How can I access my PRSA?
First of all, let's consider whether getting money out of your PRSA is even something you should do in the first place. A Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA) is an Irish pension scheme which was set up way back when in 1979 by Patrick McGilligan with the sole purpose of providing its members with a retirement fund which they could use once they had retired from working life. It is very much like the PRSAs which are offered by O'Driscoll or Glackin, just to name two Irish pension providers.
There are many advantages of having a PRSA. The first benefit is that your money is protected under the Pensions Act of 1990, meaning it cannot be taken from you if you change your mind about investing in one. On top of this, the PRSA also enjoys tax relief on all its contributions. This means that for every €100 saved into a PRSA account, €120 will be added to it after-taxes have been paid.
Lastly, another great advantage of these pensions schemes is that they are contracted out . This basically means that PRSAs enjoy better terms than other pensions.
So, what about accessing your PRSA? First of all, if you're over the age of 50 then it will not be a problem to
withdraw a lump sum from your pension fund. If you are under that age however then there are two different options for you – transferring your PRSA into another account or withdrawing a small portion as cash.
Here it is important to note that even though you can access up to 25% as cash and 75% as a transfer elsewhere, statutory rules still apply, meaning it's important to follow them even when trying to access your PRSA in this manner.