Administration of RCMP Pension Plans

Following a smooth transition on July 2, 2014, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is now providing administration services for RCMP Pension Plans as well as pensioner medical and dental insurance plans.  For more information, including contact details for the Government of Canada Pension Centre, visit the Questions and Answers Section below.

Morneau Shepell continues to provide insurance administration services for the RCMP Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I benefit from the transfer to PWGSC?

Through PWGSC, you benefit from access to specialists at the Government of Canada Pension Centre. These experts have extensive knowledge of federal public sector pension plans and pensioner benefits.

This arrangement also takes advantage of new technologies, provides a secure environment for personal data, and ensures a stable, long-term solution for RCMP pension administration.  Imaging technology, for example, means that pension experts have immediate, electronic access to your files, a vast improvement over the old, paper-based system. 

Active members enjoy a variety of interactive online features through a secure portal including:

• Pension information and helpful links;
• Online access to update your personal information;
• Secure messaging that allows you to exchange protected information with a pension expert at the Pension Centre;
• A pension benefits calculator as well as online tools to estimate your survivor benefits and service buyback; and
• A Web Inquiry feature that enables you to send online service requests and inquiries to a pension expert at the Pension Centre.

For pensioners and survivors, the new RCMP Pension and Benefits website, hosted by PWGSC, is more intuitive, informative and user-friendly, providing extensive information on all aspects of RCMP pension plans and pension benefits.

Is it possible that the category of coverage for my medical and dental insurance coverage has changed?

For a small number of pensioners, the July 2014 pension pay stub may show the incorrect category of medical and dental insurance coverage. This is simply an issue with how the coverage category is displayed on the stub and does not mean that coverage has changed.

The issue relates to the recent transition of pension administration services from Morneau Shepell to Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

If you’re one of these people, you can rest assured that your actual category of coverage under the Pensioner Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) and the Pensioner Dental Services Plan (PDSP) has not changed (unless you made a specific request to change it).

Your insurance benefits through Sun Life have not changed, and your monthly deduction also remains the same.

Please contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre if you think there may have been a change to your category of coverage so that the issue can be resolved.  

Will this have any effect on my monthly contributions or pension benefit payments?

For active members, there will is change to your pension contributions as a result of the transition to PWGSC.

For pensioners and survivors, your pension file has been transferred automatically from Morneau Shepell to PWGSC. There is no interruption to your monthly benefit payments, which are now being generated by PWGSC.

The RCMP defined benefit pension plan provides a guaranteed retirement income regardless of fluctuations in the economic situation, investment returns and interest rates. Ultimately, as an RCMP pensioner, survivor or dependant, you will receive your full entitlements under the new pension solution at PWGSC.

The transfer from one pension system to another may lead to a modest change in your benefit payment. For the vast majority of pensioners, the change will be less than $20 per month (plus or minus). This difference is due primarily to the way that federal income tax is calculated under the new pension system.

Currently, Morneau Shepell calculates your income tax deduction based on the total exemption(s) you have identified on your TD1 form. Under the PWGSC system, this exemption amount will be placed within a specified range and the income tax will be calculated based on the midpoint of that range. This is the same method used to calculate income tax for approximately 255,000 public service retirees.

The Canada Revenue Agency has confirmed that both methods are valid, so you can expect either an increase or decrease in your monthly benefit of up to $20.

When you file your 2014 tax return, you may qualify for a refund if more tax was withheld than what you owed over the course of the year. Conversely, you may be required to pay additional taxes if the amount withheld during the year was less than what you owed.

Previous benefit payments issued through Morneau Shepell will not be affected in any way by the tax calculation method used by PWGSC.

What if my monthly benefit payment is outside the standard variance?

Transferring from Morneau Shepell to PWGSC may lead to a modest change in benefit payments for pensioners and survivors. In the vast majority of cases, the change is less than $20 per month (plus or minus). As explained above, this difference is due primarily to the way that federal income tax is calculated under the new pension system.

In rare exceptions, there has been a variance outside the +/- $20, in which case the pensioner is being contacted directly and provided with an explanation and a resolution.

How do I contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre?

You can contact the Pension Centre by:

Telephone
Toll-Free: 1-855-502-7090
Executive Services: 1-855-502-7088 (C/Supt, EX-01 and above)
Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (your local time)

Outside Canada and the United States:
506-533-5800 (collect calls accepted)
Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Atlantic time)

Telephone Teletype (TTY):
506-533-5990 (collect calls accepted)
Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Atlantic time)

Email
pensioncentrercmp.centredespensionsgrc@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

Fax
(418) 562-7965

Mail
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Government of Canada Pension Centre – Mail Facility
150 Dion Boulevard
PO Box 8500
Matane, QC  G4W 0E2

Website
www.rcmp.pension.gc.ca

Are there any changes to how pensioners make claims under the medical and dental insurance plans?

