RREGOP

For further information, visit the Retraite Québec website.

Work
Membership

The Government and Public Employees Retirement Plan (RREGOP) took effect on 1 July 1973. It covers regular and casual, full-time and part-time employees in the education, public service, and health and social services sectors.

Membership in the plan is mandatory for all employees subject to the Act respecting the Government and Public Employees Retirement Plan. You must contribute to RREGOP until you have accrued a maximum of 40 years of credited service, excluding any years for which you acquired a pension credit or paid-up annuity. Note that even if you have not accrued 40 years of credited service, as of 1 January 2025, you will no longer be able to continue to contribute to RREGOP after 30 December of the year in which you turn 71.

You can consult your Statement of Participation under RREGOP online in My Account for more details on your participation in the plan. If the information provided on the Statement is incorrect, you must contact your employer to have it corrected.

Years of service credited for calculation purposes

Years of service credited for calculation purposes are the years that will be used to calculate the amount of the basic pension to which you will be entitled when you retire. They are your years of participation in the pension plan.

In order to have a complete year of service credited for the calculation of your pension, you must work full-time throughout the year in employment covered by the RREGOP. Furthermore, you cannot have any periods of absence without pay that have not been credited under your pension plan.

If you work part-time, at the end of each year, you will be credited part of a year of service for calculation purposes. Parts of years are calculated using the ratio between the hours you worked (excluding overtime) and the full-time schedule for an equivalent position and will be included in the calculation of your retirement pension.

Years of service credited for eligibility purposes

Years of service credited for eligibility purposes refers to the years that will be used to determine your eligibility for an immediate pension (reduced or unreduced), that is, a pension generally payable when membership in your plan ends. They are the total of:

• the years of service credited for the calculation of your pension (your years of participation in the plan)
  and
• the years of service that are credited under your pension plan but not used to calculate the amount of your pension, such as years of membership in a supplemental pension plan (SPP).

One year of service corresponds to a calendar year (1 January to 31 December) and usually consists of 260 working days (5 days/week × 52 weeks). However, if you are a teacher, your years of service are generally calculated on a 200-day basis.

Note that an incomplete year of service for calculation purposes can be credited as a full year of service for eligibility purposes. This provision applies to years of service since 1 January 1987 and only concerns individuals who were still members of the RREGOP on 1 January 2000 or who have become members since that date.

Within certain limits provided for under the Income Tax Act, under the RREGOP, you will be credited a full year of service for eligibility purposes if, during a given year:

• You worked part-time.
• You worked only part of the year.
  or
• You were absent without pay for all or part of the year.

Note that service credited for eligibility purposes cannot exceed the number of days between the date on which membership started and 31 December for the first year of participation, or between 1 January and the date on which membership ended for the last year of participation.

If certain years of service are incomplete following periods of absence without pay that have not been credited under your plan, we will automatically add the number of days corresponding to the absences to those years, up to 90 days, which is what we call the 90-day bank. Those absences will be fully credited for the calculation of your pension. Absences that ended before 1987 will also be credited for eligibility purposes. Note that absences since 1987 are automatically credited for eligibility purposes. Years of service may be incomplete for such reasons as a strike, a lockout or an absence without pay that you have not bought back.

Please note that for years of service completed since 1 January 2011, only days of absence without pay related to parental leaves can be offset by the 90-day bank.

Contributions

In 2024, the contribution rate under the RREGOP is 9.39%.

If your pensionable salary is less than or equal to 35% of the maximum pensionable earnings (MPE) multiplied by your credited or harmonized service, you do not have to pay any contributions. A pensionable salary is the salary used for pension calculation purposes. Credited service is used if your basis of remuneration is 200 days, while harmonized service is used if your basis of remuneration is 260 days.

If your pensionable salary is more than 35% of the MPE multiplied by your credited or harmonized service, your contributions will be calculated on the portion of your pensionable salary that exceeds 25% of the MPE multiplied by your credited or harmonized service. In 2024, since the MPE is $68 500, your contributions are calculated on the portion of your pensionable salary that exceeds $17 125 ($68 500 x 25%) multiplied by your credited or harmonized service.

In addition, if your pensionable salary is less than the MPE ($68 500 in 2024) multiplied by your credited or harmonized service, your contributions will be reduced.

If you work part-time, your contributions are calculated using the same formula. However, your exemption is determined based on the ratio between the hours you worked and the full-time schedule for an equivalent position.

Exemption from contributions

You do not have to contribute to your pension plan during periods in which you are receiving salary insurance benefits, including any waiting period required before payment of the benefits can start. The waiting period corresponds to the number of working days between the date on which you are deemed to be disabled under your working conditions and the date on which payment of your salary insurance benefits begins. The contributions that you would normally have to pay are credited to you as if you had in fact paid them. As a general rule, your rights under the plan will remain the same during that period.

The same exemption applies if you are receiving benefits from the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail or benefits under the Québec Pension Plan while also receiving any salary insurance benefits provided for under your working conditions.

