Under Ontario pension law, your “spouse” is the person who is living with you, and is:

1. married to you, or
2. not married to you but has been:

• living in a conjugal relationship with you continuously for at least three years; or
• in a relationship of some permanence with you if you are the parents of a child, as defined in the Children’s Law Reform Act, (Ontario).

You can claim only one person as your spouse at any one time.

If you die after retirement and you have a spouse, pension law says you must provide a continuing pension to him or her in the event of your death – equal to at least 60% of your pension – unless your spouse waives this right. If you don’t have a spouse (or if a completed waiver was provided to InBenefits before your pension began), the benefit depends on what form of pension you chose. Some pensions end with your death; others continue to be paid to a surviving beneficiary after your death. Some survivors may also receive a lump sum payment.

Yes. Taxes are withheld from all monthly pensions based on the TD1 form completed by the recipient.

Your pension is normally considered a family asset. This means any pension you earn while you and your spouse are married or living as a common-law couple may have to be divided between you.

The actual amount your former spouse receives will depend on your court order, family arbitration award or domestic contract. Keep in mind, it’s not the contributions that are split, but the pension earned based on those contributions.

The Trustees strongly recommend you get independent legal advice on how your separation or divorce may affect your pension benefits. Laws may differ in jurisdictions outside Ontario. You can call InBenefits to get more information on how to request a family law value of your pension benefits.

Yes. You do not have to be a resident of Canada to receive your MSPP pension.

The Multi-Sector Pension Plan is expected to operate indefinitely. However, if for some unlikely reason it is terminated, your pension benefits will be administered as mandated by the applicable Provincial or Federal legislation.