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I have found a rule that we cannot use future forms when using time clauses including expressions such as: while, before, after, until/till, as, once, as soon as, as long as, by the time Does this mean that below sentence is not grammatically correct if it contains "by the time"?

"How long will John have been working at the company by the time he retires?"

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    It's fine. Btw, it's not a clause but a preposition phrase introduced by the prep "by".
    – BillJ
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 15:00

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Your sentence is correct because after by the time, the present tense is used, not the future. What the rule means is that it would be incorrect to say:

How long will John have been working at the company by the time he will retire?

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