Retired members

Valuing and dividing your pension

If you're considering dividing your pension, you'll need to take the following steps:

Step 1: Apply for a Statement of Family Law Value

If you're married, either you or your spouse can apply for this statement. If you're in a common-law relationship, only you can apply. If you're both plan members, you're both required to apply to get the Family Law Value for each pension.

Here's how to apply:

1. Complete the mandatory Application for Family Law Value (Family Law Form FL-1). We have several e-signature enabled versions of this form, select the one that best meets your needs (the appendices are optional):

Family Law Form FL-1 with Appendix A (Joint Declaration of Period of Spousal Relationship) – use this version if you don’t have the other proof documents listed in Part G of Family Law Form FL-1

Family Law Form FL-1 with Appendix B (Request for Two Family Law Values) – use this version if you and your spouse haven’t determined your family law valuation date and want to propose two different dates

Family Law Form FL-1 with Appendix A and Appendix B – use this version if you need to complete both appendices

Family Law Form FL-1 only (no appendices) – use this version if you don’t need to complete either appendix

2. Send us all required documentation. You can either attach them in DocuSign while completing the form or upload them later in your Document Centre.

We send statements to both spouses upon receiving the completed application with all required supporting documents.

Important

• The Family Law Valuation (FLV) date must be specified in your court order, family arbitration award or domestic contract. The FLV date must match the FLV date identified on your Statement of Family Law Value.
• If you don’t wish to provide your current mailing address, you may provide the address of another person (identify them in the C/O section at the end of Part C – Information about the Plan Member). This person could be your lawyer or an individual acting for you. We’ll send your Statement of Family Law Value to this person but they don’t have the authority to discuss your family law matters with us. Please contact us to find out how to authorize that person.

Step 2: Decide if you're using your pension to settle your equalization obligation

Once you've received your Statement of Family Law Value, consult your family lawyer and/or financial advisor for professional advice when making this decision.

Example of pension division between plan member and former spouse

The division of your pension begins once the family law valuation process is complete. This process may take several months, and your former spouse is entitled to retroactive payments to account for the time that passed from your FLV date to when your pension is divided.

These retroactive payments are paid to your former spouse, in addition to the amount outlined in the separation agreement, court order or arbitration award. Your pension will be reduced accordingly.

The following example shows how payments to a former spouse are calculated to account for the retroactive payments between the FLV date and the date the pension division begins.

Important dates

• FLV date: January 2016
• Pension division start date: June 2016

*plus interest

**Assumes pension payment is former spouse's sole source of income

Spousal waivers

Under FSRA's pension valuation and division rules, your former spouse can waive his/her right to the joint and survivor pension. To do this, you and your former spouse must complete Post-retirement Waiver of Survivor Pension After Separation (Family Law Form FL-8).

While you and your former spouse may have personal reasons for wanting to agree to the waiver, please be aware that your gross pension amount will only increase by an amount equal to any actuarial reduction currently applied to provide a survivor pension greater than 50%, and the reduction currently applied to provide the 10-year pension guarantee. This increase will apply to your pension payments beginning the month after we receive the waiver.

If you remarry after you start your pension, you’ll incur a further reduction to your pension to provide a new survivor pension. The reduction can be significant and would be permanent, even if your new spouse agrees to a waiver in the future.

Step 3: Finalize your separation agreement with your family lawyer

This step only applies if you're using your pension to settle an equalization obligation.

This agreement should clearly identify your former spouse's share of the Family Law Value (found in Part A of your Statement of Family Law Value) and the FLV date.

Important

• Under Ontario law, your former spouse can't receive more than 50% of the pension benefit you earned during the spousal relationship, as set out in your Statement of Family Law Value.
• The Family Law Value (FLV) date must be specified in your court order, family arbitration award or domestic contract. The FLV date must match the FLV date identified on your Statement of Family Law Value.

Step 4: Apply for a Division of Pension in Pay

This step only applies if you're using your pension to settle an equalization obligation.

Your former spouse must apply to us directly.

Here's how to apply:

1. Complete the Spouse's Application to Divide a Retired Member's Pension (Family Law Form FL-6) – e-signature enabled
2. Select a division of pension option (listed in Part E of your Statement of Family Law Value)
3. Include the finalized court order, arbitration award, or separation agreement, which should clearly indicate the amount of each pension installment your former spouse is entitled to, and all other required documents with the application. You can either attach them in DocuSign while completing the form or upload them later in your Document Centre.

We divide and adjust your pension as outlined in the finalized court order, arbitration award, or separation agreement upon receiving the completed application with all required documents.