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Summary - The basic pension plan

Summary

The University of Ottawa basic pension plan (UOPP) is a defined-benefit pension plan which means that, when you retire, you receive payments (a pension) predetermined by a formula based on your earnings and contributions history, rather than depending directly on investment returns.

The normal retirement age is 65, but early retirement and deferred retirement options are available.

Eligibility

You must join the pension plan if:

  • if you are 30 years of age or older at the time of hiring or,
  • you are less than 30 years of age but have accumulated two years of service since your hiring.

Pension contributions

For a plan to be able to pay pensions, it must collect and invest contributions from you and your employer.

Your contribution is determined by a specific formula according to the text of the pension plan. Note that contributions are deducted from your salary before other calculations to reduce your taxes straightaway.

For its part, the University makes a contribution based on the total payroll. The exact rate is determined annually after actuarial analysis. Contributions paid by the University are mentioned in the pension plan annual reports

Pension Benefits

Your pension benefits are determined by a formula that takes into account years of service and your best 60 months of earnings; it is subsequently adjusted to reflect the cost of living - Take note that there is a guaranteed minimum benefit, a maximum pension and a survivor benefit if you were to die before or after your retirement.

Your personal pension statement

You can always consult the online version of your pension statement - It is updated once a year (usually in June) and it reflects your own personal data as of December 31st of the previous year.

Employee benefits while in retirement

Once retired, pensioners are entitled to certain benefits in addition to their pension benefit. Depending on the group to which you belonged, these benefits can include group insurance (health, dental, life, hospital, etc.), email access, a medical credit account, a tuition fee exemption, library and sports facility access, etc.

The Supplemental Pension Plan

There is also a supplemental, non-registered pension plan, which provides participants with an additional benefit to the maximum prescribed by the Income Tax Act. Eligibility conditions include an average salary exceeding $196,013.05.