Death and Your Pension

Not Enough Pensionable Service

If you die before you are vested, your benefit recipient (as determined by the priority list below) will receive your contributions with interest, plus the value of any actuarial purchase of pensionable service.

The pension benefit is paid in a priority sequence starting with a:

• Pension partner, or
• Dependent minor children if you have no pension partner, or
• Named beneficiary(ies) if you have no pension partner and no dependent minor children; otherwise
• Your estate.

Entitled to a Pension

If you die after you are vested, your surviving pension partner will receive a pension equal to the amount he or she would have received if you had elected a Joint Equal pension option with 100% continuing to your pension partner for life (reduced if necessary to comply with tax rule maximums). This pension is paid from the first of the month following:

• your death, if your death occurs under contract or within two months of terminating your contract,
• the date that would have been your 55th birthday if you die while not under contract and after two months of terminating your contract, or
• the date that would have been the first eligible date of your pension, if you die after age 55 while not under contract.

If you have no pension partner but you have dependent minor children (under 18 years of age and dependent on you for support on the date of your death), your dependent minor children will receive:

• double your contributions with interest, plus
• the value of any actuarial purchases of pensionable service.

If you have no pension partner nor dependent minor children, your designated beneficiary (or your estate if no named beneficiaries exist or none are living) will receive:

• your contributions with interest, plus
• the value of any actuarial purchases of pensionable service.

Single Life Pension (no guarantee period)

This type of pension is intended for the life of the retired member only. The benefit payment ceases with the death of the retired member.

Single Life Pension (with a guarantee period of 5, 10, or 15 years)

This type of pension is intended for the life of the retired member only, but if a specified number of payments have not been made by the retired member’s death (the guarantee period), the payments continue.

​If a retired member receiving an ATRF benefit passes away before the end of the guarantee period, the payment continues to the named beneficiary until all of the guaranteed payments have been made. If the retired member passes away after the end of the guarantee period, the pension ceases.

Joint Life Pension (with a guarantee period of five years)

This type of pension is intended to continue payments to the retired member’s pension partner when the retired member passes away.

• If the retired member receiving the ATRF benefit passes away, the payment continues to the pension partner until the time of his or her death.
• If both the retired member and his or her pension partner pass away before the end of the guarantee period, the benefit continues to the named beneficiary to the end of the five-year guarantee period. All Joint and Survivor pensions have a five-year guarantee period. If both you and your nominee die before receiving 60 monthly payments, the remainder of the 60 payments will be paid to your beneficiary or estate.
• ATRF must be notified of the death of a pension partner. In the case of a Joint Reducible pension, the benefit payment has to be recalculated. For more information about Joint Reducible pensions, see Pension Options.