2023 Fall Pension Points for Employers - Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund (ATRF)

Retirement Transition Programs

If you plan to offer a retirement transition program for teachers to retire and apply for their pension, followed by an immediate return to teaching, there are some things you need to keep in mind.

YMPE and Maximum Pensionable Earnings Update

For 2024, the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) will be $68,500, the Defined Benefit limit will be $3,610, and the maximum pensionable salary will be $201,050.

This information is reflected in the ATRF-CS Build #555. An email has already been sent confirming the current build is ready, and a link to this build is also located on our ATRF-CS webpage. Please ensure the build is updated as soon as possible.

Our Contribution Rates webpage also has historical information on the applicable contribution rates, YMPE, and maximum pensionable salary to ensure your payroll is accurate.

As you also know, the Federal government has set a new threshold applicable to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) called the Year’s Additional Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YAMPE) effective January 1, 2024. Please note that the YAMPE does not impact contributions to the teachers’ pension plans or the pension formula, therefore you won’t see any reference or data related to the YAMPE when it comes to the teachers’ pension plans.

Annual Plan Member Statements Mailing

There will be one mailing of all paper statements in the spring once all employers have finished reporting for the 2022-2023 school year. However, members can view a digital version of their statement through MyPension shortly after their year-end data is finalized with ATRF.

We will be updating our Annual Plan Member Statements webpage when your teachers’ digital statements are ready, so please encourage your teachers to sign up for MyPension to access their statement as soon as it is available.

Reporting December Payouts for Leaves or Disability

When a member begins extended disability benefits or starts a leave of absence in December, the payout must be reported in January of the following year. If the payout record is reported in December, it may cause the member to earn more than one year of pensionable service, and members cannot exceed one year of pensionable service in a school or calendar year under the tax rules.

If the payout is reported in December, your ATRF pension analyst will notify you to ‘Dr–Delete Record’ the payout record reported in December and re-report the record in the month of January.

ATA Teacher Count

Every year, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) conducts a member count using the data that each school board reports for the month of November through ATRF-CS. This annual activity assists the ATA with budgeting and planning. ATRF and the ATA work in partnership to ensure accurate data is submitted in a timely manner. Please ensure your November 2023 data reporting has been submitted before the first week of January 2024.