Transfers Into MEPP

MEPP has transfer agreements with a number of Canadian public sector pension plans. If you were a member of another registered pension plan before joining MEPP, you may be able to transfer your former plan benefit entitlement into MEPP. You may also be able to purchase prior years of service.

Both of these options impact your pension calculation by increasing your MEPP pensionable service, which increases the amount of pension you will receive from MEPP. This means that if you transfer from your former pension plan into MEPP, your MEPP pension will be higher, and you may be eligible to retire sooner with an unreduced pension.

We have the information and pension tools you need to get your transfer started, including a Pension Estimator where you can see how transferring service into MEPP might affect your MEPP pension.

Eligible Pension Plans in Alberta

Transfer from the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) or the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) under the National Transfer Agreement:

• To initiate a transfer, you will need to complete and submit the Appendix A: Transfer Information Request and Authorization form under the National Transfer Agreement
• Your transfer application must be received by us within one year of the date you join MEPP.

Note: If you have a combined pensionable service (CPS) relationship between MEPP and PSPP, you cannot transfer your service between these plans under any transfer agreement.

Transfer from the Alberta Teachers' Pension Plan and Private School Teachers' Pension Plan under the Teachers’ Transfer Agreement:

• To initiate a transfer, you will need to complete and submit the Application to Transfer Pension Entitlements between MEPP and Alberta Teachers’ Pension Plans form under the Teachers’ Transfer Agreement.
• You must have stopped participating in your former plan on or after Jan 1, 1995.
• Your transfer application must be received by us within one year of the date you join MEPP.

Transfer from another eligible provincial pension plan* under the National Transfer Agreement:

• To initiate a transfer you will need to complete and submit the Appendix A: Transfer Information Request and Authorization form under the National Transfer Agreement.
• Your transfer application must be received by us within one year of the date you join MEPP.

*The National Transfer Agreement covers the following pension plans outside of Alberta:

Transfer from the federal Public Service Pension Plan under the Federal Transfer Agreement:

• To initiate a transfer, you will need to complete and submit the Appendix A2: Request for Transfer Estimate form under the Federal Transfer Agreement.
• Your transfer application must be received by us within one year of the date you join MEPP.

• You cannot be an active member in your former plan, but your funds must still be held in that plan.
• You must be an active member of MEPP when you apply to transfer your former plan service into MEPP.
• Some plans will not allow you transfer out if you are already entitled to an unreduced pension with them; check with your former employer or former plan’s administrator to see if this limitation applies to you.
• It’s always a good idea to send your transfer application to both us as well as your former plan’s administrator.

With more pensionable service to your credit under MEPP:

• You could become vested sooner, making you eligible for a lifetime pension.
• You may be able to retire sooner with an unreduced MEPP pension.
• It may result in you receiving a higher single pension benefit than if you were to receive separate pensions from multiple pension plans.

Once we have received your transfer application, we will calculate the cost of transferring your former plan service into MEPP. We will then send you an information package with the transfer details, including the cost and applicable election timelines, so that you can decide whether you wish to proceed with the transfer. The cost to transfer service from your former pension plan will depend on the benefit design under your former plan and your unique circumstances.

Pension plans use different benefit formulas. Because of this, the benefit you earned in your former plan might not match the cost of buying the your former plan service in MEPP.

If the benefit on your former plan service is at least as much as the cost of buying your former plan service under MEPP, you will not have to pay anything else, and the full amount of service from your former plan will be credited as pensionable service under MEPP.

If the cost of buying your former plan service under MEPP is higher than the benefit on the service under your former plan, this will result in a transfer shortfall. You will receive credit for a portion of your former plan service under MEPP, and you will have the option of paying the difference to receive credit for the transfer shortfall service in MEPP.

Paying for a transfer shortfall means you could retire earlier with a larger MEPP pension than if you did not buy the transfer shortfall service. If you choose not to buy the transfer shortfall service at the time of the transfer but wish to do so later on, the cost could be higher.

If you leave MEPP before reaching age 55 and elect take a lump-sum payment instead of a pension, the transfer shortfall service you purchased will not be included in your commuted value calculation. Instead, you will receive a refund of what you paid for that service, plus interest.

Both a transfer into MEPP from your former pension plan as well as buying back transfer shortfall service, if applicable, can affect your RRSP contribution room due to a Past Service Pension Adjustment (PSPA).