Membership is a condition of employment as a firefighter and is not optional.

You become a member of the FSPP automatically when you begin your employment as a City of Calgary firefighter represented by the International Association of Firefighters, Local 255. Once you are enrolled in the FSPP, you must remain a member as long as you are employed as a firefighter by the City of Calgary.

The Calgary Firefighters Supplementary Pension Plan (FSPP), established in 1974, is a significant and valuable part of your total compensation. The FSPP provides you with a secure source of retirement income by supplementing the benefits provided by your Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP). As the FSPP supplements your LAPP benefits, in many cases the choices you make regarding your benefits under LAPP will affect your FSPP pension.

The FSPP is a defined benefit plan; this means your benefit is defined by a formula which uses your salary and years of service to determine your retirement benefit. Since your retirement income is a defined amount it does not change when there are changes in the financial markets that may impact the assets in the pension fund. In addition, the Board of Trustees regularly reviews the funded status of the FSPP to ensure sufficient contributions are made to the plan to fund the benefits of plan members. One of the advantages of a defined benefit plan is that it is fairly easy to predict your income at retirement by projecting your service to the date you retire. This provides you with an estimate of your retirement benefit in today's dollars. (You receive an annual statement with this information).This ability to predict your future FSPP retirement income, means you are more able to effectively plan for your future retirement.

Your retirement benefit is based on your pensionable salary according to your collective agreement, not including overtime or dry cleaning allowance. The Income Tax Act places a limit on the pension amount that can be paid from a registered pension plan. Your pensionable salary may be limited to reflect these Income Tax Act limits.

Yes, your pension contributions are tax deductible. Your employer will report your tax deductible pension contributions annually on your T4.

Several factors affect the pension you will receive at retirement, including:

• Your pensionable salary,
• Your years of pensionable service,
• Whether or not you have bought any prior service or leaves of absence, and
• Your pension partner status.

See your Employee Booklet for more details.

The Pension Partner and Beneficiary form tells us who should receive your benefit if you die before retirement. If you have a pension partner, that person is automatically your beneficiary, but you should complete the Pension Partner and Beneficiary Designation form and send it to the FSPP Administration Centre in case your pension partner dies before you and cannot be paid the benefit. See the Employee Booklet for more information.

You are entitled to a benefit as soon as you join the plan and once you have terminated employment with the City as a firefighter.

You are required to contribute to the FSPP until you either terminate employment with the City of Calgary as a firefighter or reach 35 years of pensionable service. Your contributions represent 45% of the total and the City's contributions represent 55% of the total cost of the plan. Based on advice from the plan actuary, the Board of Trustees reviews contribution rates at least once every three years and may change them as necessary.

Your contributions are based on a percentage of your pensionable salary and are made through payroll deduction. As of June 30, 2014, you contribute 2.63% of your pensionable salary. This is in addition to your contributions made to the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP).

You can contribute to the FSPP for no more than 35 years. However, if you continue working beyond 35 years, your pensionable salary after that point may be taken into account when calculating your highest average salary.

The City of Calgary, as your employer, is required to contribute to the FSPP until you either terminate employment with the City of Calgary as a firefighter or until you reach 35 years of pensionable service. The City's contributions represent 55% of the total cost of the plan and your contributions represent 45% of the total. Based on advice from the plan actuary, the Board of Trustees reviews contribution rates at least once every three years and may change them as necessary.

As of June 30, 2014, the City contributes 3.22% of your pensionable salary. This is in addition to employer contributions made to the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP).

If you are an employee of the City of Calgary, contact your City of Calgary HR representative. If you are a retiree, contact RBC Investor & Treasury Services at 1-800-668-1320. Employees entitled to a deferred pension should contact the FSPP Administration Centre.

If you are an employee of the City of Calgary, contact your City of Calgary HR representative. If you are in the process of retiring and the change in your personal information affects your pension benefits under the FSPP, contact the FSPP Administration Centre. If you are a retiree and the change in personal information affects receipt of your monthly pension or taxation of your pension benefit, contact RBC Investor & Treasury Services at 1-800-668-1320.

If you get married, make sure to update your employer if you have a new name or address. If you get married, your partner automatically becomes your pension partner. If you die, your pension partner is automatically your beneficiary; however, if your pension partner dies before you, your benefits will go to your beneficiary(ies). You may want to update your Pension Partner and Beneficiary Designation.

