What is COLA?

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When you retire, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) increase your pension annually, helping you stay ahead of inflation.

Cost-of-Living Adjustments Overview

Cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) are effective each January and are applied to your ATRF pension (including the Advance & Reduction Option) before income tax is deducted.

For the pension payable on pensionable service to December 31, 1992, the COLA is calculated at 60% of the change from year to year in the Alberta Consumer Price Index (ACPI).

For the pension payable on pensionable service from January 1, 1993, the COLA is calculated at 70% of the change from year to year in the ACPI.

Plan members who received a pension for less than 12 months in the previous year receive a pro-rated adjustment.

Deferred Pension

If you stop participating in the plans and are entitled to receive a pension in the future and you decide to leave your pension benefit in the plan, your deferred pension will accumulate any cost-of-living increases that are granted during the deferral period.

How COLA is Calculated

The Teachers’ Pension Plans Act defines the method used to determine the COLA adjustment applicable to your pension. COLA is a measure of the change in the Alberta Consumer Price Index (ACPI) monthly values reported by Statistics Canada.

It is determined by taking the sum of the 12 most recent ACPI values (leading months, ending October 2022) and dividing by the sum of the previous 12 months (trailing months, ending October 2021).

The rate of 6.20% effective January 1, 2023, is calculated as follows:

Total ACPI (November 2021 to October 2022)
______________________________________
Total ACPI (November 2020 to October 2021)

[(1,888.00 / 1,778.10 ) – 1] = 0.0618.
Rounded to three decimal places = 0.062 or 6.20%

Below are the monthly ACPI values to show you how we arrived at the above calculation.

The plan sponsors, i.e. the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Alberta Government agreed, as part of a joint Memorandum of Understanding in 1992, to use the factors of 60% of ACPI (for service prior to 1993) and 70% of ACPI (for service after 1992). As a result, effective January 1, 2023, pensions will increase by 3.72% for pensionable service prior to 1993 and by 4.34% for pensionable service after 1992.

COLA Trends

COLA Trends ACPI 60% COLA 70% COLA
January 2024 3.9% 2.34% 2.73%
January 2023 6.20% 3.72% 4.34%
January 2022 2.60% 1.56% 1.82%
January 2021 1.30% 0.78% 0.91%
January 2020 1.70% 1.02% 1.19%
January 2019 2.50% 1.50% 1.75%
January 2018 1.30% 0.78% 0.91%
January 2017 1.30% 0.78% 0.91%
Lowest since 1994: 2010 0.10% 0.06% 0.07%
Highest since 1994: 2023 6.20% 3.72% 4.34%

COLA Calculation

ACPI Values 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
November 143.6 145.4 151.6 161.6
December 143.7 144.8 151.7 160.8
January 144.7 145.8 152.8 160.5
February 145.5 146.4 154.5 160.1
March 144.1 146.9 156.5 161.7
April 143.0 147.7 157.0 163.7
May 144.1 148.6 159.2 164.1
June 145.0 148.9 161.4 164.4
July 144.9 150.3 161.4 166.0
August 144.2 151.0 160.0 166.8
September 145.0 150.8 160.1 166.0
October 145.2 151.5 161.8 165.2
Total 1733.0 1778.1 1,888.0 1960.9