In this edition
“Clear, concise, organized, informative, wonderful” and more like this from members on our learning sessions
It’s easy for members to learn about their CAAT pension with our webinar learning sessions, and 95% of members who attend would recommend them to their colleagues.
We host three specialized member learning sessions on:
- An overview of the Plan: A “can’t-miss” for new members that tells them why their pension is a big deal – covering contributions, retirement options, survivor benefits, and more valuable features Canadians want.
- Retirement planning: It’s never too early to think about the future! This session answers members’ big questions about retirement and their CAAT pension, like how much money they need for retirement and how much their pension will be.
- Purchases: Want a bigger pension from one secure source? In this session, members will learn about the types of purchases, costs, and processes – so they can see if a purchase is right for them.
We schedule member learning sessions during a variety of dates and times, making it convenient for members to sign up for one that fits their schedule.
New this year, we are offering virtual one-on-ones for members who are planning to retire and attend a retirement session. We’ll handle the session logistics and answer their questions.
Think you’ll have a large group interested in a learning session? We can host a private session for your members that can target specific topics and questions.
Interested in booking one-on-one or group sessions for your members?
Email us today to understand your options.
Upcoming events
Mark your calendar for these events. We send invitations straight to your inbox two weeks prior to the event and registration is available on our website.
Quarterly Employer Update
(February 28)
This webinar will update you on the growth of the Plan, Plan news, upcoming events, reminders, and more.
Register now
Employer Education Session – Annual Statement Overview
(March 9)
This session will give you an understanding of the Active, Deferred, Extension of Membership (EOM), and Retired Member statements. This session is for employers who work directly with CAAT.
Employer Education Session – In-Year Reporting
(April 13)
This session will give you an overview of how to process in-year events like terminations, retirements, and pre-retirement deaths. This session is for employers who work directly with CAAT.
Updates and reminders
The 2022 employer attestations are due March 31
If you joined the plan on or before January 1, 2022, and have over 200 members, you received an attestation to complete for the 2022 Plan year. We ask you to sign an attestation of administrative compliance to certify that you met your key administrative obligations to the CAAT Pension Plan during the prior calendar year.
The attestation, combined with our training and education program, helps us reduce and manage our shared administrative risks. Please submit the attestations via email to Sandy Cook by March 31.
Thank you to those employers who have already submitted their attestations.
Streamline your work with our new contribution remittance process
You no longer need to send multiple emails to CIBC Mellon and CAAT Finance to submit your contribution remittance forms. Starting with the January 2023 contribution remittance, you only need to send your forms to one email address at employer@caatpension.ca, using S-Doc. This new process allows us to receive your information securely. The forms to complete your contribution remittance are available for download from the Employer Manual.
Want to position yourself as an employer of choice? There’s a badge for that!
Visit the Talent Recruitment Toolkit and download the ‘Lifetime Retirement Pension’ badge and show candidates the benefit of building their career with you. While you’re there, check out all the other resources that will help you recruit and nurture top candidates. Make sure job seekers keep your organization top of mind in this competitive job market: access the toolkit on our website to get started today!
Coming soon: 2022 year in review
This spring, we will release our year in review and our annual report. It will highlight how CAAT continues to reach more Canadian workplaces nationwide, providing a competitive edge that draws employees in - and encourages them to stay.
Save the date: CAAT’s Annual Webinar is coming up on May 11! Mark the date in your calendar and stay tuned for registration details.
Let’s work together to send our members’ 2022 annual statements
We have started processing annual statements with the goal of sending 95% of them to members by May 31. To help us achieve this goal, please take note of the following timelines:
Employers working directly with CAAT:
Thank you to everyone who submitted their data through Payroll Based Reporting before the January 20 deadline! If you haven’t yet sent your data, please do so as soon as possible.
For those of you who report your data annually through the Data Collection Tool, please visit Pension Administration Link and submit your data before March 6.
Employers working with CAAT admin partners:
Thank you for submitting your year end data! We may reach out to you with additional questions as we work on the contribution reconciliation and test annual statements.
Pension adjustments for members on long-term disability (LTD) are available
Read this if… you are an employer with DBprime members who received LTD benefits in 2022
We processed the pension adjustments for members on LTD and have mailed he T4A forms to them on Friday, February 17, 2023. If your members on LTD have questions or didn’t receive their T4A, please direct them to our Members Services Team at 1-866-350-2228.
What’s new in PAL
Read this if… you are an employer who works directly with CAAT
Get the highlights about the latest features and enhancements to the Pension Administration Link (PAL). Connect with us if you have questions or experience any issues.
Sign in
Reassign leaves with just a click
You can now assign any leaves that you have started to other members of your team to complete the process. For example, now you can start the leave form with the information you know, like the leave date, and then assign it to your payroll team to complete information like earnings and contributions. This enhancement will help streamline your workflow and allow you to have a more efficient process.
We heard you: fix for pregnancy leaves with no payroll deductions
Did you ever report a pregnancy leave with no payroll deductions on PAL, print it off, and it was blank? Fear no more – this bug is gone! Now when you input the information on PAL, the printout will show the information and you can have the member sign it. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and having patience while we make the update.
Coming soon: complete your contribution remittances on PAL
We’re always looking to offer better solutions to maximize efficiency and help you optimize your operations. We will be expanding the capabilities in PAL so you can upload your contribution remittance forms securely in one place. In the meantime, please continue to use our current process of sending your forms to employer@caatpension.ca, using S-Doc.
We want to hear from you
Have a question, comment, or suggestion for us about PAL? Let us know. Your feedback is important to us. Over the course of the next year, we’re planning to add more exciting features to improve PAL functionality. It’s an innovative platform that continues to expand and put information into a single, unified experience for you. Reach out to your Employer Pension Analyst to share your thoughts any time.
New video episode of the Contributors podcast
In this special fireside chat, two guests join host Russell Evans: Dr. Susan Black, President and CEO of the Conference Board of Canada, and Derek Dobson, CEO and Plan Manager of CAAT Pension Plan. Derek and Susan discuss the Marathon for Talent and how employers can capitalize on today’s hiring landscape. They share their thoughts on why it’s important to shift to a long-term approach to retain your employees.
Watch now
Industry outlook: gain insights from some of the industry’s forward thinkers
Take a closer look at the latest trends, research, and insights across the industry. Share with your employees and network!
Does Canada need a pension champion?
In a review of its pension system, Ontario recommends an agency or unit of the provincial government serve as a pension champion – Leo Kolivakis suggests this could be CAAT’s own Derek Dobson.
Read now
Free retirement savings course by the Association of Canadian Pension Management
This online course will give you an overview of retirement savings, government and workplace pensions, and how you can support financial health and wellbeing.
Learn now
A new slate of tax changes came into effect on Jan. 1: Here's what you need to know
This short video highlights tax changes coming this year including the First Home Saving's Account (FHSA) program, new anti-flipping rules, and how inflation is adjusting tax brackets in Canada.
Watch now