You can apply for your pension online at iAccess Web up to four months before your pension start date. 

Retiring online is fast, easy and secure. However, if you get stuck, help is only a phone call away. Call 1-800-668-0105 or 416-226-2700, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

No, our Pension Benefits Specialists can usually answer your questions on the phone. However, if you prefer an interview in person, a Pension Benefits Specialist is available to meet with you at our office at 5650 Yonge St. (at Finch Ave., in the Xerox tower) in Toronto, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Call our member hotline to arrange an appointment.

Three independent plans provide supplementary medical coverage for members of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. One is offered by Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO) through Johnson Inc. and two are offered by the Ontario Teachers' Insurance Plan (OTIP). Premiums for these plans can be deducted from your pension payment.

Please read the RTO plan brochure and the OTIP plan brochure for detailed information. To arrange coverage or for information, please contact your insurance representative:

Johnson Inc.:
Toronto 416-920-7248; toll-free 1-877-406-9007

OTIP:
Waterloo 519-888-9683; toll-free 1-800-267-6847

Some employers provide health benefits to their retired employees from their general revenue. The Teachers’ pension plan is not the former employer of teachers and cannot provide health benefits in the same way. 

The Teachers’ pension plan can provide only the benefits permitted for registered pension plans under the Income Tax Act. Health benefits are not permitted.

The 10-year pension guarantee and survivor pension are different and should be considered separately. The 10-year pension guarantee only provides a benefit in the event of your death within 10 years and then only for the remainder of the 10-year term. The survivor’s pension is payable for the life of your spouse and for as long as your children remain dependants. The survivor pension represents a percentage of your pension.

Yes, provided you work at least 10 days during the year and start your pension at the end of the school year. However, if you begin to receive your pension before the end of the school year, you’ll receive a partial qualifying year up to the date your pension starts. If you are considering retiring during the school year, sign in to iAccess Web, your own secure section of this website, to get a pension estimate.

If you're close to retirement and teaching on a part-time contract, supplementing your income with an occasional supply-teaching assignment may reduce your pension. In some instances, this can result in hundreds of dollars less in pension per year.

The rate of pay for occasional teaching can be significantly less than the rate for part-time contract work. This can lower your annualized pensionable salary because both rates are used when determining your annual rate for that school year. Although the extra days increase your credit, if you're nearing retirement this can reduce your average best-five years' salary and result in a smaller pension.

If you're close to retirement, our advice is to be cautious. You may wish to contact us before accepting an occasional teaching job to help determine the impact on your pension.

If you plan on working, your arrangement to return to work in education has to be made after the later of the date we receive your pension application or the date of your resignation.

A resignation is considered valid only if:

• your employer confirms acceptance of your resignation without condition;
• no arrangement has been made to return to work in education; and
• you have either received or arrangements have been made to pay any applicable gratuity.

For more information, see Working After Retirement.

Your pension will still be reduced the month after you turn 65, even if you take your CPP early. There are some conditions for taking CPP early, so be sure to contact CPP directly for information. For instance, you must earn less than the allowable maximum monthly CPP payment (about $908) for two consecutive months before your pension begins. Once you receive your reduced CPP pension, you can earn more than the CPP maximum without it affecting your CPP pension payment.

Your Teachers’ pension reduction takes effect before age 65 only if you die or begin to collect a CPP disability pension.

For more information about your CPP pension, we recommend you go directly to the source. Visit CPP’s website or call 1-800-277-9914.

The Teachers’ pension plan is integrated with the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). That means contributions to and benefits from the Teachers’ plan reflect your participation in CPP.

Contributions to the Teachers’ plan are lower on earnings up to the CPP limit and higher on earnings above the limit. Similarly, when you retire, your Teachers’ pension is lower on earnings covered by the CPP and higher on earnings above it. Integration is achieved by applying an offset to your Teachers’ pension beginning at age 65 when you qualify for an unreduced CPP retirement pension.

Integrating the Teachers’ plan with CPP in 1966 was designed to provide you with a combined income from the plans equal to about two per cent of your average annual salary for each year of service credit. Today, due to improvements in the Teachers' plan, your combined income is higher at age 65 because the CPP reduction to your Teachers' pension is less than the CPP pension you would receive at age 65.

Collecting CPP early doesn’t affect the reduction to your Teachers’ pension.

No, you cannot transfer RRSP funds into the Teachers’ pension plan to top up your pension and retire sooner. However, you can use RRSP funds to buy back credit for an eligible leave of absence. Acquiring more credit will increase the size of your pension.