Your Pension - University Services Centre

Welcome to the York University retirement planning resource site. Whether you’re 25 or 55, we have important information and tools to help you understand the York University Pension Plan.

The York University Pension Plan

2025 Year End Fund Rate of Return: 6.409%
Year to Date Fund Rate of Return (end of February 2026): 0.86%

The investment of funds is handled through the Pension Investment Office. If you are interested in obtaining more detailed investment information, please contact the Pension Investments Office within Finance.

Please note when initial pension packages are provided, the option amounts included are estimates only and are based on fund rater of return of 0%. At the time of retirement or transfer, the total value will be re-calculated using the most recent calculated rate of return.

2026 Pension Limits

The Government of Canada has announced the 2026 limits as follows:

Years Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE): $74,600
Maximum Pension Plan Contributions: $35,390
Defined Benefit Limit: $3,932.22 (per year of pension plan credited service)

Resources for the York University Pension Plan

To guide your planning, please review these resources: 

Get to know the York University Pension Plan by reading the York University Pension Plan Booklet (PDF), which provides a plain language summary of the Pension Plan. The full Pension Plan Text (PDF) of the Plan is also available.
Submit a Pension Plan Enrollment and Beneficiary Designation Form to update your pension beneficiary. The form is available on the Ask PB Self Serve Portal or Downloadable (PDF).
View your pension beneficiary on HR Self Serve.
Access your Annual Pension Statement and set up additional voluntary contributions (AVC) through the York University Retirement Planner.

View pension estimates through the York University Retirement Planner.
Benefits after you retire are available to eligible members based on status and affiliation, as detailed in the retiree group benefit booklets and the Pension Plan Booklet.
View the Quick Guide to Health Benefits for York Retirees: Non-Academic Quick Guide , Academic Quick Guide

When you have made your decision to retire, the first step is to formally notify your Manager, Supervisor, Dean/Principal or University Librarian in writing. This initiates the administrative process that ensures your pension and post-retirement benefits are set up correctly and without delay.

If you are an academic employee, you may retire on the 1^st of January or the 1^st of July any time after you turn age 55. If you are a non-academic employee, you may retire on the 1^st of any month after you turn age 55.

You must begin receipt of pension no later than December 1^st in the year you turn age 71.

A minimum of three months prior to your retirement date (or nine months for Faculty members), provide written notice of your retirement date to your Manager, Supervisor, Dean/Principal or University Librarian. Send a copy of the same written notice to the Pension and Benefits team at AskUSC@yorku.ca.

Your manager or HR representative will complete an Employee Transaction Form (ETF) and submit it to askusc@yorku.ca. Once the ETF is received, the Pension & Benefits Team will prepare your Retirement Package. This includes all necessary forms and instructions to guide you through the next steps.

Your completed paperwork must be received by the 15^th of the month prior to your retirement date to avoid delays in processing payments and impact to your post-retirement benefits.

Please note that you must contact Service Canada for support with Canada Pension Plan (CPP) applications and Old Age Security (OAS) applications.

Book a Consultation

You may choose to book a consultation with us on the following topics: 

Discuss when to retire and retirement options 
Obtain feedback from an impartial person on retirement plans 
Discuss retirement concerns and develop strategies to address them

All appointments are virtual and scheduled during regular office hours. If you require an accommodation different from this standard offering, please indicate so when completing the booking request below or email AskUSC@yorku.ca to identify your need.

Book a Consultation