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Current Teachers
You are working hard to contribute to your pension plan. No doubt, you expect that your pension will be there for your spouse. After all, the plan includes a survivor benefit.
But did you know that if you marry after you retire, the survivor benefit is not guaranteed? You will have to take a permanent reduction in your pension in order to secure a survivor benefit for your spouse.
"This could happen to you" the video story of a spouse who lost her survivor benefit
Our members have a range of life experiences. Some were widowed, divorced, or single when they retired. Others lost their spouse during retirement through death or divorce, and have since re-married. All of them want to secure the financial future of their loved one, based on contributions they made when they were working.
The Ontario Teachers Federation has refused to advocate for change to survivor benefit rules. But we believe efforts to pit working teachers against retirees will fail. We all worked hard to earn and contribute to our pension plan and the nature of these benefits should not change because of when you choose to marry.
Ontario municipal employees who are part of the OMERS plan, and teachers in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec do not have to worry about leaving a spouse without a safety net. OMERS made the change 20 years ago in the interest of fairness.
There are ways that you can to protect yourself and spouse - in ways big or small. To learn more, contact us.