Pension video

Watch our new video for an engaging overview of the UM Pension Plan (1993), including its main benefits, such as 100% matching contributions by UM, and information on how new employees can enroll.

Updates

Annual Member Pension Statements

For University of Manitoba Pension Plan (1993) active members, starting in 2021 Pension Statements and any subsequent years will be provided through electronic access to UM's Employee Self-Service (ESS).

You are able to view or print your Pension Statement in a convenient manner similar to the way you currently access your pay statements and T4's through secure log-in to ESS.   https://vip.umanitoba.ca

For active plan members of the University of Manitoba Pension Plan (1993):
  • For all active plan members, no paper copies will be printed.
  • If you are an active plan member, you will receive an email notification informing you when your Pension Statement is available in ESS.
  • Statements typically become available in June of each year. 

Former employees with the University of Manitoba Pension Plan (1993):

  • Any former employees who no longer have access to ESS will receive their Pension Statement in paper format and mailed to their home address. It is important to ensure that your home address is up to date in the Pension Office. 

Additional information:

Need help accessing ESS? Contact the HR Help Desk (UM Intranet link, must be signed in with employee UM Net ID).

Can’t log into VIP? Contact the IST Service Desk.

2025 Update on Pension Plan Maximums

Each year there are various maximums that are used in calculating your pension benefits. The following table lists these maximums:

Income Tax Act2025
Annual defined benefit pension per year of service after 2014$3,610.00
Annual defined benefit pension per year of service before 2015$3,324.44
Maximum Contribution (Employee and University)$33,810
Canada Pension Plan: Basic exemption$3,500
Canada Pension Plan: Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings$71,300

Retirement and information sessions

The Pension Office offers retirement planning and information sessions twice annually.

Sessions are held in November and at the end of May/early June:

Registration will open on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

Retirement planning sessions

Registration is limited to those who are within five years of retirement. Registrants only need to sign up for one session. You will be automatically enrolled in Part 2.

Session 1 - Part 1 (Virtual)*
Date: May 26, 2025
Time: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
Session 1 – Part 2 (Fort Garry Campus – 108 St John’s College)
Date: May 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Session 2 – Part 1 (Virtual)*
Date: May 26, 2025
Time: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Session 2 – Part 2 (Virtual)
Date: May 28, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Session 3 – Part 1 (Virtual)*
Date: May 26, 2025
Time: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
Session 3 – Part 2 (Virtual)
Date: May 29, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

* The link to the presentation will be circulated and made available for up to thirty days after the last session. 

Deadline to register for a retirement planning session: April 21, 2025, end of day


Information session: thinking ahead to your retirement planning 

This virtual session is open to all plan members who would like general information on the Pension Plan, long term financial planning, wills, power of attorney, health care directives, family law matters, and retiree benefits.  

Date: May 26, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Deadline to register for the information session: April 28, 2025, end of day


With respect to the retirement process at any time, you may ask for a pension estimate from the Pension Office and set up a meeting with your Pension Benefits Consultant by emailing pension.office@umanitoba.ca.

Unclaimed Pension Plan benefits for un-locatable plan members

There are currently 159 un-locatable Pension Plan members with benefits in the Pension Plan. If you or someone you know has not settled their Pension Plan benefits please email pension.office@umanitoba.ca or call (204) 474-6661.

Eligibility

All university employees are eligible for a pension plan. Some exclusions may apply.

Eligibility by employee status

Full-time
As an eligible full-time employee, you may join the Plan on your appointment date, or any date before your required mandatory participation date. You are required to join the Plan within 30 days following the completion of two consecutive years of employment with the university.

Part-time
As an eligible part-time, sessional or casual employee, you may join the Plan on your appointment date, or any date before your required mandatory participation date. You are required to join the Plan within 30 days following two consecutive years of employment with the university in which your earnings exceed 35 per cent of the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE).

The Pension Office will send the required forms to all employees who have not joined the Plan and have reached their mandatory participation date.

New employees
To join the Pension Plan, please complete the Application for Membership form (PDF). The completed form must be returned to the Pension Office.

Returning employees
Please call the Pension Office to determine your pension plan status.

Exclusions

An employee who is a student on a substantially full-time basis.

An employee who is a member of a religious group which has as one of its articles of faith the belief that members of the group are precluded from being members of the plan.

