<p>This study utilized retrospective life-course survey data from the 2014 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to examine the typology of retirement trajectories among older adults and their association with depression. The findings revealed a declining proportion of retirement status distribution from earlier to later birth cohorts, suggesting a potential delay in retirement timing. Although retirement trajectories among older men and women in China could be classified into five distinct categories, significant gender differences emerged in their distribution. Retirement trajectory clusters had a significant effect on depression among older adults. Specifically, non-agricultural older men who retired early exhibited lower depression scores than those who remained engaged in long-term farming without retiring. Similarly, older women who were not involved in agricultural work and retired early reported lower depression scores than those who continued long-term agricultural work without retiring. Furthermore, older women with diversified occupational histories who retired early also demonstrated lower depression scores compared to those persistently engaged in agriculture without retiring. Financial support from children to their parents moderates the relationship between retirement trajectory clusters and depression among older adults. Increased financial support from children had a more pronounced mitigating effect on depression among (1) older adults engaged in long-term agriculture without retiring and (2) older men who retired later after prolonged agricultural employment.</p>