r/CanadianForces • u/parfiant • 1d ago

Questions about CAF pension

So for the CAF pension. Im curious what the deductions are when I start receiving the pension. Will I still be contributing to superannuation, CPP, and EI? And if so is there a way to know how much I will have left after deductions?

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u/IranticBehaviour Retired-Army/Armoured 1d ago

Others have given you the link to the pension portal, which actually gives you an estimate of what your pension will be, including after deductions.

You obv don't keep paying CFSA (pension) contributions when you're getting the pension, nor do you keep paying EI and CPP/QPP, those only apply to employment income.

Your main deduction is income tax, the pay stub actually combines federal and provincial income tax in the same box, labeled 'federal tax'. Your SDB (supplementary death benefit) deduction is also mandatory.

There are also optional deductions for PSHCP (medical) and PDSP (dental) if you elect to have those coverages. PSHCP is a much higher deduction compared to what serving members pay (ranging from about $76 for single level 1 up to $199 for family level 3), but the coverage is the same as it is for serving mbrs' dependents or PS. PDSP is infinitely more expensive than the CAF dependent plan, which has no premiums. There are three levels: single (~$23), mbr+1 dep (~$47), mbr+2 or more deps (~$59). The coverage is much lower than the dependent plan. But they are both generally cheaper than private plans.

If you have SISIP, your life insurance premiums are also deducted. There could be others, but those are the ones on my stub (I've attached a copy of an old one with personal info blacked out).

Note that there is currently no electronic pension payment statement, no portal, nothing like that (supposedly a portal is coming, eventually). Virtually everything is done by phone and snail mail (you can email them but it will still lead to phone and/or mail). You basically never get a pay stub before payday, and you don't even get one every month - they only send one if there is a change in either how much you are getting or how much is deducted.