Support Staff Pension Overview
As a full-time or part-time University of Calgary Support Staff member, you may be eligible to participate in the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP). The PSPP is a defined benefit plan designed to provide you with continued income after you retire.
Enrolment in the plan is automatic for eligible Support Staff members (except where participation is optional). For more information, click on "Eligibility to Participate" button on the right.
Participation will continue until you retire, terminate employment, or you change to an ineligible employment category. The University of Calgary matches the amount of the payroll deduction for your pension contribution. Refer to the Benefits at a Glance for Support Staff to see the current contribution rates.
Within four weeks of enrolment, you will receive a PSPP welcome package in the mail. Once you receive your welcome package you may set up your online account on the Your Pension Profile secure webpage at any time to view annual statements, manage your account details and beneficiary designations.
Contact the Member Services Centre at memberservices@pspp.ca if you have questions, or visit the PSPP website to see additional information, including:
- PSPP at a Glance
- FAQs
- Member Handbook
- Pension information sessions and webcasts
- Forms and publications
Service with a previous Canadian employer may be eligible to be established as pensionable service in the PSPP. Contact a HR Pension Analyst at totalrewards@ucalgary.ca for more information.
Pension Resources
Learn more about the PSPP, enrol, or get estimates.
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About PSPP
Learn about how the Public Service Pension Plan works.
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Get Estimates
To help plan your future, learn about where your pension plan is at now and get estimates on targets for the future.
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Planning and Forms
Acquire forms necessary to change your personal information due to a life event and plan for your future.
Be sure to inform the HR department at UCalgary of any changes as well.
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Changing Beneficiaries
Go to life events to find out how to update your benefit information.
You may be able to transfer service from another pension plan to PSPP if a transfer agreement exists between these two plans.
You may also be able to buy optional service with respect to prior employment with the university or another PSPP employer when you did not participate in the PSPP.
For more information:
- Review information on the PSPP website, then
- Contact HR Pension Analyst at totalrewards@ucalgary.ca.
Pension rules allow your pension partner to waive his or her right to the death benefit that would be paid to him or her if you die before you retire. This provision may provide you with greater flexibility when planning for your family's needs. To waive their rights your pension partner needs to complete a Pension Partner Waiver of Pre-retirement Death Benefit Statutory Declaration Form, which can be found on the PSPP website or obtained from the Alberta Pensions Services Corporation (APS) - see resources section below.
Your pension contributions are tax deductible. As a member of a defined benefit plan, your taxable income is reduced by the amount of allowable pension contributions you make. Your employer will report your tax deductible pension contributions on your T4.
Members and employers both make contributions to the pension plan. The employer's contribution rate is the same as the member's. The Public Service Pension Board reviews contributions rates at least every three years and may change them as necessary. Contribution rates are adjusted periodically to help ensure sufficient assets are available to pay all benefits promised under the Public Service Pension Plan both today and in the future.
If your position is pension-eligible, you must become a member of the PSPP. You cannot change your contributions or opt out of the pension plan. The only exception happens if your employment type is Part-Time and you are working between 14 and 29 hours/week. In this case, you may choose to opt out of PSPP.
If your participation in PSPP is optional, you cannot chose to opt out of the pension plan at a later date.
After setting your contribution rate, you are unable to change the amount that you are contributing.
If you have re-joined the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP), your funds will automatically be added to your new pensionable service under PSPP, if you have elected to leave the funds in the PSPP. If you were in a different pension plan, you may be eligible to transfer those entitlements to PSPP through a reciprocal transfer if the other pension plan currently has transfer agreements with the PSPP. Review the information on pension transfers on the PSPP website or contact Alberta Pension Services Corporation to find out if your prior pension plan has a transfer agreement with the PSPP.
University of Calgary Retirees Association
The University of Calgary Retirees Association (UCRA) brings retirees together for the betterment of the membership and their families, and to foster ways that members can contribute to the life of the university and society at large. Originally founded in 1992 as the University of Calgary Emeritus Association, the Association was established to serve members, the university, and the public.
The University of Calgary Retirees Association provides a visible and active focus for the history, experience and expertise available to the University of Calgary and the public through retired university employees. The University of Calgary Retirees Association maintains an active relationship with the university, and provides a discussion forum for former colleagues, whose input shapes the further development of the Association.
For additional information regarding the University of Calgary Retirees Association, including how to become a member, subscribing to monthly newsletters, meeting dates, and other membership activities, please visit the University of Calgary Retirees Association or contact retirees@ucalgary.ca.