If you are an employee of the City of Calgary, contact your City of Calgary HR representative. If you are in the process of retiring and the personal information affects your pension benefits under the FSPP, contact the FSPP Administration Centre. If you are a retiree and the personal information affects receipt of your monthly pension or taxation of your pension benefit, contact RBC Investor & Treasury Services at 1-800-668-1320.

To change or add a beneficiary for your FSPP pension benefits, complete the Pension Partner and Beneficiary Designation, make a copy for your records, and mail it to the FSPP Administration Centre. Note that you must complete a separate form for LAPP and FSPP as the administrator of the pension plans are different organizations.

Estimates are free if you use the online tools provided on the My Supplementary Pension Plan. Otherwise, there may be a charge if you have already asked in the past for 2 or more pension estimates or 1 or more commuted value estimates. Contact the FSPP Administration Centre for more details if you require an estimate without using the online tools.

You can request a pension estimate by using online tools provided on the My Supplementary Pension Plan. Note that this pension estimate is based only on data that the administrator has on file and may not reflect data since the most recent year end.

Call the FSPP Administration Centre

You are required to contribute to the FSPP until you either terminate employment with the City of Calgary as a firefighter or reach 35 years of pensionable service. Your contributions represent 45% of the total and the City's contributions represent 55% of the total cost of the plan. Based on advice from the plan actuary, the Board of Trustees reviews contribution rates at least once every three years and may change them as necessary.

Your contributions are based on a percentage of your pensionable salary and are made through payroll deduction. As of June 30, 2014, you contribute 2.63% of your pensionable salary. This is in addition to your contributions made to the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP).

You can contribute to the FSPP for no more than 35 years. However, if you continue working beyond 35 years, your pensionable salary after that point may be taken into account when calculating your highest average salary.

The City of Calgary, as your employer, is required to contribute to the FSPP until you either terminate employment with the City of Calgary as a firefighter or until you reach 35 years of pensionable service. The City's contributions represent 55% of the total cost of the plan and your contributions represent 45% of the total. Based on advice from the plan actuary, the Board of Trustees reviews contribution rates at least once every three years and may change them as necessary.

As of June 30, 2014, the City contributes 3.22% of your pensionable salary. This is in addition to employer contributions made to the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP).

Your pension will be increased annually by the Cost of Living (COLA). The increase is equal to the same percentage COLA adjustment under LAPP. This currently is 60% of the rate of change in the Alberta’s consumer price index (CPI).

You must retire no later than the first day of the month immediately following your 60th birthday.

If eligible to retire, your options will depend on your age at the time of your retirement and your election under LAPP as follows:

If you are more than 10 years from Pensionable Age (Age 60)

• You have the option of electing either a monthly pension or the commuted value of your monthly pension subject to the following:
  • If you elect to receive a commuted value under LAPP then you must elect to receive your benefits under FSPP as a commuted value
  • If you elect to receive a monthly pension (deferred or immediate pension) under LAPP you must elect to receive you benefits under FSPP as a monthly pension. Note, if at a later date you choose to transfer out the commuted value of your LAPP pension you will continue to receive a monthly pension from FSPP.

If you are within 10 years of Pensionable Age (Age 60)

• Your FSPP benefit will be paid as a monthly pension regardless of your election under LAPP (LAPP permits the election of commuted value up to age 55).

Payment of benefits are conditional on application for benefits under LAPP. Where benefits are applied for under LAPP they must be applied for under FSPP.

If you are eligible for benefits under LAPP, but do not apply for those benefits, then benefits under FSPP will be determined assuming that you applied for LAPP benefits. If LAPP benefits are payable as a lump-sum or commuted value, your LAPP offset under FSPP will be calculated based on what would have been payable under LAPP had you received your LAPP benefits in the form of a pension.

Survivor Options

The amount payable to your pension partner on your death depends on the pension survivor option you elect.
LAPP
When you become eligible for retirement benefits under LAPP at age 55 and you have a pension partner, you have two survivor options to choose from:

• Joint Life Reducing by 1/3 - under this option the pension payable is reduced by1/3 rd on either your death or your pension partner’s death.
• Joint Life not reduced – under this option 100% of the pension continues to be paid if either you die or your pension partner dies.

