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Question: I thought I had earned my full year of service for my pension by the end of June 2011, but the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund (ATRF) website reports that I have only 0.83 service for 2010/11? Is that correct?
Answer: The information is correct.
A teacher earns 100 per cent of their salary and 100 per cent of their service during the regular school year—September to June. However, most teachers are paid over 12 months, to spread out their income over the entire year. Therefore, although you earned an entire year of service by the end of June, in most districts you will have been paid only 10/12 (or 0.83) of salary.
Once you have received your summer payout, you will have earned a full year of service. Your school board then reports this amount to ATRF. The benchmark for receipt of reporting is within 60 days of month end. Therefore, if you were paid in August, ATRF expects to receive the report from your employer by the end of October. After that time, you’ll see the full year of service credited to your file.
Remember, the timeline is an expectation, not an absolute. Most school boards report in a timely manner, but the complexities of year-end calculations, as well as changes in personnel in a board’s payroll department, could cause delays.
Teachers can track their progress online on ATRF’s website (www.atrf.com). Sign up for online services and check your personal statement. The last service reported by your employer is shown in red on the top right of the statement.
Questions for consideration in this column are welcome. Please address them to Gordon Thomas at Barnett House (gordon.thomas@ata.ab.ca).
