BEING A PENSIONER
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Pay dates
Pensioner payrolls are issued on the 15th day and the last day of each month, or the previous Friday if the 15th or last day falls on a weekend or holiday.
2025 payroll dates
January
February
March
15 and 31
14 and 28
14 and 31
April
May
June
15 and 30
15 and 30
13 and 30
July
August
September
15 and 31
15 and 29
15 and 29
October
November
December
15 and 31
14 and 28
15 and 31
Address change/bank information change
Log in to myPENSION and update your personal profile with your new address and/or banking information.
Or, complete the appropriate form(s) and send them our way by mailing them to the address on the form. Or, contact us so we can guide you through it!
Additional tax withholdings
Want additional income tax deducted from your pension payments? Complete this form and send it back to us — either through myPENSION (if you’re registered), or mail it to the address on the form. Contact us for more information.
Bridge benefits
If you retire early, remember that your bridge benefit will end the month after you turn age 65. While you will receive a reminder three months before the benefit ends, it’s important to make note of this change in your calendar.
Equally important is to ensure you apply for your CPP benefits when the time is right for you, and that you do so at least six months before you wish for your CPP payments to begin.
Indexing and your pension
Indexing helps your pension keep pace with inflation in Canada, which is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Here’s how it works:
- If you retired before August 31, 1998, your pension and survivor benefits do not include indexing.
- If you retired after August 31, 1998, the part of your pension earned up to August 31, 2015, will be adjusted every September 1 once you reach age 65. This increase is equal to 60% of the CPI, up to a maximum of 1.2% per year.
- Pension benefits earned after September 1, 2015, are not indexed.
Returning to teaching after retirement
If you’re a pensioner and return to teaching with an employer who participates in the Plan, you’ll need to pause your pension and start contributing to the Plan again. Once you retire again, your pension will be recalculated to include any additional service you earned during this period.
There are a couple of exceptions to this rule:
- You can work up to 20 consecutive days or a total of 90 days in a school year without affecting your pension.
- With approval from the Sponsor Body, you may also be able to work in a position where the employer couldn’t find someone who isn’t already receiving a pension.
These rules help ensure you’re clear on how returning to work can affect pension payments you may be receiving, yet still offer you the flexibility to choose to teach again.
Change in spousal relationship
No matter where you are in your journey, it’s important to keep your pension profile up to date when your family circumstances change.
If you get married, separated, or divorced, be sure to log in to myPENSION and update your beneficiary information.
As a pensioner, these life changes can introduce additional complexities regarding your pension compared to those who haven’t yet started receiving it. We encourage you to reach out to us to ensure you have the right information to make informed decisions about your pension moving forward, noting that we’re unable to provide legal or financial advice.
Survivor benefits
The ability to take care of your loved ones when you’re gone often offers our new retirees and pensioners peace of mind as they embark on their retirement journey.
As a TPP pensioner, when you pass away after retiring, your spouse or cohabitating partner (if you have one at that time), or if none your eligible dependent children, will receive a survivor benefit equal to 60% of your pension.
- For your spouse or cohabitating partner, this lifetime benefit is integrated with the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) at age 65.
- If there is no spouse, your dependent children would receive a survivor benefit equally between them until the youngest child turns 18 (or 24, if a full-time student).
Survivor benefits are first paid to your spouse or cohabitating partner. If there is no spouse or cohabitating partner, survivor benefits will be paid to eligible dependent children or other eligible dependents. If the aggregate amount of the pension and survivor benefit payments made is less than the sum of your member contributions plus interest at the time of retirement, the designated beneficiaries or your estate shall receive a lump sum equal to the residual amount.
See the details outlined in the Plan Member Guide.
Ensuring your beneficiary designation(s) on file is up to date is easy to do and can help ensure that your survivor benefits are paid out as you intend, so your loved ones are cared for after you’re gone.
Make it a habit to visit myPENSION annually to review and/or change your designations.