Working after your pension starts

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If you are receiving a pension from the OPSEU Pension Plan and continue to work or start working again, whom you work for may affect your pension. If you work for an employer who does not contribute to the Plan, your pension is not affected. If you work for an employer who contributes to the Plan, there may be an impact on your pension depending on whether you rejoin the Plan.

Without rejoining the Plan

Your pension is subject to a post-retirement earnings maximum each calendar quarter (e.g. January – March) if:

1. you are employed or re-employed by an employer who contributes to the Plan, and
2. you do not rejoin the Plan as a contributing member.

Your maximum quarterly re-employment earnings is determined when you start your pension by subtracting your gross quarterly OPTrust pension amount from three times your final monthly salary payable.

The maximum quarterly re-employment earnings is the amount you can earn with a contributing employer in any calendar quarter before we reduce your pension. This amount is provided on your Retirement Confirmation Statement when you retire, and your Pensioner Information Change Statement. If you are unsure of the limit, please call OPTrust. If your earnings exceed your maximum in any quarter, we will reduce your pension in the next quarter by the amount your post-retirement earnings have exceeded your maximum in the previous quarter.

Rejoining the Plan

Depending on your age and the nature of your employment or re-employment, you may have the option, or be required to rejoin the Plan. If you rejoin, your pension stops immediately and you will resume making contributions. While you are making contributions, you are accruing additional pension service so when your employment ends, we will recalculate your pension.

OPTrust recalculates your pension at the end of your re-employment period to include the additional pension service you accrued. However, if you were previously receiving an age-reduced pension, your new pension amount will be actuarially adjusted to take into account any pension payments you have already received.