As of July 2, 2014, the Pensioner Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) and the Pensioner Dental Services Plan (PDSP) are managed by the Government of Canada Pension Centre.

Experts at the Pension Centre are available to respond to your inquiries about changing benefits or cancelling coverage.

Sun Life remains the insurer for both of these plans. As a result, you will continue to use the same identification cards and the same claim forms which will continue to be submitted to Sun Life for processing.

To reiterate: the only change to your medical and dental coverage is that you now contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre (see above) instead of Morneau Shepell to make any changes to your coverage.

Morneau Shepell will continues to administer the RCMP Group Life Insurance Plans as well as Accidental Death and Dismemberment Plans.

As a pensioner or survivor, what are the benefits of receiving my monthly payment via direct deposit into my bank account?

The Government of Canada is phasing out paper cheques and pay stubs. Eventually, Canadians will receive all Government of Canada payments by direct deposit to their bank accounts.

Direct deposit is quicker, more secure than a paper cheque, and is more environmentally friendly.

In addition, if you receive your monthly pension payment via direct deposit, you are eligible to register for epost, a secure online delivery service from Canada Post.

Through epost, you can receive electronic versions of various documents such as your Statement of Remuneration and the annual statement summarizing your pension payment amount and deductions. If you do not sign up for epost, you will receive hard copies of these documents in the mail.

Will I continue to receive a monthly pension stub?

No, the Government of Canada is moving away from mailing printed monthly pension stubs. The new approach is more environmentally friendly and less costly for taxpayers.

If you previously received your pension cheque in the mail, you are no longer receiving a printed stub with your cheque now that PWGSC has taken over administration of the RCMP Pension Plans. 

Similarly, if you received your pension payment via direct deposit, you are no longer receiving a monthly stub in the mail.

Your monthly pension stubs have been replaced by an annual statement in January that summarizes your pension payment amount and deductions. Furthermore, if there are changes to your monthly pension amount of +/- $2 or more at any time during the year, you will receive a pension stub confirming the change.

If you are on direct deposit and have signed up for epost, you will receive electronic versions of the two documents mentioned in the paragraph above.

As a pensioner or survivor, how do I sign up for epost?

epost is Canada Post's secure online delivery service. It is free to subscribe and gives you the option to receive and view your pension documents online. You can access your pension documents from a simple and secure location -- anytime, anywhere, for up to 7 years.

To subscribe, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to www.epost.ca and click on “Create Account.”
2. Fill in the required fields, including “Username” and “Password.”
3. With your account created, click on “Get Started.”
4. Activate your epost Inbox by adding contact information and a mailing address. You will also be asked to create your own security question.
5. From your epost Inbox, click on “Add a NEW bill or statement.”
6. Select “RCMP Pension Plan” from the drop down menu or type it into the search box.
7. On the “Add a Mailer” page, enter the “Payee Account Key” from the direct deposit stub you received in the mail for your July 2014 payment. You will find the Payee Account Key in the upper right-hand corner of the stub, just below the date.
8. The “Confirmation” message means that you are now set up to receive an annual statement in January that summarizes your pension payment amount and deductions. Furthermore, if there are changes to your monthly pension amount of +/- $2 or more at any time during the year, you will receive a pension stub in your epost Inbox to confirm the change.

As an active member, how do I access the secure Web portal to update my personal information, view my Pension Benefit Statement, and access online tools?

To access the Secure Pension Web Applications portal, go to the RCMP Pension and Benefits Web site and click on the Active Member tab.  

To access online tools and links to helpful sites: 

1. Provide proof of identity by signing in to the Active Member Pension Applications with a valid Government of Canada ID-Based Certificate such as an RCMP Smart Card/Token or a PWGSC myKEY certificate.
2. Once authenticated, you need to “enrol” if it is your first time signing in. The enrolment process requires two pieces of personal information: your date of birth and your Regimental Number.  Once enrolled, you need only enter your Regimental Number to complete this second step on subsequent visits.

As an active RCMP member, once you have successfully signed in and enrolled, you will have access to personalized pensions tools where you can update your contact information, estimate the cost of your service buyback, and perform pension calculations and estimates using your real-time data.

Should you have any questions about the sign-in (authentication) process, please contact your departmental central help desk. 

For any other questions related to the secure Web portal, please contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre at 1-855-502-7090.

Where do I go for more information?

After July 2, 2014, the RCMP Pension and Benefits website, hosted by PWGSC, will provides detailed information on all aspects of pension administration for prospective members, active members, retired members, survivors and dependants.

This is also where active members can access the secure Web portal to update personal information, view your annual Pension Benefit Statement, and access online tools.

For assistance with RCMP Group Life Insurance or Accidental Death and Dismemberment Plans.

Contact details for Morneau Shepell at:

Telephone (toll-free): 1-800-661-7595
Web: www.pbs-sra.ca