FSPP
Under FSPP, the normal survivor form of pension for a member with a pension partner is a joint and survivor 65% pension, guaranteed for 60 months. Under this form of pension should you die within 60 months of retiring, your pension partner will receive 100 % of your total pension (LAPP and FSPP) for the balance of the 60 months, then receive 65% of your total pension until he or she dies, offset by the survivor benefit payable ( or deemed to be payable) under LAPP. If you die after 60 months from your retirement date your pension partner will receive 65% of your total pension (LAPP and FSPP) until he or she dies, offset by the survivor benefit payable ( or deemed to be payable) under LAPP. In the event of both your death and your pension partners death within 60 month of retiring, the balance of the payments will be paid to your designated beneficiary.

If you elect the Joint Life not reduced option under LAPP, your FSPP pension will also be in the Joint Life not reduced form. Under this survivor option, your FSPP pension is the actuarial equivalent of your FSPP pension in the normal form as described above.

If you elect to transfer the commuted value of your LAPP pension, your LAPP offset to determine what is payable from FSPP after you turn age 55 will be calculated based on what would have been payable under LAPP. To determine this amount we assume that you would have received your LAPP benefits in the same form of pension, as the form you elect under FSPP.

After you apply to retire, you will receive a pension options package explaining your options and the estimated amounts you would receive under each option.<

When a marriage breaks down, pension benefits are viewed as matrimonial property. You may want to obtain legal advice to make sure you understand your options. If you have already filed with the administrator a Matrimonial Property Order or other agreement under the Matrimonial Property Act, your pension from the FSPP will be adjusted to reflect any past, current or future payment to your ex-spouse. Contact the FSPP Administration Centre for further details.

The plan rules state that a member's contributions with interest must make up no more than half of the commuted value of the benefit. The City's contributions with interest and plan funds must provide no less than half of the commuted value. If your contributions with interest are more than half of the commuted value, you will receive the difference, in addition to any other benefit paid under the FSPP. This is called excess contributions or 50% excess contributions. Excess contributions are paid to you by cheque, less income tax, or transferred to your RRSP (no tax is deducted).

Call the FSPP Administration Centre. Customer Service Representatives cannot provide advice, so you should consult your financial adviser if you need help making your election.

Payments can begin as early as the 15th day of any month on or after the date you:

• cease to be an employee; or
• your pension election form is processed.

Yes. Federal and provincial tax will be withheld from your pension payment at the standard rates. If you wish to increase or decrease the amount of withholding tax, you must indicate this on the TD1 forms.

At age 65, your FSPP pension will be reduced by the amount of your bridge benefit. This amount is determined at your retirement date and does not change.

If you retire before age 55 and elect to defer your LAPP pension, the FSPP will pay your entire benefit until you reach age 55. At age 55, LAPP will commence payment of your LAPP benefit and your FSPP pension will be reduced by the LAPP pension. If you retire before age 55 and elect to transfer out the commuted value of your LAPP pension, your LAPP offset to determine what is payable from FSPP after you turn age 55 will be calculated based on what would have been payable under LAPP. To determine this amount we assume that you would have received your LAPP benefits in the same form of pension, as the form you elect under FSPP.

Your options under FSPP depend on how old you are when leave employment. If you are younger than age 50, you will have a choice between receiving an immediate pension (you must have 25 years of pensionable service) or a deferred pension or you can transfer the commuted value of your benefit out of the plan. You must take the same option under FSPP as elected under LAPP (pension or transfer). If you elect to defer your pension, this choice cannot be changed in the future and your FSPP benefit can only be paid in a form of a monthly pension.

If you are age 50 or older when you leave employment your options are an immediate or deferred pension, you no longer have the option of taking a commuted value. Depending on your age and service at the time you leave, a reduction to your pension for early retirement may apply.

No later than 30 days before your intended retirement date, you must complete and send your pension election form to your City of Calgary HR Representative, along with supporting documentation, such as:

• proof of your age; and
• proof of marriage and proof of your pension partner's age, if applicable.

To complete the processing of your pension, you may also be required to complete Canada Revenue Agency, federal, and provincial TD1 forms to indicate the amount of tax which should be deducted from your pension payments, and a cheque marked "void" to process the direct deposit of your pension payments.

