Working In Retirement

Recipients of an Nova Scotia Teachers' Pension are limited in how many days they may work while collecting their pension.  Recipients are allowed to work less than 70 days with no effect on their pension.  Note that these days can be either as a substitute teacher or a term teacher.

Since 2019, the Plan has been amended to increase the number of days that a recipient can work as a substitute teacher.  

Effective August 1, 2024, for the 2024-2025 school year, recipients of a Nova Scotia Teachers' Pension can:

1. Work for less than 70 days (up to 69.5 days) in a term position;
2. Work for less than 120 days (up to 119.5 days) as a substitute teacher; and
3. Days in item 1 count towards the days in item 2.

Retirement and the Teachers' Pension Plan

The NSTU publishes the Retirement and the Teachers' Pension Plan booklet as a guide to our members.

View/download the complete document: English / French.

My Retirement Plan

My Retirement Plan offers active plan members secure access to their personalized pension information online. Members can:

• View their Pension Profile;
• View their Annual Member Statement; and
• Use the Pension Projection Tool.

Please use your Member ID and personal Password to log on at: https://nspensions.hroffice.com. If you are having difficulty or do not have your logon credentials, please contact NS Pension at 1-800-774-5070 (toll free) or 902-424-5070 (local).

Financial Planning

The Nova Scotia Teachers Plus Credit Union provides financial planning instruments and advice on its website (http://www.teachersplus.ca/).

Flexible Pension Options

On April 10, 2018, formal approval was given to make the Part Time Employment Full Pension Credit, as described below, a permanent option under the Teachers’ Pension Plan.

In order to participate in this Option, you must contact your Human Resources Department to make arrangements to reduce your work assignment. Please check your Regional or APSEA Collective Agreement to determine deadlines for applying for such leave. Please note that the maximum participation in the Option is two (2) years during your career, so if you have participated already for two years, you would not be eligible.

Please note that if you are on leave (unpaid, deferred salary, or Long Term Disability) for the entire school year, you are not eligible to participate in the Flexible Pension Option during the following school year.  If you are on leave (unpaid, deferred salary, or Long Term Disability) for less than 60% of the school year, you may be eligible to participate in the Flexible Pension Option during the following school year.  Teachers in this scenario are encouraged to contact NS Pension for specific information related to their personal circumstances and restrictions on their ability to participate in the Flexible Pension Option in school year following a leave.

Once you have obtained the employer's approval, you must advise the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation of your desire to participate in the Flexible Pension Option by completing the Flexible Pension Option Application - FORM.0026 available from NS Pension.  

Description

Part-Time Employment - Possible Full-Pension Credit

This options allows a plan member who accepts an assignment working less time than the immediately prior year to contribute to the Plan based on the equivalent salary for the previous year's position and to accrue the same amount of pensionable service as the previous year. The employer will match the contributions made by the teacher. In accordance with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Regulations, the individual must have worked for the 36 months before the period of reduced service and the salary in the period of reduced service must be less than the salary in the previous year.

Members who are already working part-time (or job-sharing) prior to the school year they wish to use this Option, should note that they must work less than the previous year and they can only receive pension credit equal to what they had in the previous year. For example, a member working 50% in the current academic year must work less than 50% in the next academic year and receives only 50% of a pension credit.

The period of reduced employment may begin or end at any time during the academic year. Any member, regardless of age or service, may participate in this Option.

Note: If salary is not paid over 26 pay periods, when electing this Option, there may be implications for insurance coverages which may require the member to obtain an Associate Membership for insurance purposes. For further information on this, contact the NSTU Member Services department.

Current CPP Salary Limitations

2025

YBE (Year's Basic Exemption) - $3,500.00

YMPE (Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings) - $71,300.00

YAMPE (Year's Additional Maximum Pensionable Earnings) - $81,200.00