Inflation protection

Your CAAT pension includes conditional inflation protection increases

plan features

Understand your annual increase

Inflation refers to the increase in the prices of goods and services over time. Pension plans can help offset the negative impact of inflation by providing inflation protection, in the form of periodic increases to the amount of a pension payment. These increases help reduce the erosion of buying power caused by inflation.

In the CAAT Plan, when members retire, their initial pension payment is called the "lifetime pension." Inflation protection, when it is granted, is added to the lifetime pension each year that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a widely-used measure of inflation in Canada, has increased. The new amount is the new lifetime pension. In other words, inflation protection is cumulative. Once inflation protection has been paid, it is a permanent addition to your retirement income.

2024 rate
2024 Increase

The CAAT Plan inflation protection rate for 2024 is 3.58%


Here are the top 5 questions members ask about inflation protection

How will I know if my pension is going to increase?

Each year in December, retired members are sent a letter detailing the increase to their pensions (if any) for the upcoming year. The letter will show the amount of the inflation protection increase, the gross pension payments after any inflation protection increases have been applied, any adjustment for income tax, and the net payment as of January 1 in the following year.

What are the different types of inflation protection?

The inflation protection that may be applied to your pension is based on when you earned your pension.

  • Conditional inflation protection applies to the pension earned in the CAAT Pension Plan after 2007.
  • For pensions earned in the CAAT Pension Plan between 1992 and 2007, inflation protection increases are guaranteed and will be granted indefinitely.
  • For pensions earned in the CAAT Pension Plan before 1992, no inflation protection increases are applicable. The last scheduled “ad hoc” inflation protection increase was January 1, 2014. If you earned service prior to 1992, your pension will not decrease as a result of the end of ad hoc pre-1992 inflation. Prior increases will remain a permanent part of your pension.

Why is inflation protection “conditional”?

Conditional inflation protection means increases are conditional on affordability – the Plan’s funded status must be at level 2 and above on the Funding Policy. The most recent valuation guaranteed funding for inflation protection to (at least) 2027.

How does CAAT calculate inflation protection?

In the CAAT Plan, inflation protection is calculated based on changes to the previous year’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI, calculated by Statistics Canada, is considered a reliable measure of inflation.

The annual rate is calculated using a method called the “average method.” The average CPI for the 12-month period ending in September of the current year is compared to the average of the 12-month period ending in September of the previous year. The inflation protection increase paid by the Plan is equal to 75% of the percentage change in the two averages of CPI.

Is there a maximum inflation protection increase?

The maximum increase in a year is 8%. In years when inflation is high, any amount above the 8% would be carried forward and applied to inflation protection in following years. This carry forward is referred to as “banking.” If there is no increase in the September CPI of a given year, there will be no increase to pensions in the following year.


More about inflation protection

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