The maximum exemption period is three years. Note that you will be exempt from contributions for three years even if your employer severs your employment ties after a two-year disability period.

Note that the exemption period is not limited to three years if you are receiving benefits under a mandatory salary insurance plan in effect on 31 December 1989 that has provided, since that date, for benefits to be paid until your 65th birthday or, on condition that your employment ties are maintained, when you retire. Furthermore, eligibility for exemption from contributions for a period greater than 3 years of service must be confirmed by Retraite Québec and proof of eligibility is required.

Buy-backs

Your retirement pension is calculated based on the number of years of service credited when you retire. Therefore, if you are entitled to a retirement pension, you could buy back certain periods of service or absence without pay that were not credited to you under your pension plan. As a result, the amount of your retirement pension could increase. Please note that only the buy-back of certain periods of service or absence could allow you to retire earlier.  Since the fall of 2019, if you have days of absence that can be bought back, the information has been included in the Days of absence that can be bought back section on your Statement of Participation under a public-sector pension plan.

Buy-backs of periods of absence and service accrued as a casual employee may allow you to increase your number of years of service credited under the RREGOP. The periods that are bought back are used both to determine your eligibility for a pension and to calculate its amount.

The most common type of buy-backs

The main periods of service that can be bought back are:

• periods of work carried out with an employer subject to the Plan, when you had casual employee status, from 1 July 1973 to:
  • 31 December 1986, for employees who were on a recall list in the health and social services sector
  • 31 December 1987, for employees who were not on a recall list in the public, health and social services and education sectors.

Since 1 January 1988, all casual employees in the education, public service and health and social services sectors working on a part-time or full-time basis have been covered by public-sector pension plans. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to buy back periods of service accrued as casual employees since that date because those employees have already made contributions to their pension plan.

It must be noted that the periods during which you were self-employed cannot be considered periods of service accrued as a casual employee for the purpose of a buy-back.

The main periods of absence that can be bought back are:

• full-time or part-time periods of absence without pay that began after you became a member of the RREGOP and that have not been credited under your plan, including parental leaves
• maternity leaves that ended before or were underway on 1 January 1989. Different conditions apply depending on the periods.

A period of absence can be considered a period of absence without pay provided all the following conditions are met:

• It must be provided for in your conditions of employment.
• It must be authorized by your employer, except for periods of absence resulting from a strike, a lockout or a disciplinary suspension.
• You must not have received any remuneration during the period in question.
• You would or could have worked had it not been for the absence.

To buy back a period of service or a period of absence without pay, you must have had employment ties with your employer subject to the Plan during that period.

When you work part-time, employment ties exist only for the days planned in your work schedule. Therefore, since there are no employment ties with your employer on the days that are not planned in your work schedule, you cannot buy them back.

How to apply for a buy-back

You must file your application for a buy-back while you are still a member of your plan. As a rule, you cannot buy back periods of service or absence without pay once you leave your employment, even if you leave to retire.

To find out the number of days of absence that can be bought back, consult your Statement of Participation online in My Account in the Days of absence that can be bought back section.

If you would like to file an application for a buy-back, you must complete and send one of the following forms, or both of them, depending on your situation:

• Application for a buy-back of one or more periods of absence (RSP‑727A‑ABS);
• Application for a buy-back of one or more periods of work (RSP‑727A‑WRK).

To find out which of the above-mentioned forms must be filed based on the type of period, please consult the section entitled The most common type of buy-backs, above. The forms are available on Retraite Québec's website and can be sent using the Sending a document online service.

If the study of your file shows that the periods can indeed be bought back, we will send you a buy-back proposal, which you are free to accept or reject. The proposal will indicate the cost and payment terms of the buy-back, and will be valid for 60 days.

If your application is incomplete, we will return the documents to you. You must then send us your application once again, duly completed, so that it can be processed.

The 90-day bank

Under the provisions of your plan, up to 90 days (called a 90-day bank) can be automatically added at no cost to your years of service to offset certain periods of absence. The days in your 90-day bank are automatically credited when Retraite Québec determines whether you are entitled to a retirement pension.

When Retraite Québec processes your buy-back application, it will deduct the number of days of absence that can be offset at no cost by the 90-day bank from the number of days of service corresponding to the period concerned by your application. Therefore, it will prevent you from paying to buy back the days of absence that could be credited to you at no cost. However, if you would rather buy back all your days of absence, which means you would like the 90-day bank not to apply while processing your application, it must be specified in the space provided for that purpose in the form entitled Application for a buy-back of one or more periods of absence (RSP‑727A‑ABS).

Note that the number of days of absence automatically added and free of charge cannot exceed 90 days, whether or not these absences were before or after 1 January 2011.

Cost of a buy-back

The cost of a buy-back can vary according to:

• the type of buy-back
• the period to be bought back
• your annual pensionable salary on the date on which you filed your application
• your age on the date on which you filed your application.

It is usually to your advantage to apply for a buy-back as soon as your period of absence ends, if applicable, or as early as possible.

If you apply for a buy-back for a period of absence without pay within 6 months following the end of that period, the cost of your buy-back could cost less than if you file your application later.

