Background <p>Interest in planning for retirement among academic health professionals has grown in recent years as more people approach traditional retirement age. This scoping review examines the current literature on retirement planning and retirement perceptions among academic health professionals, identifies key themes, and evaluates the quality of peer-reviewed studies. </p> Research design and methods <p>A comprehensive search across Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, AgeLine, ERIC, Education Source, Business Source Premier, Sociological Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, JSTOR, and Web of Science Core Collection yielded an initial dataset of 11,146 articles. Following full-text assessments and additional screening, 14 studies met inclusion criteria.</p> Results <p>Most studies focused on academic physicians and nurse educators, over half were conducted in North America and a predominance employed quantitative methodologies, though diverse methods were represented. Five key themes emerged as influencing retirement decisions: family considerations, financial security, health considerations, loss of professional identity, and rigid institutional structure/culture and policies. The articles were evaluated based on the MMAT's rigorous criteria, confirming that the overall quality of the included studies is acceptable and appropriate for the scope of this review.</p> Discussion and implications <p>While existing literature identifies key factors shaping retirement planning for academic health professionals, gaps remain in understanding effective strategies and institutional support for career transitions. Future research should study how academic health professionals transfer their skills at different career stages, compare retirement transitions among academic health professionals versus other professionals, and succession planning within academic health settings.</p>