Responsibilities | Pension Plans
Information for Pension Plan Members

Pre-retirement Survivor Benefits
If you have not started to receive your pension at the time of your death, and have a spouse, benefits will be paid to your spouse. If you do not have a spouse, or your spouse has waived entitlement to the benefit, the benefits will be paid to your designated beneficiary or estate.

If you are a vested member of a defined benefit plan , your spouse will be entitled to a pension. The survivor benefit must be at least equal in value to your contributions, if any, made before January 1, 1993, plus interest, plus 60% of the value of your pension benefits earned on or after that date. If you do not have a spouse at the time of your death, or your spouse has waived entitlement to the benefit, your designated beneficiary or estate will receive a lump sum payment of equivalent value.

If you are a vested member of a defined contribution plan , your spouse will be entitled to a pension. The survivor benefit must be at least equal in value to your contributions to the plan, plus 60% of the contributions made by your employer on your behalf on or after January 1, 1993, plus interest on both your and your employer's contributions. If you do not have a spouse at the time of your death, or your spouse has waived entitlement to the benefit, your designated beneficiary or estate will receive a lump sum payment of equivalent value.

If you are not vested , your spouse, or if you have no spouse at the time of your death, your designated beneficiary or estate, is entitled to a lump sum payment equal in value to not less than your contributions to the plan, plus interest. If you did not make any contributions to the plan (i.e. only your employer contributed), the PBSA does not require any survivor benefit to be paid to your spouse or your estate.

Note that if you are a vested member of the pension plan, your spouse will have the same portability rights as you would have had at the time of your death.

Your spouse has the option of waiving entitlement to the pre-retirement survivor benefit so that the benefit goes to your designated beneficiary, or your estate. The waiver can be done either anytime before your death, or within a reasonable time after your death up until the money is paid out of the plan. A spouse who wishes to waive entitlement to the pre-retirement survivor benefit can do so by completing a prescribed form ( Form 4 ), and filing it with the plan administrator.

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