Mail or fax a cheque marked "VOID" along with a signed letter to ATRF, or have your bank fax or mail the change to us on your behalf. Changes must be received by the 15th of the month to be effective for that month's payment.
Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund Board600 Barnett House 11010 142 ST NWEdmonton, AB T5N 2R1Canada
Fax: (780) 452-3547
You may also refer to MyPension to change your banking information
Payments by electronic direct deposit will be made on the third-last business day of the month, except in December when your payment will be deposited the second-last business day before Christmas.
For pension deposit dates for the current year, refer to Pension Deposit Dates.
Please call or write to us, or register for MyPension to make this change online.
If the guarantee period of your pension has not yet expired, you will need to complete and sign the Beneficiary Update Form for Guaranteed Pensions and return it to our office.
Send us a signed letter along with proof of the change, such as a marriage certificate, to:
To learn about the confirmation of pension letter process, refer to the publication, Confirmation Letters – Frequently Asked Questions.
COLA is applied every January to ATRF pensions in accordance with provisions of the Teachers’ Pension Plans Act. The provisions provide that:
We compare the average monthly ACPI for the 12 months ending on October 31st to the 12-month average a year earlier.
The CPI measures the inflation for the Canadian economy while the ACPI is specific to Alberta’s economy.
Many other pension plans use a price index to calculate COLA. For example, the Canada Pension Plan and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan use the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Many other pension plans in Alberta use the same formula as ATRF.
The ACPI measures the average price change through time of goods and services purchased by Alberta consumers by comparing the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services. There are eight major components, each with a specific weighting of the fixed basket.
The two ATRF plan sponsors 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). The cost of each factor is funded through contribution rates. The cost of the 60% factor is shared equally by teachers and the Alberta Government; the cost of the extra 10% is the responsibility of teachers. The incremental cost of a 100% COLA was not considered to be affordable by either sponsor at that time.
Pension Information Statements will be mailed late January along with a copy of the Pension Update Newsletter. (To receive an electronic copy of the statement, instead of a mailed statement, select this option after registering for MyPension.) The statement shows your updated pension payment amount (including the impact of any income withholding tax changes).
Benefit changes are the responsibility of plan sponsors. Any changes would be part of negotiations between the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Alberta Government.
Please click here to get to the Cost-of-Living Adjustments page of our website.
If you are under age 65, you may have continued your group benefits through the Alberta School Employee Benefits Plan (ASEBP).ASEBPPhone: (780) 431-4786 or Toll free in Alberta 1-877-431-4786If you have not chosen to continue these benefits or are over the age of 65, you can contact the Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association (ARTA) at http://www.arta.net.ARTAPhone: (780) 822-2400 or Toll free in Alberta 1-855-212-2400Please note that neither organization is affiliated with ATRF.
Under Canada's tax system, your liability for income tax in Canada is based on your status as a resident or non-resident of Canada. Your residence status must be established before your tax liability to Canada can be determined.
A determination of residency status can only be made after all the factors have been considered. Your circumstances have to be reviewed in their entirety to get an accurate picture of your residency status.
The residential ties you have or establish in Canada are a major factor in determining residency status. Residential ties to Canada can include:
When you leave Canada to settle in another country, you usually become a non-resident of Canada for income tax purposes on the latest of the following dates:
Residential ties that you maintain or establish in another country may also be relevant to residency status. If you require more information regarding residency status please refer to the Canada Revenue Agency website.
Contact the International Tax Service Office if you want an opinion about your residency status. Then, complete Form NR73, Determination of Residency Status (Leaving Canada).
Send it to:
International Tax Services OfficeP.O. Box 9769, Station TOttawa, ON K1G 3Y4Canada
Once CRA has determined your residency status, contact ATRF in writing with the decision.
The Pension Information Statement is a one-page document that provides details of your current pension status. It is provided annually, in January of each year, or whenever there is a change to your pension payment. For information about receiving your Pension Information Statement electronically, refer to Pension Information Statements.
Refer to Returning to Work as a Teacher for more information about returning to teaching after retirement.
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E-mail inquiries will be responded to within 10 business days. Personal information will be sent by mail. Please provide your current mailing address.
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