Getting married or reaching common-law status: Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension

Your new spouse/common-law partner may be covered under various insurance benefit plans available to the spouses and dependents of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members. For a summary of the types of available coverage, the time limits for enrolling new dependents, and any steps you must follow, please refer to the following:

• Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) provides Civilian Members, their dependents, and the dependents of Regular Members with coverage, up to certain limits, for dental service and supply expenses. Coverage under the PSDCP begins after three months of continuous employment
• Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) provides supplementary health care coverage for Civilian Members, their dependents, and the dependents of Regular Members
• RCMP Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment and Disability insurance plans are offered to Regular Members and Civilian Members. The Group Life Insurance Plans are administered by SEB Administrative Services Inc. on behalf of the RCMP. For information about the Optional Dependent Life Insurance Plan, please refer to the SEB Administrative Services Inc. website

Your pension plan offers Survivor Benefits for your surviving spouse or common-law partner. Your spouse or common-law partner may be entitled to an immediate allowance in the event of your death, whether you're employed or retired at the time. The survivor benefit is equal to one-half your basic pension.

The Government of Canada Pension Centre recommends that you provide this information soon after your marital status changes or you enter into a conjugal relationship. When the Pension Centre has current information about your marital status or common-law relationship, it can provide benefits to your survivor(s) more quickly in the event of your death.

Plan members who wish to provide information about their common-law relationship should complete the RCMP- GRC  2016E - Statutory declaration form and forward it to the Government of Canada Pension Centre.

Survivor Benefits are payable to a spouse with whom you have lived in a conjugal relationship for at least one year, as long as that relationship began while you were still an active member or, if retired, prior to your 60th birthday.

At the time of death, if you have both a legal spouse and an eligible survivor with whom you have lived in a conjugal relationship, the survivor's benefit will be apportioned between them. Each survivor's share of the benefit will be based on the length of your cohabitation. Additional information can be found by consulting the Government of Canada Pension Centre.

If you get married after age 60 and are retired at the time of your marriage, your surviving spouse would not normally receive Survivor Benefits. However, you can choose to provide a benefit to your spouse by reducing your own pension to cover the cost of this additional benefit. This is called Optional Survivor Benefit (OSB). You can choose this option within one year from the date of your marriage or from the date your pension begins, whichever is later. For more information please consult the Government of Canada Pension Centre.

Yes, there is a guarantee of a minimum of five times your annual unreduced pension paid to your designated beneficiary if you don't have any survivors. If you don't name a beneficiary, the benefit will be paid to your estate. For more information, refer to minimum benefit.

Yes. In the event of your death, if the Government of Canada Pension Centre has a current address for your beneficiary, the benefit can be paid more quickly.

When you contact the Pension Centre, please have the following information available:

• Pension number
• Name of beneficiary
• Your beneficiary's new address