As a defined benefit pension plan, OMERS provides a secure and stable retirement income that is paid monthly for as long as you live. The Plan is also designed to provide other benefits to help you navigate life changes.
You and your employer make regular contributions to the Plan in equal amounts that are invested into the Plan’s diversified portfolio.
Your loved ones are protected after your death. Your spouse and dependent children have automatic entitlements if they meet the eligibility criteria at the relevant time.
If you are unable to work because of an illness or injury, you may be eligible for OMERS disability benefits.
You can maximize your pension by purchasing past service, transferring service into the Plan or investing in the OMERS Fund through Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC).
Plan for your retirement by learning how your pension is calculated, the type of income sources available to you outside of OMERS and what you need to start receiving your pension.
Keep pace with the cost of living with inflation protection that increases OMERS retirement, disability and survivor pensions each year.
With a secure myOMERS account, you can get a comprehensive overview of your pension, update your contact and beneficiary information, estimate your retirement income and more!
All you need to get started is your email address or phone number and your date of birth. Register with a personal email address so that you always have access to your account, even if you leave your employer.
Sign upWhether you are new to the Plan, a working member or approaching retirement, the resources below will help you plan for your retirement and the income you'll receive through your pension.
Set the foundation for a secure retirement:
Learn how your pension is calculated
Provide us with information about your spouse and designate your beneficiaries
Consider participating in OMERS AVCs
Tune in to The Pension Blueprint podcast
Grow and maximize your pension:
Attend an information session about your pension
Learn about your options when you change employers
Consider buying back eligible service
Use the Retirement Planner tool
Prepare for retirement and beyond:
Review your beneficiaries and provide us with your spousal information
Explore your early retirement options
Take a holistic look at your retirement income sources
Check out our pre-retirement checklist
You and your employer make regular contributions to the Plan in each pay period in equal amounts that are invested into the Plan’s diversified portfolio. The Plan’s investments fund the bulk of OMERS benefits.
Your contributory earnings are your regular and recurring earnings, excluding additional amounts such as overtime pay and most one-time and lump-sum payments.
*Earnings related to performance-based bonus or incentive payments and similar arrangements that are regular and recurring.
These contributions will fund a portion of your pension and the remainder will be funded by investment earnings of the OMERS Fund. The contribution rates vary depending on your normal normal retirement age (NRA) and earnings relative to the year's maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE).
Retirement age | Earnings up to YMPE* | Earnings over YMPE* |
|---|---|---|
NRA 65 members | 9.0% | 14.6% |
NRA 60 members | 9.2% | 15.8% |
*The YMPE in 2025 is $71,300.
The current contribution rates will be adjusted on January 1, 2027. See Contribution Rates Review for more details.
Understanding how your OMERS contributions are calculated will help you plan for your financial future.
To calculate contributions, the YMPE must be divided by the number of pay periods in the year. This depends on your employer’s payroll cycle.
Your contributions are determined based on your gross contributory earnings, which are earnings before statutory and other deductions. If your contributory earnings vary from pay period to pay period, your contributions will vary as well.
Employers may use different payroll cycles over a year such as monthly, bimonthly or biweekly. Many OMERS employers use payroll cycles that cover the entire calendar year whereas others have multiple cycles for different employee groups, including ones that run over the 10-month school year. Your contributions will be determined by the payroll cycle you are on.
See below for an example of what the YMPE per pay period calculation looks like where the pay period is bi-weekly for those on a calendar year cycle versus a school year cycle:
Calendar year cycle | School year cycle |
|---|---|
Number of pay periods in year = 26 | Number of pay periods in year = 22 |
Per pay period YMPE calculations for 2025:
$71,300 ÷ 26 = $2,742.31 | Per pay period YMPE calculations for 2025:
$71,300 ÷ 22 = $3,240.91 |
If you only work for part of the year, the YMPE per pay period calculation will not change (i.e., if you would normally be paid over 26 bi-weekly pay periods over a calendar year, the YMPE per pay period would be determined using 26 pay periods even if you only receive contributory earnings during a portion of those pay periods).
Learn more about the benefits of your OMERS pension.
Attend an in-person or online session to learn more about the Plan.
Learn more about combining your service and managing dual memberships in the Plan.