Re-enrollment after release—Retired member—Canadian Armed Forces pensions

If you are an annuitant under the Regular Force Pension Plan or the Reserve Force Pension Plan and have re-enrolled or are planning on re-enrolling in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), please contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre as soon as possible in order to prevent any overpayment of your pension and to confirm your status as a contributor or participant in the applicable pension plan.

Please choose the following example that describes your situation.

1. Regular Force Annuitant enrolling in the Reserve Force
2. Regular Force Annuitant re-enrolling in the Regular Force
3. Reserve Force Annuitant re-enrolling in the Reserve Force
4. Reserve Force Annuitant enrolling in the Regular Force

It depends on the pension benefit you received when you left the Regular Force.

You may be able to increase your pension by adding to it your previous service with:

• the CAF
• the Federal Public Service
• the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) or
• Her Majesty's Forces (other than Canada)

There are two ways to include previous service:

• Buying back service – certain periods of service are eligible for buy-back. You pay to have the service recognized as pensionable service
• Transferring pension credits – if you are entitled to a refund of contributions or a deferred pension, or are receiving a pension from the Federal Public Service or the RCMP, you can give up the right to that benefit and transfer it to the Regular Force Pension Plan to include it with your pensionable service

The decision of whether or not to include your previous service is important, and may have a big impact on your future retirement income. The decision is up to you. You are responsible for informing the Government of Canada Pension Centre if you want to buy back past service or transfer pension credits.

Take a look at the Scenarios to see examples of the impact of buying back past service.

Visit the Service buyback package for more information about buying back service or transferring pension credits.

If you would like to elect to count the service that you accrued while you were in receipt of a pension as pensionable, you will be required to repay the pension that you received during that period. Once you have elected your prior service, you will be advised of the amount of pension that must be repaid and this amount must be repaid within 120 days. If not repaid within 120 days, your prior service election will be considered void, and any deductions that have been made will be refunded.

If you make an election to count prior service that took place after 1989, the Income Tax Act (ITA) requires that you have sufficient Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contribution room in order for your election to be considered a valid election. If the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) refuses to certify the Past Service Pension Adjustment (PSPA) amount that is submitted on your behalf by the Pension Centre, your election will be considered invalid, and any instalments made towards your elected service will be refunded to you.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) determines each year the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP, based on your earned income during the previous year. The amount is 18% (subject to an annual maximum) if you do not belong to a pension plan. If you do belong to a pension plan, a Pension Adjustment (PA) calculation is done by your pension plan administrator, and reported to CRA. As a pension plan member, the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP is the 18% amount less the PA amount. If you make a past service election a PA calculation must be done for each year in which you are credited with additional service. The total of the PA amounts is reported to CRA as the PSPA. CRA uses the PSPA amount to reduce your existing RRSP contribution room that was originally credited to you at the 18% level. It is reduced to the level (18% less PA amount) that would have applied if you had been a pension plan member at the time that the service occurred. 

The minimum requirements for an unreduced immediate annuity are 25 years (9,131 days) of Canadian Forces (CF) service.

CF service includes:

• days of service in the Regular Force for which you are paid
• days of service in the Reserve Force for which you are paid:
  • days of training or duty of fewer than six hours count for 0.5 days
  • days of Class "A" service count for 1.4 days and
  • periods before April 1, 1999, when the length of the period can be verified but not the number of days, each day of the period counts as 0.25 of a day and
• service without pay for maternity or parental reasons, whether or not you contributed for that period or bought back that service

Or, you can receive an unreduced immediate annuity if you are:

• age 60 with at least 2 years of pensionable service or
• age 55 with at least 30 years of pensionable service

If you enrolled or re-enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on or after 1 March, 2007, you need 25 years (9,131 days) of Canadian Forces (CF) service to be entitled to an unreduced immediate annuity unless you are:

• age 60 with at least 2 years of pensionable service
• age 55 with at least 30 years of pensionable service

You may have released under terms of service that allowed you to be paid an unreduced immediate annuity with less than 25 years of CF service. Because you enrolled or re-enrolled on or after 1 March 2007, you are subject to the provisions that came into force on that date and as a result, you may no longer be entitled to an unreduced immediate annuity when you again release from the CAF.

If your new benefit entitlement is a deferred annuity (DA), the capitalized value of your original annuity will be compared to that of your DA. If the capitalized value of your original annuity is greater, it will be restored to you and any contributions that you made after you stopped receiving your pension will be refunded to you.  However, if the capitalized value of your DA is greater than that of your original annuity, your new benefit entitlement will remain a DA.

Visit the "Release" life event to find out more about your benefit options.

Visit the "Indexing" page for information on how your pension will be affected.

As a Regular Force annuitant, you can continue to receive your pension and have earnings in the Reserve Force. However, after one year of continuous full-time service in the Reserve Force, you will be deemed to have become re-enrolled in the Regular Force for the purposes of the Regular Force Pension Plan. Your pension will stop and you will be required to contribute to the pension plan until you have no earnings in a 12 month period or release from the CAF.

