Welcome to the Public Service Pension plan

Welcome to the Public Service Pension plan (PDF, 299KB)

The following information is intended to draw your attention to parts of Your public service pension and benefits that are important for you to know, as a new or re-employed member. Some aspects of the plan are time sensitive, so please review this document as soon as possible.

Orientation information kit

What is the public service pension plan?

The public service pension plan is designed to provide you with a retirement income payable during your lifetime. Pension benefits are based on your salary, pensionable service, age and reason for termination. The date you became a member of the public service pension plan determines when you will be eligible to receive an unreduced pension benefit:

Other benefits include:

Is there a limit to the amount of service that may count toward my public service pension?

Yes, the maximum amount of service that may count for a person under the public service pension plan is 35 years, which includes:

How can I increase the amount of service that my pension is based on?

Employees who became plan members on or before December 31, 2012 can obtain a cost estimate for buying back prior service by using the service buyback estimator, located in the Compensation Web Applications (CWA) (page available on Government of Canada network only) Active Member Pension Applications. For those who became plan members on or after January 1, 2013, changes are being made to the personalized pension tools, which include the service buyback estimator, to reflect the current pension plan rules.

If you have worked for the public service in the past, you may be eligible to:

If you were a member of the Canadian Forces or Royal Canadian Mounted Police, you may be eligible to transfer or buy back that service in order to count it as pensionable under the public service pension plan.

If you were subject to a pension plan with a former employer, you may be eligible to:

Important points to consider

There are tax implications (benefits and consequences) associated with requesting a buyback of prior service, a transfer value reinstatement or a pension transfer.

Your obligations

What is the Supplementary Death Benefit?

The Supplementary Death Benefit plan is similar to decreasing term life insurance, which is designed to protect members of the public service pension plan.

Membership in the Supplementary Death Benefit plan is indicated on the "Notification of Plan Membership" in this package.

If you are eligible, coverage commences when you become a member of the public service pension plan.

If the "Notification of Plan Membership" indicates you are not eligible, it is because your employer is excluded from the Supplementary Death Benefit plan. You may wish to contact your employer’s Human Resources office to find out if you are entitled under an alternate death benefit plan.

Who can I designate as a beneficiary of the Supplementary Death Benefit plan?

Your beneficiaries can be up to 5 of the following:

If you are re-employed in the public service, a previous designation of beneficiaries is no longer valid and a new "Naming or changing your beneficiaries" form should be completed once you become a plan member again.

To designate your beneficiaries, you must complete the Naming or changing your beneficiaries form, and mail it to the Pension Centre.

Your public service pension and benefits web portal

We invite you to take the time to discover what Your public service pension and benefits Web portal has to offer, including the information, forms and online tools. With the knowledge you gain, you will be able to make more informed decisions with respect to life events that may affect your pension and benefits.

As a new or re-employed member of the public service pension plan, there is a section specifically designed for you: Active member, new to the public service.

Disclaimer

This information is provided for orientation purposes only and does not constitute a legal document on your rights and obligations. Should there be any conflict between the information in this document and that contained in the Public Service Superannuation Act (PSSA) and the Public Service Superannuation Regulations (PSSR), or other applicable laws, the Act and Regulations apply.

Date modified: