End of Employment in the Public Sector

If you end your employment in the public sector for another position, you have various options, based on your situation:

transfer the amounts accrued under your pension plan to your new employer's pension plan;
receive a refund of your contributions;
keep your contributions under your pension plan;
receive a deferred pension;
transfer the amounts accrued under your pension plan to a locked-in retirement account (LIRA) or a life income fund (LIF).

Notice

These options and the possibility to chose vary based on your number of years of service, your age and the pension plan that you are a member of. To find out the options that apply to you, consult your pension plan's guide.

Transfer the amounts accrued under your pension plan to your new employer's pension plan

Retraite Québec has concluded transfer agreements with certain organizations, including the federal government, certain provincial governments, municipalities and universities, as well as various public and private organizations. You can consult the list of organizations and plans affected by a transfer agreement, as well as the eligibility requirements and the steps to take.

Receive a refund of your contributions

If a refund is possible, you must generally wait at least 210 days after you stop working to apply for a refund. At the end of that period, you can complete the Application for Retirement Pension Under a Public-Sector Pension Plan.

Keep your contributions under your pension plan

If you can choose to keep your contributions under your pension plan, interest will apply to the amounts you accrued until you request for a refund of your contributions.

If you go back to work in the public or parapublic sector at some point, you will become a member of a pension plan once again. The recognized years of service with your new employer will be added to the years you had already accumulated.

Receive a deferred pension

Certain plans provide for the possibility of receiving a deferred pension if you are not eligible for an immediate pension.

Transfer the amounts accrued under your pension plan to a locked-in retirement account (LIRA) or a life income fund (LIF)

If a transfer is possible, you must generally wait at least 210 days after you stop working to apply for a refund. At the end of that period, you can complete the Application for Retirement Pension Under a Public-Sector Pension Plan.

If you return to work in the public sector, the periods of service that were credited to you before you had the amounts accrued transferred to an LIRA or LIF can be credited under your new employer's pension plan.