If you are Regular Force annuitant and you would like to start contributing to the Regular Force Pension Plan before you are "deemed re-enrolled", once you have earnings as a member of the Reserve Force you can exercise your right to make an Early Contribution Option (ECO) by completing the Early Contribution Option (CF-FC 2582) form and sending it to the Government of Canada Pension Centre.

Confirmation of receipt of your option form will be provided to you, as well as confirmation of your status as a pension plan contributor.

Contributions will be deducted from your salary effective the first day that you receive earnings following the date on which you sign your ECO. Payment of your pension ceases effective the same date.  Membership in the plan continues until the first of the following occurs:

• your release from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)
• the end of a 12 month period of service during which you did not receive earnings or
• your death

You will rejoin the Regular Force Pension Plan and begin contributing again.

If you are a pensioner and you rejoin the Regular Force, your pension will stop while you are serving. When you release at a future date and start your pension again, your pension will be recalculated, and you may receive a larger pension, since your pension will be based on your total pensionable service.

You may be able to increase your pension by adding to it your previous service with:

• the CAF
• the Federal Public Service;
• the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) or
• Her Majesty's Forces (other than Canada)

There are two ways to include previous service:

• Buying back service – certain periods of service are eligible for buy-back. You pay to have the service recognized as pensionable service
• Transferring pension credits – if you are entitled to a refund of contributions or a deferred pension, or are receiving a pension from the Federal Public Service or the RCMP, you can give up the right to that benefit and transfer it to the Regular Force Pension Plan to include it with your pensionable service

The decision of whether or not to include your previous service is important, and may have a big impact on your future retirement income. The decision is up to you. You are responsible for informing the Government of Canada Pension Centre if you want to buy back past service or transfer pension credits.

Take a look at the Scenarios to see examples of the impact of buying back past service.

Visit the Service buyback package for more information about buying back service or transferring pension credits.

If you would like to elect to count the service that you accrued while you were in receipt of a pension as pensionable, you will be required to repay the pension that you received during that period. Once you have elected your prior service, you will be advised of the amount of pension that must be repaid and this amount must be repaid within 30 days. If not repaid within 30 days, your prior service election will be considered void, and any deductions that have been made will be refunded.

If you make an election to count prior service that took place after 1989, the Income Tax Act (ITA) requires that you have sufficient Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contribution room in order for your election to be considered a valid election. If the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) refuses to certify the Past Service Pension Adjustment (PSPA) amount that is submitted on your behalf by the Pension Centre, your election will be considered invalid, and any instalments made towards your elected service will be refunded to you.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) determines each year the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP, based on your earned income during the previous year. The amount is 18% (subject to an annual maximum) if you do not belong to a pension plan. If you do belong to a pension plan, a Pension Adjustment (PA) calculation is done by your pension plan administrator, and reported to CRA. As a pension plan member, the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP is the 18% amount less the PA amount. If you make a past service election a PA calculation must be done for each year in which you are credited with additional service. The total of the PA amounts is reported to CRA as the PSPA. CRA uses the PSPA amount to reduce your existing RRSP contribution room that was originally credited to you at the 18% level. It is reduced to the level (18% less PA amount) that would have applied if you had been a pension plan member at the time that the service occurred. 

The minimum requirements for an unreduced immediate annuity are 25 years (9,131 days) of Canadian Forces (CF) service.
CF service includes:

• days of service in the Regular Force for which you are paid
• days of service in the Reserve Force for which you are paid:
  • days of training or duty of fewer than six hours count for 0.5 days
  • days of Class "A" service count for 1.4 days and
  • periods before April 1, 1999, when the length of the period can be verified but not the number ofdays, each day of the period counts as 0.25 of a day and
• service without pay for maternity or parental reasons, whether or not you contributed for that period or bought back that service

Or, you can receive an unreduced immediate annuity if you are:

• age 60 with at least 2 years of pensionable service or
• age 55 with at least 30 years of pensionable service

See the section titled "Indexing" for information on how your pension will be affected.

It depends on the pension benefit you received when you left the Reserve Force Pension Plan.

It depends on the pension benefit you received when you left the Regular Force Pension Plan.

You may be able to increase your pension by adding to it your previous service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This is called buying back service. You pay to have the service recognized as pensionable service.

The decision of whether or not to include your previous service is an important one and may have a significant impact on your future retirement income. The decision is up to you and you are responsible for informing the Government of Canada Pension Centre if you want to make it.

You have a strict deadline by which you must make your decision. It's important to consider your options before the deadline. Visit the Service buyback package for more information.

Look at the Scenarios to see examples of the impact of buying back past service.

For the types of service you may be able to elect under the Reserve Force Pension Plan (RFPP), visit the "Increasing your pension" life event under the "Reservist in Reserve Force Plan" audience, found in the Active member section.

The Reserve Force Pension Plan does not allow you to transfer your pension credits or buy back previous service with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Federal Public Service.

