14— - AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT › § 631
Summary
Protections and bans in this chapter apply only to people who are at least 40 years old. The same 40-year rule also covers personnel actions that fall under section 633a. Employers may force retirement at age 65 for a genuine executive or high policymaking employee who has been in that role for the two years before retirement and who has an immediate yearly retirement benefit from employer plans that cannot be lost and totals at least $44,000. If the benefit is not a simple lifetime annuity, or if employees put money in the plan or roll over funds, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after talking with the Secretary of the Treasury, will make rules to convert it to an equivalent simple lifetime annuity.
Full Legal Text
Title 29, §631
Labor — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The prohibitions in this chapter shall be limited to individuals who are at least 40 years of age.
(b)In the case of any personnel action affecting employees or applicants for employment which is subject to the provisions of section 633a of this title, the prohibitions established in section 633a of this title shall be limited to individuals who are at least 40 years of age.
(c)(1)Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit compulsory retirement of any employee who has attained 65 years of age and who, for the 2-year period immediately before retirement, is employed in a bona fide executive or a high policymaking position, if such employee is entitled to an immediate nonforfeitable annual retirement benefit from a pension, profit-sharing, savings, or deferred compensation plan, or any combination of such plans, of the employer of such employee, which equals, in the aggregate, at least $44,000.
(2)In applying the retirement benefit test of paragraph (1) of this subsection, if any such retirement benefit is in a form other than a straight life annuity (with no ancillary benefits), or if employees contribute to any such plan or make rollover contributions, such benefit shall be adjusted in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, so that the benefit is the equivalent of a straight life annuity (with no ancillary benefits) under a plan to which employees do not contribute and under which no rollover contributions are made.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1989—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–239 struck out “(except the provisions of section 623(g) of this title)” after “in this chapter”. 1986—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–592, § 2(c)(1), which directed that “but less than seventy years of age” be struck out was executed by striking out “but less than 70 years of age” after “40 years of age” as the probable intent of Congress. Pub. L. 99–272 inserted “(except the provisions of section 623(g) of this title)” after “this chapter”. Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 99–592, § 2(c)(2), which directed that “but not seventy years of age,” be struck out was executed by striking out “but not 70 years of age,” after “65 years of age” as the probable intent of Congress. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 99–592, § 6(a), (b), temporarily added subsec. (d) which read as follows: “Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit compulsory retirement of any employee who has attained 70 years of age, and who is serving under a contract of unlimited tenure (or similar arrangement providing for unlimited tenure) at an institution of higher education (as defined by section 1141(a) of title 20).” See Effective and Termination Dates of 1986
Amendments
note below. 1984—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 98–459 substituted “$44,000” for “$27,000”. 1978—Pub. L. 95–256, § 3(a), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), substituted “40 years of age but less than 70 years of age” for “forty years of age but less than sixty-five years of age”, added subsecs. (b) and (c), and temporarily added subsec. (d). See Effective and Termination Dates of 1978 Amendment note below.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1989 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–239 applicable to items and services furnished after Dec. 19, 1989, see section 6202(b)(5) of Pub. L. 101–239, set out as a note under section 162 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code. Effective and Termination Dates of 1986
Amendments
Amendment by Pub. L. 99–592 effective Jan. 1, 1987, with certain exceptions, see section 7(a) of Pub. L. 99–592 set out as a note under section 623 of this title. Pub. L. 99–592, § 6(b), Oct. 31, 1986, 100 Stat. 3344, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) of this section [amending this section] is repealed
December 31, 1993.” Amendment by Pub. L. 99–272 effective
May 1, 1986, see section 9201(d)(2) of Pub. L. 99–272, set out as an
Effective Date
of 1986 Amendment note under section 1395p of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.
Effective Date
of 1984 Amendment Pub. L. 98–459, title VIII, § 802(c)(2), Oct. 9, 1984, 98 Stat. 1792, provided that: “The amendment made by paragraph (1) of this subsection [amending this section] shall not apply with respect to any individual who retires, or is compelled to retire, before the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 9, 1984].” Effective and Termination Dates of 1978 Amendment Pub. L. 95–256, § 3(b), Apr. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 190, provided that: “(1) section 12(a), 12(c), and 12(d) of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended by subsection (a) of this section [subsecs. (a), (c), and (d) of this section] shall take effect on
January 1, 1979. “(2) section 12(b) of such Act, as amended by subsection (a) of this section [subsec. (b) of this section], shall take effect on
September 30, 1978. “(3) section 12(d) of such Act, as amended by subsection (a) of this section [enacting subsec. (d) of this section], is repealed on
July 1, 1982.”
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
“Equal Employment Opportunity Commission” substituted for “Secretary”, meaning Secretary of Labor, in subsec. (c)(2) pursuant to Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1978, § 2, 43 F.R. 19807, 92 Stat. 3781, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, which transferred all functions vested by this section in Secretary of Labor to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, effective Jan. 1, 1979, as provided by section 1–101 of Ex. Ord. No. 12106, Dec. 28, 1978, 44 F.R. 1053.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
29 U.S.C. § 631
Title 29 — Labor
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73