Enrol in the CAAT Plan

Earn secure income in retirement by building your pension while you work

Where do I start?

If you work part time or on contract and your employer participates in the CAAT Plan, you have the choice to enrol in the CAAT Plan under the DBplus Plan design at any point during your employment (unless enrolment becomes mandatory in your jurisdiction of employment after a certain threshold). Once you enrol, you can’t opt out. Learn more about how to enrol in the Plan below. If you’ve already decided you want to enrol, jump to “How to enrol” to find the Enrolment form.

If you work full time and your employer participates in the CAAT Plan, you will be automatically enrolled in the Plan. This page does not apply to you.

If you work for an employer that does not yet participate in the CAAT Plan, but you are interested in having your employer join, visit the pension solutions page to learn more.

What do I get if I enrol in DBplus?

If you choose to enrol in DBplus, you will begin contributing and building valuable, secure retirement income. Your employer also contributes to your pension on your behalf. When you retire, you will start collecting a lifetime pension which includes additional features, such as:

  • Conditional inflation protection
  • Survivor benefits
  • Flexible retirement dates
  • Options if you leave your job before retirement

How do DBplus contributions work?

You will contribute for as long as you are employed by a participating employer, on every pay. Your employer will also make contributions to the Plan on your behalf, increasing your overall pension.

  • Visit "Your contributions" and select your employer name from the drop down to see what your employer’s contribution rate will be.
  • Pension plan contributions are tax-deductible, which means they reduce your income for tax purposes.
  • If you leave your job and take on another contract at the same employer, or you work for another participating employer, you remain a contributing member, and build your pension on those earnings as well, up to the applicable Income Tax Act maximum.

Is membership right for me?

While it’s never too early to start saving for retirement, it is important to consider if membership in DBplus fits into your budget and career plans. In deciding to enrol, you should think carefully about your own situation. Different factors will be relevant for each individual and only you can determine the action that is best for you.

Once you become a member of the Plan, you are required to contribute on the earnings you receive from all participating employers, and you cannot opt out and stop contributing.

Ontario Colleges
Estimate your DBplus pension before enrolling

See if enrolling is right for you

Try the DBplus Evaluation Tool

How to enrol in DBplus

Once you've reviewed the resources and have decided to enrol in DBplus:

If you work in the Ontario College system

If you work for an employer that joined DBplus since 2019 or required a voting process

  • Contact your employer directly if you have the option to enrol in DBplus, and have decided to do so.

Get answers to your DBplus questions

We've answered some of the most-asked questions about enrolling in DBplus, below. If your question isn't answered here, contact our member services team.

What if I work more than one contract or at more than one participating employer?

If you enrol in the CAAT Plan with one participating employer, you must contact any other participating employer you work for, and ensure that the HR department is aware that you are a member of the Plan. In this way, contributions can be deducted for all employers on a timely basis, which avoids missed contributions requiring catch-up. You will make contributions on every contract, at every participating employer, and earn a pension with each employer. If you start a contract at another employer, and are already enrolled in DBprime through a different employer, you are not eligible to join DBplus.

What happens if my contract ends or if I leave my job before I am eligible to retire?

If you are no longer employed by a participating employer, and you are not yet eligible to retire, you remain a Plan member for 24 months, referred to as Extension of Membership (EOM) period. If you take a job at a new employer that participates in the CAAT Plan during those 24 months, you will resume contributing to the Plan and you will earn additional benefits. To learn about your transfer options on Extension of Membership, visit the page “Leaving your job.”

You will receive your options from the Plan shortly after your Extension of Membership period has passed. Your benefit is locked-in, which means even if you leave the Plan before retirement, it must be used for retirement income, and cannot be taken as a cash payout.

Can I estimate my DBplus pension before enrolling?

If you work in the Ontario College system, you can visit the DBplus Evaluation Tool. It will give you an estimate of the contributions you would make, and the pension you could earn, starting from the date you enrol in DBplus.

Can I leave the Plan after I’ve enrolled?

Once you have enrolled in the CAAT Pension Plan, you remain a member. While you are employed by a participating employer you cannot opt out and stop contributing. Learn more on the “Leaving your job” page.

What happens if I move to full-time employment for a participating employer that offers DBprime?

In that case, you will automatically start making contributions and earning a pension in DBprime and start making contributions and earning a pension at the DBprime rates. For every year you contributed to DBplus, you will get a full year of early retirement eligibility service recognized under DBprime. This will help you reach your earliest unreduced retirement date under DBprime sooner.

When you retire, your total pension would be the combined pension earned under both Plan designs.

If you begin working at an employer that only participates in DBplus, and move to full-time employment, you would continue earning a pension in DBplus.

How soon can I enrol in DBplus?

All employees who work part-time or on contract at a participating employer may be able to enrol in DBplus at any time during their employment with a participating employer.

Can I purchase additional pension under DBplus?

Yes. Visit the Increasing your pension page for details.

Can I enrol if I am currently receiving a pension from the CAAT Pension Plan?

You can choose to continue to receive your pension, or you can suspend pension payments, rejoin the Plan and contribute under the DBplus plan design. Members may contribute to the Plan up until November 30 of the year in which they turn 71, after which members must begin receiving their pension payments by law.

Only you can decide if enrolling in the CAAT Pension Plan is right for you. Once you’ve reviewed all the information you should be ready to decide if you want to enrol now and start building your retirement income in DBplus. You may have the option to enrol at any time during your employment, and begin building a pension from that point forward, but the sooner you enrol, the sooner you start building your future pension. Once you enrol, you can’t opt out.