Re-employment after retirement

If you are hired under a contract that does NOT qualify you for UNJSPF participation, your benefit will NOT be suspended, i.e., you will continue to receive your regular retirement benefit payments all while being employed. However, please note that earning limitations exist under the Staff Regulations of UNJSPF member organizations that apply to staff who are in receipt of a UNJSPF retirement benefit and according to which your earnings from the organization cannot exceed a certain limit during the calendar year. These earnings limitations are not imposed or monitored by the UNJSPF but by your employing organization; please check with the Human Resources (HR) in the organization intending to employ you about all applicable conditions, including the limitation on earnings, as the Fund would not be in a position to advise on this matter.

Keep in mind that if you are employed on a staff contract it is possible that your new contract does not initially qualify you for UNJSPF participation, but that you do meet the 6 months contract duration requirement at a later stage, in which case you will then again qualify for UNJSPF participation; in that case, the conditions under 2 below will apply. (See FAQ below for more information.)

If you are hired under a staff contract that again qualifies you for UNJSPF participation (from the start of the contract, or upon extension of the contract), you will have to be re-enrolled in the Fund and your existing retirement benefit will have to be suspended effective the date at which you again qualify for UNJSPF participation (in line with Article 40 of the Fund’s Regulations). This is due to the principle that you cannot at the same time be in receipt of regular benefit payments from the Fund AND be a contributing participant in the Fund earning a new future entitlement. It should also be noted that where a member of staff qualifies for UNJSPF participation, it is mandatory.

Once the Fund has received the required information for your new participation from your employing organization and re-enrolled you in the Fund, you will again pay regular pension contributions and acquire a new, separate future entitlement from the Fund. Note that your normal and early retirement ages are based on the date at which you started your new participation and that they may differ from the ones applicable to you during past participation(s).

Your existing retirement benefit must be suspended effective the date you are re-enrolled in the Fund. It can happen that your employing organization informs the Fund of your new participation with some delay and after it should have started; in that case, the Fund will request that you reimburse any overpayment that was made (the Fund would contact you directly with the necessary information).

When you again separate from service, the Fund must receive the usual separation documents from you and your former employing organization so that your existing retirement benefit payments can be reinstated and your new entitlement for your most recent participation period can be implemented. Your existing retirement benefit will be reinstated and paid retroactively as of the date following your most recent separation. No retroactive payments are due to you for the period during which you again participated in the Fund.  

If you are employed outside of a UNJSPF member organization, there is no impact on your UNJSPF entitlements, regardless of how much you earn.  You do not need to inform the Fund.

This limitation does NOT apply to retirees who again qualified for UNJSPF participation and have been re-enrolled in the Fund. The limits only apply if the former staff member does NOT re-enter participation in the Fund and is concurrently receiving their UNJSPF benefit and earnings from an organization.
There is NO connection between the limitation on earnings rule under UN ST/AI/2003/8 and the suspension of retirement benefit payments by the Fund. To put it simply: the UNJSPF is not concerned with how much a retiree is earning upon rejoining the service of a UNJSPF member organization; the UNJSPF is only concerned with whether based on the kind and length of their contract the retiree again qualifies for UNJSPF participation.

The earnings limitation is imposed by the employing organizations. At some point, the limitation on earnings imposed by the UN ST/AI was USD 22,000 per calendar year, but this might have changed. Different organizations may have different earnings limits, and there may also be restrictions on the maximum length of time that a former staff member may serve (e.g., six months during a calendar year). Please consult your HR office if you have any questions related to the earnings limitation, the Fund is not able to advise.

Keep in mind that the UNJSPF pays benefits in accordance with its own Regulations and Rules, which do not incorporate these earnings limits. The UNJSPF would stop the payment of a retirement benefit ONLY if the retiree concerned re-entered the UNJSPF as a participant. The Fund would not suspend the payment of a retirement benefit at the request of a participant or HR office. Therefore, if the earnings limit applies to you and you are close to reaching your earnings limitation, you should contact your HR office about this, not the UNJSPF

If you are re-employed on a staff contract of six months or longer by a UNJSPF member organization, or after being employed for a total of six months of service without an interruption of more than thirty days and then extended, you will normally become a participant of the UNJSPF once again and payment of your monthly benefit will be suspended. When you again separate from service, payment of your benefit resumes, but you will not receive any retroactive payment for the period during which your benefit was suspended. As a result of this new period of participation you may either opt for a withdrawal settlement or a new retirement benefit, even if the new period of contributory was shorter than five years.

Your benefit options will depend on the length of your new contributory service:

• If you contributed to the Fund for less than 5 years, your benefit options for this new period include include a Withdrawal Settlement under Article 31 OR a retirement benefit WITHOUT lump sum option; which kind of retirement benefit will depend on your age at separation. Under this scenario, you must submit Payment Instructions (PI) form Pens.E/8 to the Fund, together with supporting documents as applicable.
• If you contributed to the Fund for 5 years or more, your benefit options for this new period include a Withdrawal Settlement under Article 31 OR a retirement benefit WITH lump sum option; which kind of retirement benefit will depend on your age at separation. Under this scenario, you must submit Payment Instructions (PI) form Pens.E/7 to the Fund, together with supporting documents as applicable.

Under both scenarios, you have the option to elect a Withdrawal Settlement, regardless of your age at the date of your most recent separation, even if you reached your Normal Retirement Age (NRA).

Please contact the Fund to request an estimate of your entitlements, once you again separate form service.

If your benefit has been suspended because of your new period of Fund participation, it will remain suspended until you have again separated from service AND the Fund has received all the required separation documents for your case. Once received, the Fund will proceed to re-instate your suspended retirement benefit and implement your new entitlement based on your benefit election. Note that these two processes are separate, and one could be completed before the other. The time until these processes are completed depends on the time it will take you and your organization to submit the required separation documents to the Fund.

For detailed information about the Separation Process, related document requirements, and  standard processing timelines by the Fund, please visit the Separation page and the Overview of the Separation process page.