Joining the Plan
You must accumulate 550 paid hours, or recognized as such, in a single calendar year, working for one or more employers, to be eligible to join the Plan. Upon meeting this eligibility criteria, you will receive a letter from the Plan administrator notifying you of your eligibility date, which is the date on which your active membership will begin.
If you have not reached a total of 550 hours by December 31 of a given year, the number of hours is reset the following year and accumulation of the 550 hours starts over.
This membership is mandatory for as long as you work for an employer. If you are already a Plan member and you change employers or are hired by another employer, the deduction of your contributions begins on your first day of work at your new employment.
The following provisions govern Plan eligibility.
Eligibility Criteria |
Examples |
Julie is hired by an employer on October 5. |
October : 130 hours November : 150 hours December : 130 hours January : 140 hours | Although Julie accumulated 550 hours as at January 31, she only accumulated 410 hours by the end of the calendar year, that is, by December 31. She therefore does not meet the eligibility criteria to join the Plan. The counter is reset on January 1 of the following year. She therefore accumulated 140 hours as at January 31. |
|
Julie is hired by two employers on April 5. |
April employer 1 : 100 hours April employer 2 : 80 hours May employer 1 : 90 hours May employer 2 : 100 hours June employer 1 : 90 hours June employer 2 : 90 hours | Julie accumulated 280 hours with employer 1 and 270 hours with employer 2 in a single calendar year, totalizing 550 hours. She therefore becomes eligible to join the Plan. |
|
Julie is hired by employer 1 in September and changes to employer 2 in January. |
September employer 1 : 140 hours October employer 1 : 130 hours November employer 1 : 150 hours December employer 1 : 130 hours January employer 2 : 140 hours | Julie accumulated 550 hours with employer 1 in a single calendar year. She therefore becomes eligible to join the Plan. She does not need to accumulate 550 hours with employer 2 before becoming eligible for membership. She therefore starts making contributions with employer 2 on her first day of work with employer 2 . |
If you are under 18 years of age
As of January 1, 2021, membership is mandatory as soon as you meet the eligibility criteria, even if you are under the age of 18.
If you are over 18 years of age, but under 65
You are eligible for membership in the Plan whether you hold a full-time, part-time, permanent, or temporary position, as soon as you meet the eligibility criteria of 550 paid hours in a single calendar year.
Your membership is mandatory as of your eligibility date.
If you are 65 years of age or older
Employees who are hired past their 65th birthday are not eligible for membership in the Plan. If you joined the Plan before your 65th birthday, you will stop making plan contributions when you reach age 65.
Search Content
