Gearing up for your moment

Visit your Document Centre and check to see what you may need to add to your profile, so that we can pay your pension.

Securely upload your documents directly to the Document Centre anytime. 

Take a look at your profile in your online account.

Do we have your current personal email address on file? You likely won’t have access to your school board email account after you retire. The email address in your profile is the one we’ll send a confirmation to once you submit your pension application. We’ll also use it to send you important information after you retire, if your communication preference is set for email. 

Are your mailing address and phone number up to date? Has there been a change in your marital status? You can update these at any point. If your personal information is out-of-date when you submit your application it may cause a delay in us being able to pay your pension.

Check to see if you have any eligible leaves from the past five years. Sign in to your online account and visit your Buyback Centre to see if there is a leave you can pay for, and the impact it'll have on your retirement.

If you decide you’d like to pay for it, call us. Our toll-free number is 1-800-668-0105. Our contact centre is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm.

You're probably wondering when you should start collecting from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Everyone's situation is unique, and you should consult a professional financial advisor to help you with that decision.

We provide a bridge benefit, which is intended to supplement your retirement income until age 65 when you're eligible for an unreduced CPP pension. You'll receive this bridge benefit regardless of when you collect CPP. The month after you turn 65, or immediately if you start a CPP disability pension, the bridge benefit ends and your pension is adjusted.

Old Age Security has no impact on your Ontario Teachers' pension.

To set up the direct deposit for your pension, have your financial institution’s information and your bank account number handy when you apply. You can find this information through your online bank account or on a cheque.

You can apply for your pension before you resign. We won't inform your employer of your resignation, unless you are receiving long-term income protection benefits, or are currently on a leave.

To ensure you don't lose any pension payments, make sure you give your employer a resignation letter before your resignation date. The resignation date on your pension application must be the same date you include in your resignation letter.

When you're ready, don't forget to hit “submit” when you apply for your pension. You can work through the pension application at your own pace, but we won't start processing your application until you hit submit. You should apply for your pension no later than two weeks before the end of the month in which you want to start receiving it.  

Once you hit submit, you'll receive a confirmation email that we received your pension application. This email will contain some of the key dates and decisions you told us in your application and information on next steps and timelines. 

Days before your first pension payment, we'll send you an email with a few things you need to know so you can stay on top of your pension.  

While we don’t offer health and dental coverage, some employers extend health coverage to pensioners. If your employer doesn’t, or you wish to shop around, there are three independent organizations who also extend this type of coverage. They’re ARM Retiree Health Insurance Plan, RTOERO (formerly known as the Retired Teachers of Ontario), and Ontario Teachers’ Insurance Plan. Contact them directly for details and to arrange for coverage. 

If you're thinking about returning for a victory lap as a supply teacher, know the re-employment rules.

And you may even consider pausing your pension one day and returning to work full time. If you want to contribute to your pension again and have it recalculated, you can’t have any previous re-employment service. Keep this in mind as you plan for retirement. 

Don’t shake on it, yet

If you’re considering re-employment, you can’t make the arrangements right away. You have to wait until after your pension starts.

There’s a limit

When you’re retired there's a limit on the number of days you can work in education in a school year without affecting your pension on the number of days you can work in education in a school year without affecting your pension.

Reaching your limit

If you reach the limit, you can work until the end of the month in which you exceed the limit., you can work until the end of the month in which you exceed the limit.

Let’s say you hit the limit on the last working day in January, and you worked again in February. Then you exceeded the limit in February and can work until the end of February without affecting your pension.

If you continue to work after the month in which you exceed the limit (March in the example above), call us. It's your responsibility to let us know. We’ll suspend your pension until either you stop working, or when the next school year starts.

If you continue to work and continue to collect your pension, we’ll collect the overpayment, plus interest.  

You need to keep track

It’s up to you to track the number of days you work and notify us if you intend to work in the month in which you exceed the limit. Your employer will report your service to us, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep track.

Volunteer work may count

Re-employment rules may apply, even if you don’t get paid for your work. Not sure? Contact us.

Have more questions?

We've got answers to the most frequently asked re-employment questions. If you have any doubts about what constitutes re-employment or what rules apply, please call us to find out.

Get social and keep in touch with us and your colleagues by liking us on Facebook (check out our Facebook Terms of Use). You’ll be able to connect with your peers and get tips from fellow retirees on adjusting to life after retirement.