Planning for Retirement?

For an interactive webinar offering more information on the Plan and the retirement process, join us for our semi-annual Pension Information Seminar. Registration will become available in August 2026.

For members over the age of 64.5 in active employment and not receiving a pension:

The following benefits cease:

• Long-term disability coverage and premiums stop on the first of the month after you reach age 64 and 6 months.
• Optional life insurance, and optional accidental death and dismemberment coverage stops on the first of the month following age 65.
• Spousal optional life end on member's 65th birthday or spouse's 65 birthday, whichever comes first.

The following benefits continue until the date of retirement:

• Core life insurance (150% of pensionable earnings), reduces as follows between ages:
  • 65 to 70: 75% of Pensionable Earnings (to a minimum of $3,000)
  • 71 to 74: 37.5% of Pensionable Earnings (to a minimum of $3,000)
  • 75 and over: $3,000 life insurance 
• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage (150% of pensionable earnings), reduces as follows at ages:
  • 65 to 70: 50% of Pensionable Earnings
  • 71 – coverage terminates
• Life insurance for a child until they cease to be an eligible family member.
• Your spouse/partner’s life insurance as long as they remain an eligible spouse.
• Restorative Care Plan.
• Health care and dental coverage continues until retirement when you may choose to participate in the Group Benefits for Pensioners Plan, if eligible.

For members working beyond December 1 in the year they turn 71:

• Core life insurance continues at:
  • 71 to 74: 37.5% of Pensionable Earnings (to a minimum of $3,000) 
  • 75 and over: $3,000 life insurance
• All other active member benefits cease.
• Your pension must commence and you may choose to participate in the Group Benefits for Pensioners Plan, if eligible.

Retirement can mean a new chapter of your life, but it is a big change that you will want to plan for. Prior to retirement, check out available resources from TELUS Health and Canada Life.

Here are the access details for our EFAP provided by TELUS Health:

Username: unitedchurch

Password: eap

As you plan for retirement, you may want to consult a financial planner who can help you estimate your expenses in retirement and your other sources of retirement income. 

When you are ready to begin receiving your pension, contact the Benefits Centre at 1-855-647-8222 or pension@united-church.ca, and they will send you the necessary paperwork. They will calculate your monthly pension under each available option and send you the forms to fill out.

Please contact the Benefits Centre four (4) months before the date you want payments to start.

Please allow more time if your pension entitlement may be subject to a marriage breakdown calculation.

Your pension will be deposited directly into your Canadian bank account on the first bank business day of each month. If you live outside of Canada, please coordinate with your international bank in regard to their processing schedule for foreign wire transfers.

As a retired member, you may be eligible to join the pensioner health and dental plans as long as you remain eligible for provincial health coverage. To be considered retired from the United Church, you must be receiving a monthly pension paid directly from the United Church’s pension fund.

If you are ministry personnel, you will need to complete the Notice of Change in Pastoral Relations via ChurchHub.

Your pension is calculated based on payments starting at age 65. Your annual pension statement shows your estimated pension at age 65. However, you can choose to begin receiving your pension earlier than age 65 if you have stopped working with a participating employer. If you continue working with a participating employer beyond age 65, you will begin receiving pension payments after you terminate employment.

• Early retirement is any time after age 55 and before normal retirement or unreduced early retirement.
• Your monthly pension amount will be reduced. One reason for this is to reflect the longer period of time you will receive pension payments.
• Your pension is reduced by 4% per year for each year by which your early retirement date precedes your normal retirement date (or your unreduced early retirement date, if earlier). Partial years are reduced by 0.33% per month.

You can retire before age 65 with an unreduced pension

• if you have reached age 60 when you terminate employment and have 35 years of credited service

OR

• if you have reached age 55 when you terminate employment and have 35 years of credited service, and you wait until age 60 to begin receiving your pension

OR

• if you joined the plan before 1988, you have reached age 55 when you terminate employment, and you have 40 years of credited service

• If you continue working with a participating employer after age 65, your pension will begin after you terminate employment (but it must begin no later than December 1 of the year you turn age 71 even if you are still working).
• Your monthly pension amount will be increased in two ways:
  
  • You earn additional pension credits.
  • For each month you postpone retirement beyond age 65, the pension earned to age 65 is increased to reflect the anticipated shorter payout period.

At retirement, plan members choose from four forms of pension. All options provide a monthly payment for life and come with a minimum guaranteed number of payments.

If you have a Spouse at retirement, your pension must be paid in a form that provides a survivor pension to your Spouse if you predecease them (unless your Spouse signs a waiver in the legally specified form).

The plan generally defines a qualifying spouse as a legally married spouse or a common-law partner who has cohabited with the plan member in a conjugal relationship for a specified period of time. The exact definition of “spouse” varies from province to province and depends on your province of employment.

All of the forms of pension will be explained on the Option Election Form you will receive. If you have questions about the available options, Benefits Centre staff will be happy to answer them.

The value of your pension can be paid out in a single lump sum (subject to withholding tax) instead of in monthly installments if the amount of the pension or its lump sum value is less than an amount specified by legislation. This amount varies from province to province.