Working and collecting a pension
The PJPP lets you ease into retirement by accommodating a judge who retires from full-time service to work part-time as a provincial judge and collect a PJPP pension at the same time.
If you choose to do this, keep two things in mind: first, under Section 44 of the Courts of Justice Act, your part-time service is limited to a percentage of full-time service; and second the total of your judicial pay and your pension payments cannot exceed the annual salary of a full-time judge (based on the rank or salary used to calculate your pension). Please speak to the CJO for additional information.
Per CJO practice, the PJPB understands that each year your ‘allowable days’ of work will be communicated to the CJO to manage your work schedule (so that you do not exceed the earnings limit). The test period is April 1st to March 31st. Unused days cannot be carried forward to the next test period.
The maximum allowable days that you can work part-time, where your pension payments and part-time income will not exceed your full-time annual salary, is communicated to you when your pension commences, when your pension changes, or when the salary rate of a full-time judge changes.
Keep in mind that once you retire and start receiving your pension, even if you choose to work part-time, you will no longer accrue benefits under the plan.
- Your contributions to the plan, if you are still making them, will stop, and
- You will stop accruing pension under the plan.