Your new Statement of Participation now shows the number of days of absence that can be bought back. Have it on hand when using the online Buy-Back Cost Estimator  for a quick estimate of the cost of a buy-back of:

• a period of absence without pay
• parental or compassionate care leaves
• periods of service accrued as a casual employee.

Maternity leaves are generally credited at no cost.

Transferring funds from another pension plan to the RREGOP

Participation in the Teachers Pension Plan (TPP) or the Civil Service Superannuation Plan (CSSP)

If you were a member of the Teachers Pension Plan (TPP) or the Civil Service Superannuation Plan (CSSP) and had your years of participation transferred to the RREGOP, your pension will be calculated as though you had always been a member of the RREGOP. However, until you are eligible for a retirement pension under the RREGOP, you retain your right to a disability pension, a surviving spouse's pension or an orphan's pension under the TPP or the CSSP with respect to the years during which you contributed to those plans.

Pension credits resulting from a transfer from a supplemental pension plan (SPP)

Before becoming members of the RREGOP, certain employees were members of what is called a supplemental pension plan (SPP). Most SPPs were administered by insurance companies, and not by Retraite Québec.

If your SPP contract did not provide for a transfer of funds, the insurance company that administered the plan still holds the contributions that you and your employer paid. Upon request, the insurance company will pay you a pension in accordance with the provisions of your contract, probably when you turn 65. This is what we call a paid-up annuity.

However, if the funds were transferred to us, you have what is called an SPP pension credit. This means that an amount will be added to the pension you will receive under the RREGOP. Note that years of service accrued under an SPP are used only to determine your eligibility for a pension, and not to calculate the amount to which you are entitled. They could also be revalued. In some cases, the value of the pension credit is a percentage of the average pensionable salary that will be used to calculate your retirement pension.

Payment of your SPP pension credit can start as soon as you retire. However, the amount of your pension credit will be reduced permanently if payment starts before certain requirements are met.

Your SPP pension credits will be indexed on 1 January of each year once payment has begun^{See the Note 2}. In certain cases, it could be increased every three years based on actuarial valuations.

Years of service transferred under an agreement with another organization

If there is an agreement between Retraite Québec and the organization responsible for the administration of your former pension plan, you could have the years of service accrued under that plan transferred to RREGOP. The effects on the retirement pension you will receive under RREGOP depend on the provisions of your former plan and the transfer agreement under which the funds are transferred.

If the amount transferred by the former organization is equal to the amount required by RREGOP, the latter will grant you the full service that was credited to it under the exporting plan for the purposes of the calculation of and eligibility for the retirement pension*.

If the amount transferred by the former organization is lower than the amount required by RREGOP, the latter will grant you the full service that was credited to it under the exporting plan for the purposes of eligibility for the retirement pension, but only a portion of the service that was credited to it for the purposes of the calculation of the retirement pension*.

*However, not more than one year of service per calendar year may be granted, or a certain maximum for an incomplete calendar year, taking into account service already granted under RREGOP or the PPMP.

Buy-back not recognized during a transfer

Following a transfer, if you were granted only a portion of the service credited under your exporting plan for the calculation of your retirement pension under RREGOP, you can buy back service not recognized during the transfer.

Transfer of years of service recognized under RREGOP to another organization

If you change employment and your new employer offers a pension plan that is not administered by Retraite Québec, you can have your years of service accrued under RREGOP credited under your new pension plan provided that there is a transfer agreement with Retraite Québec. Our organization has entered into agreements with certain organizations to allow persons who change employment to transfer the value of the benefits accrued under RREGOP to their new plan.

Retraite Québec has such agreements with various organizations, including the federal government and certain provincial governments, municipalities, as well as certain public and private organizations.

To take advantage of a transfer agreement, you must not be receiving a retirement pension from the exporting plan or receiving plan. Furthermore, based on the provisions of various agreements, you must not be eligible for an unreduced immediate pension under the exporting plan when you file your application for a transfer. This requirement does not apply to the agreements made between the federal government and the plans for teachers or provincial civil servants.

Pension credits resulting from a buy-back

If you bought back periods of service accrued prior to your membership in the RREGOP, you have what is called a buy-back pension credit. This means that an amount will be added to the pension that will be paid to you under the RREGOP. You may request that payment of your pension credit begin on the same date as your retirement pension, or on any other date between the date of your retirement and your 65th birthday. Note that the amount of your credit will be permanently reduced by 0.5% for each month (6% a year) prior to your 65th birthday. Also note that even if the amount of the pension credit is lower, receiving it sooner could be in your best interest. If you retire after age 65, payment of your pension credit will begin on the date on which you retire, and the amount will be increased by 0.75% for each month (9% a year) between your 65^th birthday and the date on which you retire.

Since 1 January 2021, your pension credit is indexed on 1 January of each year following the starting date of the pension based on the Pension Index (PI), which is determined under the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan. It may also be enhanced once every three years based on the actuarial valuations results in certain cases.

