Public Service Pension Plan

The primary objective of the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) is to provide retirement income to participating members and is a valuable part of your overall retirement savings.

Your lifetime pension benefit is based on years of service and salary, not the state of the markets. Although the financial status of the plan can impact contribution rates, it does not affect your pension benefit.

Eligibility

Review your Benefits Overview to confirm if your staff group participates in the PSPP. The table below summarizes participation requirements; more information is available in the membership document.

Eligibility
Participation Requirement Appointment Criteria When Participation Starts
Mandatory
  • Full-time and part-time regular employees appointed into a continuing position of 30 or more hours per week.
  • Auxiliary salaried employees where the terms of the contract specify that the employment is to last for a period greater than one year and the regularly scheduled hours are not less than 30 hours per week.
 The date of your eligible appointment.
Voluntary

Effective January 1, 2018, employees have the option of participating in the PSPP if one of the following criteria are met:

  • A part-time regular employee who occupies an appointment where the hours worked are a minimum of 14, but less than 30, shall have a one-time irrevocable option to join the pension plan upon appointment. If they decline to participate in the pension plan, they will not be eligible to join the plan at a later date unless they move to a mandatory membership position.
  • A part-time auxiliary salaried employee where the terms of the contract specify that the employment is to last for a period greater than one year and the regularly scheduled hours are a minimum of 14, but less than 30, shall have a one-time irrevocable option to join the pension plan upon appointment. If they decline to participate in the pension plan, they will not be eligible to join the plan at a later date unless they move to a mandatory membership position.
  • When an employee changes from a mandatory participation position to a part-time position, the employee can inform the employer, in writing, of their intent to withdraw from the pension plan as a result of the change in their employment. This decision shall be irrevocable until a termination of employment occurs or the employee is appointed to a mandatory membership position.
  • If a participating employee moves to an auxiliary salaried position without a break in service, pension deductions will continue.

You have 90 days from the date of eligibility to inform the university in writing of your intent to join the pension plan.

Pension participation will begin on the first of the month following notification to the university.

A change to the terms of your employment may impact your participation in the plan. If you are unsure of how a change will affect participation in the PSPP, please contact the Staff Service Centre.

About the Plan

The PSPP website  provides detailed information about how the plan works. To access your individual pension information, you will need to sign in to Your Pension Profile (YPP), an integrated, secure online portal on pspp.ca. This portal allows you to:

  • access all pension information from one website.
  • view applicable information as you navigate the PSPP website.
  • easily make updates to your personal and pension information, such as address or beneficiaries.
  • communicate with the Member Services Centre.
  • securely upload personal documents.
  • view available buyback proposals and start the buyback process.
  • receive notifications when statements are posted to your account.
  • access past annual and tax statements.
  • access PensionEase, the retirement application tool.

To register, click the Login icon at the top right of the page, and then click Register. If you require assistance, call the Member Services Centre at 1-877-453-1PSP (1777).

Contributions

  • You and the university contribute equally to the PSPP. 
  • Contributions are based on a percentage of your pensionable earnings  and are made through payroll deduction. 
  • Contribution rates and maximums are determined by PSPP and are subject to change annually. Please refer to the Summary of Costs  for current rates.