Are you entitled to a retirement pension?

You can receive a retirement pension as early as age 60 if you contributed to the Québec Pension Plan for at least one year and

• you have stopped working or are considered to have stopped working
  or
• you are not self-employed and have an agreement with your employer to reduce your work hours in view of retirement and reduce your salary by at least 20%. If you have several employers, you must reach an agreement with them to reduce your total salary by at least 20%.

You are considered to have stopped working if: 

• your estimated employment earnings for the twelve months after the one in which your pension payments begin are not greater than 25% of the maximum pensionable earnings, that is, the maximum amount on which you can make contributions to the Québec Pension Plan. In 2012, the maximum is 50 100 $. If you expect to earn no more than 25% of that amount (12 525 $ or less), we consider that you have stopped working
  or 
• you are on pre-retirement leave, even if you are still on the employer's payroll. You are on pre-retirement leave if, for example, you use up all accumulated sick leave before officially retiring
  or
• You are on sick leave with salary insurance and your insurance payments are less than 12 525$ in 2012.

• After age 65, you can begin receiving a retirement pension even you have not stopped working. You are only required to have contributed to the Québec Pension Plan for at least one year.
• If you stopped working for health reasons and are not yet 65, you can apply for a disability pension, which is higher than the retirement pension.
• If you have been receiving a retirement pension for less than eighteen months, you can apply for a disability pension. You will have to prove that you became disabled no later than six months after the first payment of your retirement pension. If you receive a disability pension, it will automatically be replaced by a retirement pension in the month following your 65th birthday.

You cannot receive a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan if:

• you are receiving an unreduced income replacement indemnity from the CSST 
• you are receiving an indemnity from the SAAQ , and Régie has deemed you to be disabled for the same disability

Statement of Participation in the Québec Pension Plan

To find out more about the amounts you and your family could receive at retirement or in the event of death or disability, consult your Statement of Participation online.