Additional pensions for certain periods of service accrued prior to membership in the RREGOP

The acquisition of additional pensions concerns RREGOP members whose membership ended on 31 December 1999 or after and who have acquired a paid-up annuity as a result of their membership in a supplemental pension plan (SPP), or a pension credit resulting from a buy-back, a transfer from an SPP or a transfer carried out before 1985 under an agreement with another organization. When those persons retire, they benefit from additional pensions for the years that entitle them to a paid-up annuity or a pension credit.

There are two types of additional pensions:

• a life annuity, that is, a pension guaranteed for life, linked to pension credit service, generally calculated as follows:

  1.1%

  × Average pensionable salary for your 5 best-paid years

  × Number of years or parts of a year of service that entitle you to a paid-up annuity or a pension credit

• a temporary annuity linked to pension credit service payable until age 65 (or until death, in the event that you die before age 65) which, as a rule, corresponds to:

  $230	×Number of years or parts of a year of service that entitle you to a paid-up annuity or a pension credit

The two pensions are paid in addition to your basic pension and pension credits. However, the total of the additional pensions and the paid-up annuity or pension credit must not exceed the amount to which the corresponding years of service would entitle you had they been credited for the purpose of calculating your basic pension. If that total is higher, the amounts of the additional life annuity and the temporary annuity could be limited.

If you are eligible for a reduced immediate pension, both your additional and basic pension will be reduced by 0.5% per month of early retirement (6% a year). Since additional pensions are associated with the basic pension, they cannot start being paid on a later date.

Additional pensions are indexed each year using the rate of increase of the Pension Index (PI), determined in accordance with the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan, minus 3%. When the rate of increase of the PI is equal to or lower than 3%, the pensions are not indexed.

If you have more than 40 years of service credited for eligibility purposes, the total number of years that can be used for the calculation of the additional pensions cannot be greater than the difference between 40 and the number of years of service used for the calculation of the basic pension.

When you die, only your life annuity linked to pension credit service (1.1% of your average pensionable salary) will be taken into account in calculating your spouse's pension, in accordance with the same rules that apply to the basic pension.

Time management and work reduction

Participating in a time management and work reduction program has no effect on your retirement pension. You will be credited the same service and salary you would have been credited under your plan had you not participated in the program, even if your work schedule and your salary are reduced. Note that time management and work reduction programs could be known under different names depending on whether you work in the public service, education or health and social services sectors.

Sabbatical leaves with deferred pay

If you take a sabbatical leave with deferred pay, your retirement pension will not be affected. You will be credited the same service and salary you would have been credited under your plan had you not signed an agreement to that effect. Once your leave is over, you must return to your usual work for a period equivalent to at least the duration of the leave. If you do not abide by the conditions of the agreement, your employer could cancel it, which could affect your retirement pension.

Phased departure

If your working conditions so provide, you can ask your employer to sign a phased departure agreement, which allows you to reduce your work schedule for a period between 12 and 60 months. However, you must retire at the end of that period. For the duration of the agreement, your new work schedule must not be less than 40% of the full-time schedule for an equivalent position. To be eligible for phased departure, you must be a part-time or full-time employee working on a regular basis.

You can also extend the duration of your initial agreement for a period between 12 to 60 months by signing a written agreement with your employer at least 6 months before the end date of your initial agreement. However, the total duration of the agreement, once extended, may not exceed seven years.

Before entering into a phased departure agreement, you must complete a form entitled Demande de confirmation d'admissibilité au départ progressif d'un régime de retraite du secteur public (RSP-267) (this form is available in French only) so that we can confirm that you will be eligible for a retirement pension when the agreement expires. The form is available on our website.

As a general rule, phased departure has no effect on your retirement pension. During the term of the agreement, your contributions to the RREGOP are calculated on the salary you would have received had you not signed the agreement. You will be credited with the same service and salary you would have been credited had it not been for the agreement.

Retirement
Eligibility for a reduced or unreduced immediate pension

Unreduced immediate pension

Generally, and subject to tax rules, you will be eligible for an unreduced immediate pension when your membership in the pension plan ends provided that you meet one of the following eligibility requirements on the date on which your membership ends:

• You are at least age 61;
  Or
• You have at least 35 years of service credited for eligibility purposes;
  Or
• You are at least age 60 and you meet the 90 factor requirement (age + years of service credited for eligibilty purposes).

Calculation of your pension

To determine the amount of your basic pension, we use the following formula:

If you were a part-time employee, we will consider the annual pensionable salary that you would have received had you worked full-time.

When you retire, in order to calculate your pension, we will use all or part of any retroactive payment you received, provided the following two requirements are met:

• The retroactive payment was made based on your pensionable salary (the basic annual salary provided for under your collective agreement or work contract, excluding any remuneration for overtime).
• The retroactive payment concerned at least one of the five years to be used in the calculation of your average pensionable salary.

Reduced immediate pension

If you do not meet either of the three eligibility requirements for an unreduced immediate pension on the date on which your membership ends but you are at least age 55, you will be eligible for a reduced immediate pension. This means that your basic pension will be permanently reduced by 0.5% per month of early retirement (6% a year). The reduction applies because you will be receiving your pension for a longer period than if you had waited until you met one of the eligibility requirements for an unreduced immediate pension.

