Special or Educational Leaves

Members who take an unpaid LOA for special or educational purposes that is approved by their employer have the option of continuing to contribute to the Plan during the leave. As with other unpaid LOAs of more than one month, the member and employer must complete and submit OPTrust’s Application to Contribute during an Unpaid Leave of Absence (OPTrust 1025) form before the start of the leave.

For special and educational leaves, the employer does not match the contributions paid by the member. Instead the member pays the full cost of pension contributions for the leave. This amount is based on:

  • the member’s salary
  • the length of the LOA, and
  • the member contribution rate plus the employer contribution rate for the period.
Self Funded Leaves

A self-funded leave is considered a special leave of absence for pension purposes. As a result, if the member chooses to contribute during the leave, he or she must pay both the member and employer share of pension contributions during the period of absence from work. In this case, contributions continue to be deducted at the member’s full time salary rate, even though the member may be receiving a reduced wage for the period prior to and during the leave.