You will be entitled to early retirement once you have 25 years of pensionable service or have reached age 50. The earliest date at which you qualify for early retirement is shown on your annual statement.

Yes. If you are entitled to a monthly payment, it can be deposited directly to your bank account at any Canadian financial institution.

You will be entitled to unreduced retirement once you have accumulated 30 years of pensionable service or once you have reached age 55.

Your normal retirement date is the first day of the month coincident or next following your 60th birthday, but you can retire anytime if you have 25 or more years of pensionable service, or if you are at least age 50. Your pension may be reduced for early retirement.

All of your pensionable service for which contributions have been made to the FSPP are included in determining your monthly pension entitlement from the plan. If you are entitled to receive a commuted value payment in lieu of a monthly pension, certain types of service are excluded from the commuted value calculation and, instead, a refund made of contributions made to the FSPP in respect of the excluded service. Service that is excluded from the commuted value calculation are prior service periods paid on an actuarial reserve basis and leaves of absence where you paid both the employee and employer share of the cost.

All termination forms are provided with your final termination package.

Transfers to a financial institution usually take about three to four months following your last day worked, provided all information is provided to Morneau Shepell from both the City of Calgary and APS in respect of your LAPP benefit. Transfers to the retirement plan of your new employer could take up to six months.

If on your termination date, you are younger than age 50, you will have a choice between receiving a deferred pension from the FSPP or a transfer of the commuted value of your benefit. You must take the same option under FSPP as elected under LAPP (pension or transfer). If you elect to defer your pension, this choice cannot be changed in the future and your FSPP benefit can only be paid in a form of a monthly pension. See the Summary of FSPP Benefits for more details.

All of your pensionable service for which contributions have been made to the FSPP are included in determining your monthly pension entitlement from the plan. If you are entitled to receive a commuted value payment in lieu of a monthly pension, certain types of service are excluded from the commuted value calculation and, instead, a refund made of contributions made to the FSPP in respect of the excluded service. Service that is excluded from the commuted value calculation are prior service periods paid on an actuarial reserve basis and leaves of absence where you paid both the employee and employer share of the cost.

Locked-in means that your benefit from the FSPP cannot be taken as cash; it must be used to provide retirement income. If you elect to take or transfer the commuted value of your pension from the FSPP, in some cases the total commuted value of your LAPP benefit and your FSPP benefit may exceed the maximum tax deferred transfer amount allowed under the Income Tax Act. In these cases the FSPP will pay you the commuted value that is in excess of the maximum transfer value as a fully taxable cash refund, in accordance with the Income Tax Act. In many cases, the full amount of your FSPP commuted value could be taxable. Please consult a financial advisor if this situation applies to you.

The plan rules state that a member's contributions with interest must make up no more than half of the commuted value of the benefit. The City's contributions with interest and plan funds must provide no less than half of the commuted value. If your contributions with interest are more than half of the commuted value, you will receive the difference, in addition to any other benefit paid under the FSPP. This is called excess contributions or 50% excess contributions. Excess contributions are paid to you by cheque, less income tax, or transferred to your RRSP (no tax is deducted).

Your normal retirement date is the first day of the month coincident or next following your 60th birthday, but you can retire anytime if you have 25 or more years of pensionable service, or anytime if you are at least age 50. Your pension may be reduced for early retirement.

You named a beneficiary when you enrolled in the FSPP. Your pension partner is the automatic beneficiary of your pension benefits, unless your pension partner signs a waiver. You should review your designation each year, when you receive your annual statement, or when your life circumstances change, such as when you retire, get married or get divorced.

Your pension partner or designated beneficiary will receive any benefit payable from the FSPP upon your death. The benefit paid from the FSPP depends on whether you have a pension partner, whether you have dependent children, what service you have accrued, and what option your survivor elects under LAPP. Refer to the Employee Booklet for specific details.

If you are receiving benefits from an approved long term disability income plan or are receiving a 100% disability Workers Compensation Benefit (WCB) pension, you are not eligible for a disability pension from the FSPP. You continue to participate in and contribute to the FSPP and LAPP, and your pensionable service continues to grow while you receive payments under an approved long term disability income plan or 100% disability WCB pension.

If you are partially or totally disabled and not receiving long term disability income benefits or temporary WCB benefits, you may be eligible to receive a disability pension. Contact the FSPP Administration Centre for more information.