Working During Retirement: Upcoming Changes Effective July 1, 2023

The practice of retiring and then returning to work while collecting your monthly pension is commonly known as “double-dipping.” It’s a long-standing practice that STRP members have utilized since the inception of the Plan. On average, around 200 teachers take advantage of this option every year, most of them for short periods of time.

Short-term double-dipping does not have material costs to the Plan and is generally seen as a benefit for all members. It also helps school divisions plan staffing for the upcoming year and provides the ability for members to substitute teach during retirement, which is especially important in areas where substitutes can be difficult to find. However, longer-term double-dipping has a more significant cost to the Plan, especially in relation to high-income earners. Those costs come at the expense of the greater Plan membership.

At a Special Meeting of Council held in October 2022, a resolution was passed to change the Plan’s re-employment rules so that effective July 1, 2023, any STRP pensioner who is re-employed as a LEADS member or STF staff member will have their monthly pension suspended and will be re-enrolled in the Plan for their entire period of re-employment.

These changes do not have any impact on STRP pensioners who return to work in a position other than LEADS or STF staff.