Unpaid leave of absence overview
An unpaid leave of absence is any unpaid leave approved by your employer.
When you return to work, you may contribute to the Plan for the period of leave. Contributions for the leave must begin within 90 days of returning to work.
Contributions for an unpaid leave of absence
You can contribute for a maximum of five years of accumulated leaves of absence. This maximum may be increased by an additional three years for parental leaves.
If you decide to make contributions for the leave, you may:
- contribute through your employer, over a period of time equal to the length of time you were on the leave;
- make a lump-sum payment of the total amount to your employer for remittance to the Plan; or
- make a lump-sum payment of the total amount directly to MEPP as a transfer from an RRSP. MEPP requires a T2033 form.
You must pay both your portion and your employer’s portion of the contributions. Your employer is not required to contribute.
Contributions for the period of leave are based on your salary at the time you began the leave.
Timeframe to contribute for an LOA
The option to contribute for a leave expires 90 days after you return to work.
If you do not contribute for the leave when you return to work, you could still buy the period at a later date as a purchase of prior service, which is an actuarial cost.