An employee who retired from the university and is in receipt of a pension, but subsequently returns to work for the university.

Waiver

You may waive the right to participate in The University of Manitoba Pension Plan (1993) as of the initial participation date. Please complete the Participation Waiver form. Subsequent optional participation dates, prior to the compulsory participation date, are available at your discretion. Please return the form to the Pension Office.

Compulsory participation date is within 30 days following two years of full-time continuous employment, or within 30 days following two years of employment if your annual earnings are equal to or greater than 35 per cent of the Canada Pension Plan Yearly Maximum Pensionable Earnings for each year.

The Pension Office will send the required forms to all employees who have not joined the Plan and have reached their mandatory participation date.

Joining the plan and contributions

Membership will be effective on the first day of the pay cycle next following receipt by the Pension Office of the Application for Membership form. If you do not wish to join the Plan prior to your mandatory date, please complete the Pension Waiver form. Note: Please do not complete both the Application for Membership form and the Pension Waiver form. Only complete one form.

You and the university share the cost of your pension.

Your contribution calculation

When you join the Plan, two separate accounts are opened in your name; the Employee Contribution Account for your required contributions, plus investment income and a University Contribution Account for the university contribution made on your behalf, plus investment income. You may also have a Restricted Contribution Account, or a Non-Restricted Contribution Account. These accounts are contributions transferred in from another plan if this is applicable in your situation.

As a member of the Plan you make an annual contribution to your Employee Contribution Account equal to:

  • 9 per cent of your Basic Salary up to the Year’s Basic Exemption (YBE) ($3,500)
  • plus 7.2 per cent of your Basic Salary between the YBE and the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) ($71,300)
  • plus 9 per cent of your Basic Salary above the YMPE.

The University of Manitoba matches the employee contribution. Each member will have an Employee Contribution Account and a University Contribution Account.

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) determines the maximum annual contribution that can be made to the Pension Plan. The maximum limit is $33,810 for 2025 in accordance with the limits defined under the Plan.

Employees cannot make voluntary contributions to the Pension Plan.

Designating your beneficiary

How to designate the person who will receive the survivor benefit of your pension benefit if you die.

You may designate anyone to be your beneficiary. However, if you have a spouse or common-law partner at your date of death, pension legislation requires the pre-retirement death benefit be paid to your spouse or common-law partner, regardless of the beneficiary designation, unless:

  1. you are living separate and apart from your spouse or common-law partner by reason of relationship breakdown, or
  2. if your spouse or common-law partner has waived the right to the pre-retirement death benefit by completing Manitoba’s Waiver of Survivor Death Benefit (Form 2). In this case, legislation does not allow you to name your spouse or common-law partner as your beneficiary. Please see the Death Benefit Waiver form or call the Pension Office.

If you wish to change your beneficiary (e.g., in the event of a breakdown of your declared spouse/common-law relationship), you will have to do so by means of a Beneficiary Designation form (PDF).

Benefits cannot be paid to beneficiaries who are minors (under the age of 18) or who are unable to act on his/her behalf. Trustee nomination forms are available from the Pension Office.

If you do not have a spouse/common-law partner at your date of death, the pre-retirement death benefit will be paid according to your beneficiary designation. All beneficiary designations are revocable.

Changes due to life events

Are you thinking of retiring or leaving the university? Has a life event changed your circumstances? Review the information on this page to see how a life event affects you and your pension plan.

Non-locked in benefits

There are a limited number of circumstances in which a person may be allowed to withdraw locked-in funds as a lump sum. These include:

Commutation of small pensions

In the event that the locked-in part of the sum of the Employee Contribution Account and the University Contribution Account is less than 20 per cent of the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) in the year of termination, the member shall receive a lump sum payment of the value of the contribution accounts applicable to such benefit either in cash or by transfer to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP).

The amount available for you to contribute to your RRSP is in your tax return assessment provided by Canada Revenue Agency.

Shortened life expectancy

The Pension Benefits Act (PBA) permits a pension plan, to provide for withdrawal of locked-in funds in a lump sum upon certification by a medical practitioner of a considerably shortened life expectancy, which cannot exceed two years.

Non-residents of Canada

If you are no longer a resident of Canada, the Pension Benefits Act (PBA) permits former plan members to withdraw pension benefit credits in a pension plan in a lump sum (subject to certain requirements).

