Enrolment
Eligibility
The following persons are eligible to become members:
- Credential holders who have full time employment in a PAOC church, ministry, or affiliate.
- Non-credential holders who have full time employment in a PAOC church, ministry or affiliate, who are members in good standing of a PAOC assembly or would qualify for membership as per requirements outlined in The Local Church Constitution.
- Part-time employees, credentialed or non-credentialed as noted above, who:
- Have completed two years of continuous service and who earn at least 35% of the YMPE* (Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings for CPP purposes); or
- Have worked at least 700 hours in the two immediately prior consecutive calendar years.
*YMPE for 2024 is $68,500.
Note: Pastoring a church on a transitional basis does not impede enrolment in the Pension Fund. Pension contributions can be accepted on a member’s behalf from any employer the Pension Fund has a Participating Employer Agreement with.
For the Prospective Fund Member
- Complete and sign the employee portion of the confidential Application.
- Decide, in consultation with your employer, the percentage of contributions to be deducted from your pay.
Note: It is the member’s responsibility to advise the Pension Fund of any change of address or future change to the named beneficiary on their Application.
For the Employer
- If not already on file with the Pension Fund, complete and sign a Participating Employer Agreement, keeping a copy for your own files.
- Complete and sign the employer portion of the Application.
- If the employee is a non-credential holder, attach to the Application a letter (on church letterhead and signed by the senior pastor) stating that the employee is a member in good standing.
- Deduct the agreed upon percentage of contribution from the employee’s pay, match the amount and remit it within 30 days. (Note: All cheques to be accompanied by a General Remittance Form available through the Pension Portal, clearly indicating who the cheque is for and how the amount is to be split between employee and employer portion.)
- Additional employer information, including government reporting, can be found on the Employer Information Sheet.
Once all of the above is received by the Pension Fund, the employee will receive a letter welcoming them as a Fund member and enclosing a current copy of our Membership Information Booklet.