29 U.S.C. § 631: Age limits

The prohibitions in this chapter shall be limited to individuals who are at least 40 years of age. 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. 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. 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. Sections 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 . 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 . 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 (d) of this section], is repealed on July 1, 1982 .”