In all other cases locked-in funds cannot be withdrawn as a lump sum. The current legislation does not permit accessing your pension funds due to financial hardship.

Forms

The forms may be completed on-line but must be downloaded for signature. The Pension Office requires an inked signature.  Please complete the forms and send them to the Pension Office.

Booklets

Reports

Pension Committee and governance

Role of the Committee

The Committee acts as both Pension Committee and as “Administrator,” as described in the Pension Benefits Act (PBA) and regulations. The Committee has the rights, powers and obligations necessary for the Committee to administer the plan in accordance with the PBA and regulations.

The overall purpose of the Committee include:

  • monitoring the operation of the plan;
  • taking responsibility for the plan’s administration;
  • ensuring that the plan is in compliance with all applicable legislation; and
  • acting in an advisory capacity to the Board, making recommendations as required. 

Subcommittees

There are three subcommittees assigned to focus on specific administrative areas – Investment, Audit and Governance. The subcommittees report to the Pension Committee on their activities to ensure the Pension Committee works together in administering the governance and operational duties of your Plan. 

Elections

An election of Active Representatives (two members) and non-Active Representative (one member) is conducted every three years. The last election was conducted in May 2023. 

FAQs

Am I eligible to join The University of Manitoba Pension Plan?

All employees are eligible to join the Plan commencing on the date of employment. You must submit a completed Application for Membership to become a plan member. Your membership will take effect of the first day of the pay cycle following the date your application is received by the Pension Office.

Do I have to join the Plan?

You do not have to join the Plan when you are hired. If you do not join the Plan, your mandatory enrolment will be 30 days following two years of service if you are a full-time employee; or if you are a part-time employee, 30 days following two consecutive years of employment in which your earnings exceed 35% of the Canada Pension Plan Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE).

Can I make additional voluntary contributions to my pension?

You are not able to make additional contributions to the Plan.

Can I withdraw from the pension plan or suspend my contributions while I am still employed by The University of Manitoba?

Once you are enrolled in the Plan you are not able to withdraw or suspend your pension contributions.

Does the Plan affect my RRSP contributions?

Yes. You will have a Pension Adjustment (PA) reported to the Canada Revenue Agency each year on your T4 slip. The amount that you can contribute to an RRSP next year is reduced by your PA calculated for the current year and indicated on your Notice of Assessment from Canada Revenue Agency.

Can I transfer my Pension from another employer?

You can transfer pension funds from your previous Manitoba employer if their plan permits the transfer and the pension funds are administered under the Pension Benefits Act (Manitoba). Any amounts transferred into the Plan will be allocated to a third account known as your voluntary contribution account. This additional voluntary contribution account will earn investment income at the same level as your other contribution accounts.

Can I purchase credited service in the Plan?

You are not able to purchase credited service in the Plan.

When am I eligible to retire from the Plan?

You must be at least age 55 with five or more years of employment service to be eligible for retirement pension benefits?

What if I no longer work for the University of Manitoba, but I do not qualify for retirement pension benefits?

Your benefit in the Plan is vested immediately. You will receive the total value of your contribution accounts.

Can I contribute to the Plan after age 65?

Yes, you can continue working and contributing to the Plan beyond age 65. However, your plan contributions must stop in the year your turn age 69.

Do I have to contact the Pension Office before I retire?

Yes, you will need to make many important decisions and complete multiple forms before you receive your pension benefits. You should contact your Pension Benefit Consultant to ensure that you understand the options you have.

Do I need a financial advisor?

The Pension office recommends that you obtain independent financial and legal advice. The Pension Office does not offer financial advisory services to plan members on their choice of benefit election, when to retire, when to commence government benefits, any commentary about financial markets or any other related matters.

 

Glossary of terms

This website is designed to provide information on the main features of the benefit programs. It is for information purposes only, and is not intended to provide you with specific financial, legal, investment, or tax advice. The actual benefit provisions are contained in the Master Contracts issued by the insurers to the University of Manitoba. The University of Manitoba retains the right to modify, reduce, or terminate benefits at any time. In the event of any variation or discrepancy, the contracts will prevail and not the information contained in this website.

Contact us

Pension Office
Room 180 Extended Education Complex
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

 

204-474-6661
204-474-7640