To calculate the amount of the reduced immediate pension to which you are entitled, you must first determine the percentage of reduction applicable to your annual basic pension due to early retirement. You can obtain that percentage by multiplying by 0.5% the number of months (6% a year) between the date of your retirement and the date on which you would have met one of the three eligibility requirements mentioned above. You then multiply the amount of your annual basic pension by the percentage of reduction. The result corresponds to the amount of the reduction applicable to your pension. You will obtain the amount of your reduced immediate pension by subtracting that result from your annual basic pension.

The reduction due to early payment of your basic pension can be decreased or eliminated by transferring to the RREGOP the amount necessary for you to be paid each year under your plan an amount equal to the reduction you wish to have decreased or eliminated. The funds must be transferred from your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) or a registered pension plan (RPP), in accordance with tax rules, within 60 days of the end of your membership. Your employer can also pay the amount necessary to eliminate or reduce the reduction in your pension amount no later the date on which you stop being covered by your pension plan.

Payment of your pension

If you chose to receive your pension by direct deposit, it will be paid for life on the 15th of each month or, if the 15th is not a working day, on the preceding working day. Cheques for payment of a pension are issued no later than 48 hours before that date. Note that federal income tax and Québec income tax will be deducted from your retirement pension as though your pension were your sole income. If the deductions are too high or too low, you can ask to have them decreased or increased.

End of employment prior to eligibility for an immediate pension

If you stop working before you are eligible for an immediate pension, you can receive a refund of contributions, a reduced or unreduced deferred pension, or request to have the value of the benefits accrued under your pension plan transferred to a locked-in retirement account (LIRA) or a life income fund (LIF).

You can request a refund of your contributions, with interest, if you meet these two requirements on the date on which your membership ends:

• You are under age 55
• You have less than 2 years of service credited for eligibility purposes (excluding any periods credited to complete years of service during which you worked part time or only part of the year).

You must have ceased all employment covered by the plan for at least 210 days before you can file an Application for a Retirement Pension Under a Public-Sector Pension Plan (form RSP-079A). The forms are available on our website.

If you hold more than one position covered by the RREGOP, the PPMP or the Pension Plan of Peace Officers in Correctional Services (PPPOCS) at the same time, you must have left all of those positions for at least 210 days before applying for a refund.

If you are not eligible for a refund of contributions, you are under age 55 and you have at least 2 years of service (but less than 35) credited for eligibility purposes when you stop working, you can choose between the following two options.

In order to compare the advantages of a deferred pension to those of a transfer to an LIRA or LIF, you must consider your age, the amount of your deferred pension, the indexation rate that could apply and, mainly, the interest rate that you could obtain on the amount you would transfer to an LIRA or LIF.

If you return to work in the public or parapublic sector after having the value of the benefits accrued under the RREGOP transferred to an LIRA or an LIF, you can have the periods of service that you had accrued before the transfer credited under your pension plan. In order to do so, you must have held your new position for at least three months and repay the amount that was transferred from the RREGOP to your LIRA or LIF, plus the interest accrued at the RREGOP rate of return. As a result, the rights that you had before the transfer with regard to both the number of years of service and the benefits accrued under your pension plan will be reinstated.

If you start working for an employer whose pension plan is not administered by Retraite Québec, you can have your years of service accrued under the RREGOP credited under the pension plan offered by your new employer, provided that there is a transfer agreement between Retraite Québec and the employer. Retraite Québec has such agreements with various organizations, including the federal government and certain provincial governments, municipalities, as well as certain public and private organizations. Please note that to take advantage of a transfer agreement, you must not be receiving a retirement pension from the exporting plan or receiving plan. Furthermore, based on the provisions of various agreements, you must not be eligible for an unreduced immediate pension under the exporting plan when you file your application for a transfer. This requirement does not apply to the agreements made between the federal government and the plans for teachers or provincial civil servants.

Integration of the RREGOP with the Québec Pension Plan (QPP)

When you turn 65, your pension under RREGOP will be reduced to take into account the fact that you also receive a pension under the QPP. This is what is called integration with the QPP. The reduction will be applied to your pension as of the month following your 65th birthday, even if you apply for your pension under the QPP at age 60.

Integration with the QPP has no impact on retirement pension amounts under the QPP. However, as of age 65, a reduction not linked to integration can apply to disability or surviving spouse's pensions payable under the QPP.

Calculation of the reduction applicable to your pension under RREGOP due to integration with the QPP

The reduction applicable to your pension under RREGOP is calculated as follows: number of years of service since 1 January 1966 (maximum 35 years) used to calculate your basic pension × QPP annual pension integration rate (0.7%) × the lesser of your average pensionable salary for your last 5 years of service and your average maximum pensionable earnings (MPE) for your last 5 years of service.

