You must have at least five years of pensionable service to be entitled to receive a pension from the Teachers' Pension Plan.

Pensions are calculated based on your total accrued pensionable service to the date of retirement, i.e., all purchased pensionable service is included in the calculation of the pension benefit.

You should be fully aware of the meaning of the term "worked service," which refers to all pensionable service that any teacher might have acquired through the provisions of the TPP Plan Text, as follows:

• actual teaching service,
• maternity leave,
• deferred salary leaves,
• paid educational leaves,
• strike time that has been purchased,
• approved unpaid leaves purchased as worked service, and/or
• periods of absence for university study purposes that have been purchased as (or converted to) worked service, etc.

The one exception is that of university study buy back. This is not eligible for inclusion in your worked service.

Contemplating retirement? Teachers are required by the collective agreements to give appropriate notice, in writing, to their school board.

The required period of notice is as follows:

1. one month notice if the retirement is to be effective any time prior to the Christmas recess,
2. three months notice if the retirement is to be effective following the Christmas recess to the end of the school year.

It is important that you clearly establish eligibility for pension benefits before submitting a resignation, by contacting the TPPC. If you resign and cannot subsequently establish eligibility for your pension benefit, then you will be without both salary and pension benefit.

Follow these steps:

1. Prior to resignation, establish your eligibility date for benefit(s) at a pre-retirement seminar or by contacting the TPPC;
2. Submit your resignation to the school board, making sure to respect the required period of notice;
3. Make your application for pension benefit(s).

The TPP Plan Text states that a teacher shall be retired "when he or she is suffering from a physical or mental impairment that prevents the teacher from performing the duties of the employment in which he or she was engaged before the commencement of the impairment, provided that the impairment is medically certified to the satisfaction of the administration as likely to be permanent."

Provided you have accumulated not less than five years of pensionable service, you will receive a pension calculated on the basis of your total pensionable service.

If you have not accumulated five years of pensionable service, then you are entitled to receive a refund of your contributions in accordance with the TPP Plan Text.

You must apply directly to the TPPC, include an assessment by your attending physician and complete a form consenting to the release of medical information. This will allow the medical consultants retained by the TPPC to contact your physician(s) and make a decision regarding your eligibility for benefits. Please be assured that all consultations are performed on a strictly confidential basis.

When applying for disability pension you must advise the school board at the time the application is made. Of particular note, this is not a resignation but a required advisory under the collective agreement.

A deferred pension simply means that the payment of pension benefits will be deferred to a later date. A deferred pension is one that is not immediately available to the Plan member because he or she is leaving active teaching service before he or she qualifies to begin receiving the pension.

To qualify for a deferred pension, you must, upon leaving teaching, have pension contributions remain on deposit within the Pension Plan. In addition, you must have at least five years of pensionable service. If the contributions are withdrawn, you would not qualify for a deferred pension and would not be entitled to purchase the service later, unless you returned to employment as a contributing member of the Pension Plan.

To learn more about deferred pensions, how they work, and any benefits that may be available to you under this scenario, please contact the TPPC and speak with a pension specialist.

If you die before accumulating at least five years of pensionable service, the death benefit payable will be a refund of your contributions, plus interest.

If you have accumulated at least five years of pensionable service, the death benefit payable will be the greater of the commuted value of the pension benefit, or a refund of your contributions and interest.

If you die after accumulating five years of pensionable service, your Principal Beneficiary (spouse/cohabiting partner) will have the following options:

The lifetime survivor benefit is integrated with CPP as at the date upon which the deceased would have reached age 65.

If there is no surviving spouse/partner, other death benefits may be available to eligible dependent children, other dependents or designated beneficiaries, depending upon individual circumstances.

You can add, view or change your current beneficiaries at any time using the MSS portal available on the menu above.

Under certain circumstances, you may be able to purchase past service.

Your Plan Member Guide includes a detailed explanation. Alternatively, contact the TPPC to discuss the particulars of your situation.