If you make an election to count prior service that took place after 1989, the Income Tax Act (ITA) requires that you have sufficient Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contribution room in order for your election to be considered a valid election. If the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) refuses to certify the Past Service Pension Adjustment (PSPA) amount that is submitted on your behalf by the Pension Centre, your election will be considered invalid, and any instalments made towards your elected service will be refunded to you.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) determines each year the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP, based on your earned income during the previous year. The amount is 18% (subject to an annual maximum) if you do not belong to a pension plan. If you do belong to a pension plan, a Pension Adjustment (PA) calculation is done by your pension plan administrator, and reported to CRA. As a pension plan member, the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP is the 18%  amount less the PA amount. If you make a past service election a PA calculation must be done for each year in which you are credited with additional service. The total of the PA amounts is reported to CRA as the PSPA. CRA uses the PSPA amount to reduce your existing RRSP contribution room that was originally credited to you at the 18% level. It is reduced to the level (18% less PA amount) that would have applied if you had been a pension plan member at the time that the service occurred. 

The minimum requirements for an unreduced immediate annuity are 25 years (9,131 days) of Canadian Forces (CF) service.
CF service includes:

• days of service in the Regular Force for which you are paid
• days of service in the Reserve Force for which you are paid:
  • days of training or duty of fewer than six hours count for 0.5 days
  • days of Class "A" service count for 1.4 days and
  • periods before April 1, 1999, when the length of the period can be verified but not the number of days, each day of the period counts as 0.25 of a day and
• service without pay for maternity or parental reasons, whether or not you contributed for that period or bought back that service

Or, you can receive an unreduced immediate annuity if you are:

• age 60 with at least 2 years of pensionable service or
• age 55 with at least 30 years of pensionable service

See the section titled "Indexing" for information on how your pension will be affected.

If you are a Reserve Force annuitant who has enrolled in the Regular Force you immediately become a contributor under the Regular Force pension plan. Your pension will stop on the date of your enrollment.

Contributions will be deducted from your pay. Upon release, your benefit will be based on your combined service.

If you are an annuitant under the Reserve Force Pension Plan (RFPP), Part I.1 of the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act (CFSA), when you enrol in the Regular Force, your pension will stop and your pensionable service under the RFPP will come to your credit under the Regular Force Pension Plan (Part I of the CFSA). As contributions under the RFPP (Part I.1) are lower than those under the Regular Force Pension Plan (Part I), you will be given the opportunity to "top-up" the contributions that you made under Part I.1 to the level that you would have made under Part I to maximize the credit you receive for your Reserve Force service. For more information on "topping up", visit the Increasing your pension life event under the "Reservist in Regular Force Plan" audience, found in the Active member section.

For information about the types of service you can count as pensionable service, visit the Increasing your pension life event under the "Reservist in Regular Force Plan" audience, found in the Active member section.

If you would like to elect to count the service that you accrued while you were in receipt of a pension as pensionable, you will be required to repay the pension that you received during that period. Once you have elected your prior service, you will be advised of the amount of pension that must be repaid and this amount must be repaid within 30 days. If not repaid within 30 days, your prior service election will be considered void, and any deductions that have been made will be refunded.

If you make an election to count prior service that took place after 1989, the Income Tax Act (ITA) requires that you have sufficient Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contribution room in order for your election to be considered a valid election. If the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) refuses to certify the Past Service Pension Adjustment (PSPA) amount that is submitted on your behalf by the Pension Centre, your election will be considered invalid, and any instalments made towards your elected service will be refunded to you.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) determines each year the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP, based on your earned income during the previous year. The amount is 18% (subject to an annual maximum) if you do not belong to a pension plan. If you do belong to a pension plan, a Pension Adjustment (PA) calculation is done by your pension plan administrator, and reported to CRA. As a pension plan member, the amount that you can deposit to an RRSP is the 18%  amount less the PA amount. If you make a past service election a PA calculation must be done for each year in which you are credited with additional service. The total of the PA amounts is reported to CRA as the PSPA. CRA uses the PSPA amount to reduce your existing RRSP contribution room that was originally credited to you at the 18%  level. It is reduced to the level (18%  less PA amount) that would have applied if you had been a pension plan member at the time that the service occurred. 

The minimum requirements for an unreduced immediate annuity are 25 years (9,131 days) of Canadian Forces (CF) service.
CF service includes:

• days of service in the Regular Force for which you are paid
• days of service in the Reserve Force for which you are paid:
  • days of training or duty of fewer than six hours count for 0.5 days
  • days of Class "A" service count for 1.4 days and
  • periods before April 1 1999, when the length of the period can be verified but not the number of days, each day of the period counts as 0.25 of a day and
• service without pay for maternity or parental reasons, whether or not you contributed for that period or bought back that service

Or, you can receive an unreduced immediate annuity if you are:

• age 60 with at least 2 years of pensionable service
• age 55 with at least 30 years of pensionable service

See the section titled "Indexing" for information on how your pension will be affected.