Under RREGOP, you benefit from an exemption from contributions because your pension under that plan will be integrated with your pension under the QPP when you turn 65. As a result, the contributions you pay under RREGOP throughout your career are lower.

In the example found in the section entitled Contributions, if RREGOP were not integrated with the QPP, Ann's contributions to RREGOP would be calculated on her total pensionable salary and be $1608.04 more for 2024, that is, $6385.20  instead of $4777.16.

Indexation of your pension

Once you start receiving your pension under the RREGOP, it is indexed each year on 1 January as follows:

• The portion of your pension that corresponds to service accrued before 1 July 1982 is indexed using the rate of increase of the Pension Index (PI), determined in accordance with the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan and applied to take into account the increase in the cost of living.
• The portion of your pension that corresponds to service accrued from 1 July 1982 through 31 December 1999 is indexed using the rate of increase of the PI minus 3%.
• The portion of your pension that corresponds to service accrued since 1 January 2000 is indexed using the more advantageous of the following 2 formulae:
• 50% of the rate of increase of the PI,
• the rate of increase of the PI minus 3%.

If you retire on a date other than 1 January, when your pension is indexed for the first time (on 1 January following the date on which you retire), indexation will be calculated based on the number of days for which your pension was paid during the year in which you retired, out of 365 days (or 366 days, if it is a leap year). Taking the previous example, but in which Roger retired on 5 May 2023, each of the three portions of his pension will be indexed on 1 January 2024 as follows, if the rate of increase of the PI is 4.4%:

Therefore, on 1 January 2024, Roger's annual pension will increase to $25 502.64.

Life events and benefits

In the event of terminal illness

If you have a terminal illness, that is, an illness which, in the opinion of your physician, is such that your life expectancy is two years or less, the higher of the following two amounts can be paid to you:

• your total contributions to your pension plan, with accrued interest
• the actuarial value of the retirement pension that you have accrued.

Any amounts paid or transferred to obtain a pension credit will be added, with interest, to the amount you receive.

However, you do not have that option if you are eligible for an unreduced immediate pension at the time you file your application. Note that your membership in the RREGOP will end if you continue to work after receiving those benefits.

In the event of the breakdown of your union

Types of union that are recognized under public-sector pension plans

They are:

• marriages
• civil unions
• de facto unions.

Those types of union could give the spouse of a member or beneficiary of a public-sector plan entitlement to:

• partition of family patrimony in the event of:
  • divorce
  • legal separation
  • annulment of marriage
  • dissolution or annulment of civil union

OR

• partition of the benefits accrued under the pension plan in cases where de facto spouses stop living together.

Marriage

Marriage is the lawful union of two individuals under the conditions provided for by law for the purpose of living together.

There are two different types of marriages:

• Religious marriage:

  Marriage approved and celebrated in accordance with the beliefs of a religion recognized in a country or state. In Québec, religious marriage refers to a civil marriage that meets certain requirements under the Civil Code of Québec. It is celebrated during a religious ceremony.

• Civil marriage:

  Nonreligious marriage approved and celebrated by a civil authority. With a few exceptions, a marriage celebrated in Québec is recognized worldwide.

The recognition of a marriage is immediate. This type of union gives entitlement to partition of the family patrimony in the event of divorce or legal separation, as well as survivors' benefits in the event of death.

Civil union

A civil union is a type of legal relationship between two individuals who decide to live together as a couple without entering into a civil or religious marriage. After the union is celebrated, an act of civil union, which is the official document confirming the union, is issued by the Directeur de l'état civil. On 24 June 2002, the Act instituting civil unions and establishing new rules of filiation came into force, allowing for the union of two persons of the same sex or different sex.

Civil unions are recognized only in Québec. In order for their union to be recognized by the federal government, spouses in a civil union must qualify as de facto spouses (or common-law partners) within the meaning of the Canadian Income Tax Act. Therefore, they must meet at least one of the following conditions:

• They must have been living together in a conjugal relationship on a continuous basis for at least 12 months.
• They must be the parents of a child by birth or by adoption.
• One of the spouses has custody and control of the other's children (or had custody and control immediately before the children turned 19).

If spouses in a civil union qualify as spouses, they are covered by the provisions of the plan pertaining to partition of the family patrimony and survivors' benefits.

De facto union

A de facto (common-law) union is when two persons have been living together for a certain time and are united by particular emotional and economic ties. In cases where de facto spouses who are recognized as such stop living together, they can have the benefits accrued under their public-sector pension plan partitioned. This type of union gives entitlement to survivors' benefits in the event of death.

A de facto union can be considered valid provided that certain conditions are met regarding:

• the legal definition of spouse
• the spouses' civil status
• the existence of a conjugal relationship
• the length of the conjugal relationship.

To be recognized as de facto (common-law) spouses under the RREGOP, the spouses must show that they lived together and were in fact in a conjugal relationship during:

• at least the three years preceding the breakdown of the union or the death of the member or retiree
  OR
• the year preceding the breakdown of the union or the death if:
  • a child was or is to be born of the union
  • during the union, either spouse adopted a child of the other
  • during the union, the spouses adopted a child together.

Whether they are married or in a civil or de facto (common-law) union, it is important for the individuals concerned to know how a breakdown of their union or death could affect their benefits under a public-sector pension plan. Visit the Retraite Québec website for further information regarding the situation that applies to you.

Partition of the benefits accrued under your public-sector pension plan following the breakdown of your union

If you were married or in a civil union

Benefits accrued under a public-sector pension plan during a marriage or civil union are part of the family patrimony. The value of those benefits can therefore be partitioned in the event of a divorce, separation from bed and board, annulment of marriage, payment of a compensatory allowance, or dissolution or annulment of a civil union, provided that they have not renounced partition and they are covered by the provisions of the plan relating to partition of the family patrimony.

The Court generally awards the member's former spouse 50% of the value of the benefits accrued under the pension plan during the marriage or civil union. However, the spouse could be awarded up to a maximum of 50% of the value of the benefits accrued over the total period of membership in the plan.

Upon request, Retraite Québec can determine the value of your benefits once you have instituted proceedings (filed an application with the civil division of the clerk's office and had it stamped by the court), or earlier if an accredited mediator confirms that you are attending family mediation. To find out the value of the benefits accrued under your plan, you must file an Application for a Statement of Benefits – Married or Civilly United Spouses (form RSP-388A) with Retraite Québec.

If the Court decides that the value of the benefits must be partitioned, you must file an Application for Payment of the Value of Accrued Benefits Under a Public-Sector Pension Plan – Married, Civilly United and De Facto Spouses (form RSP-389A) with Retraite Québec.

Retraite Québec will transfer on request the amount allocated to your former spouse to a financial instrument authorized in his or her name at the financial institution of his or her choice.

In order to take into account the amount transferred, we will calculate what is called a reduction due to partition. When you retire, or if you have already retired, your retirement pension will be permanently reduced accordingly.

If you were de facto (common-law) spouses

Since January 2019, it has been possible for de facto spouses who are recognized as such to have the benefits accrued under their public-sector pension plan partitioned in the event of a breakdown of their union, provided that they have signed a written agreement to that effect.

The agreement must:

• be made before a notary or lawyer, or by joint declaration on oath
• be signed by both spouses:
  • within 12 months following the date on which they stop living together
    OR
  • within 12 months following 1 January 2019, if the they stopped living together before that date.

Your former spouse cannot be granted more than 50% of the value of the benefits accrued over your total period of membership. If the value of the benefits accrued under the plan is partitioned between you and your former spouse, your retirement pension will be reduced permanently.

To find out the value of the benefits accrued under your plan, you must file an Application for a Statement of Benefits - De Facto Spouses (form RSP-387A) with Retraite Québec.

If a partition agreement is carried out, you must file an Application for Payment of the Value of Accrued Benefits Under a Public-Sector Pension Plan – Married, Civilly United and De Facto Spouses (form RSP-389A) with Retraite Québec. You must enclose with your application all the required documents, including the written agreement.

Retraite Québec will transfer the amount agreed upon to your former spouse to a financial instrument authorized in his or her name, at the financial institution of his or her choice.

In order to take into account the amount transferred, we will calculate the reduction due to partition. It means that, when you retire, or if you have already retired, your retirement pension will be permanently reduced according to that amount.

Death^{See the Note 3}

Your pension plan provides for benefits to be paid to your spouse in the event of your death. The benefits are determined based on whether you are eligible for a retirement pension or you have retired at the time of your death.

If you have less than two years of service credited for eligibility purposes (excluding any added service) at the time of your death, your spouse will receive the total of your contributions to your pension plan, plus accrued interest. If you do not have a spouse, the amount will be paid to your heirs.

However, if you have at least two years of service credited for eligibility purposes, your spouse will receive the higher of the following:

• the total of your contributions to your pension plan, with accrued interest
  OR
• the actuarial value of your accrued deferred pension.

If you do not have a spouse, the higher of those amounts will be paid to your heirs.

Your spouse or, if you do not have a spouse, your heirs, will also receive a refund for any amounts you paid to obtain your pension credits, plus accrued interest.

For more information on the types of unions recognized under your pension plan, consult the section entitled In the Event of the Breakdown of your Union.

If you are eligible for an immediate pension

Your spouse will receive, until his or her death, a surviving spouse's pension equal to 50% of the pension that would have been payable to you at the time of your death (including 50% of your SPP pension credits, transfer agreement pension credits and life annuity linked to pension credit service, but excluding any buy-back pension credits or temporary annuity linked to pension credit service). Integration with the QPP will apply to the pension as of the month following your death. Please note that the introduction of the additional plan to the QPP as of 1 January 2019 does not change the current provisions of public-sector pension plans. Therefore, only the Québec Pension Plan's base plan is taken into account to calculate the amount of reduction as a result of integration.

Note that if the actuarial value of your spouse's pension is lower than the total of your contributions with interest, the amount of the pension will be increased until it reaches that total.

If you do not have a spouse, your heirs will receive the total of your contributions to your pension plan, plus accrued interest.

Your spouse or, if you do not have a spouse, your heirs, will also receive a refund for any amounts you paid to obtain your buy-back pension credits, plus accrued interest.

If you are already receiving your retirement pension

Depending on the option you choose when you retire, your spouse will receive, until his or her death, a surviving spouse's pension equal to 50% or 60% of the pension paid to you at the time of your death (including 50% or 60% of your SPP pension credits, transfer agreement pension credits and life annuity linked to pension credit service). You can choose to reduce your pension by 2% so that your spouse receives 60% of your reduced pension.

If your pension is not already integrated with the QPP, integration will apply to the surviving spouse's pension as of the month following your death. Please note that the introduction of the additional plan to the QPP as of 1 January 2019 does not change the current provisions of public-sector pension plans. Therefore, only the Québec Pension Plan's base plan is taken into account to calculate the amount of reduction as a result of integration.

Note that your spouse's pension will not include any buy-back pension credits or temporary annuity linked to pension credit service. However, if applicable, your spouse will also receive an amount calculated as follows:

• the total amount you paid to obtain your buy-back pension credits, plus the interest accrued up to the date of your retirement;
  minus
• the buy-back pension credits already paid to you.

If do not have a spouse at the time of your death, your heirs will receive an amount calculated as follows:

• the total of your contributions to your pension plan, plus the interest accrued up to the date of your retirement, minus the pension payments you received plus, if applicable
• the total amount you paid to obtain your pension credits (of any type), plus the interest accrued up to the date of your retirement, minus the pension credits already paid to you.

Deciding to retire

Before you decide to retire, it is important to be ready to enter this new stage of your life. It is also important that you evaluate the total income you will have in retirement, for example, your pensions under the RREGOP and the Québec Pension Plan, your Old Age Security pension (payable at age 65) and any income from your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) or from other sources. You should then compare that income with your expenses.

If you plan to retire within the next 5 years, you can sign up for a Retirement Planning Information Session (RPIS) to help you make an informed decision. The sessions provide a wealth of useful information concerning public-sector pension plans and the Québec Pension Plan, addressing psychosocial, financial and other aspects of retirement.

If you are planning your retirement n the long-term, you can use the Pension Estimator tool. The estimator tool will quickly and easily provide you with an estimate of the amount of the pension to which you could be entitled on the date you plan to stop working.

However, if you intend to retire within the next four to 24 months, we advise you to apply for a pension estimate using the Application for a Pension Estimate (form RSP-009A), available on our website.

In order to receive your retirement pension under the RREGOP, you must file an Application for a Retirement Pension Under a Public-Sector Pension Plan (form RSP-079A) and send it online to Retraite Québec. To do so, please use the Sending a document online service, available on our website.

We recommend that you send it to us at least 90 days before the month of your retirement. That period includes a 30-day time limit to inform us of your choices regarding payment of your benefits. To do so, you must use the reply form provided with the document entitled Your Options, which you will receive after filing your application for a pension. This reply form is uploaded automatically to My Account. You can file it and track your application in your digital file.

If you do not meet the deadline, the default option indicated on the Your Options document will apply when we determine the amount of your pension.

If you are eligible for a reduced immediate pension, you can wait until you are eligible for an unreduced pension before applying for your retirement pension. However, before you make that decision, it is important to consider the consequences.

If you are eligible for a reduced immediate pension when you leave your employment and you file your application for a retirement pension more than 60 days after you stop working, but you are not yet eligible for an unreduced immediate pension, we will not pay your pension retroactively to the date on which you stopped working, but rather retroactively to the date on which we received your application or any later date specified on your reply form. We will take into account that date when we calculate the reduction due to your early retirement.

If you are eligible for a reduced immediate pension when you leave your employment and you file your application for a retirement pension once you are eligible for an unreduced immediate pension, we will pay your pension retroactively to the date on which you became eligible for an unreduced pension, and not retroactively to the date on which we received your application.

Retirees returning to work

If your return to work in the Quebec public service, the education or health and social services sectors, or for any other employer subject to the RREGOP, whether as a full-time, part-time or casual employee, your pension will not be affected. You will no longer contribute to any pension plan and will receive the full amount of your pension, regardless of your age. However, if you return to work in employment covered by the Retirement Plan for Senior Officials (RPSO), you must inform us of your decision and specify whether you intend to contribute to your plan by filing Return to Work of a Retiree as a Member of a Public-Sector Pension Plan form (RSP-202A), available on our website.

To serve you better

Retraite Québec is committed to:

• offering high-quality services that meet your expectations. To find out more about our commitments, consult our Service Statement online.
• handling complaints and comments with complete independence and confidentiality. The Bureau des plaintes et de l'amélioration des services can make recommendations to improve our services and programs. You can phone us to leave a comment or file a complaint with the bureau. For more information, refer to our website.

Protection of personal information

We obtain personal information from citizens, government departments and public agencies. We protect that information and make sure that it is used by duly authorized personnel in carrying out their duties.

However, we can release the information to certain government departments and public agencies in accordance with written agreements approved by the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.