- Program status
- Approval and deadlines
- Pension estimate
- Bridge benefit and CPP
- Coverage and payments
- Final checklist
Program status
The federal government reported 10,006 online applications by the July 24 deadline. As of September 8, 2026, 9,438 applications had been confirmed to meet the program criteria, 68 had been denied, and 196 had been discontinued.
Those figures are not a count of completed retirements. The government says the data can change, excludes manual applications, and reflects applications submitted through the online ERI tool.
Confirmation is not the last step
Meeting the age and service parameters did not guarantee approval. A deputy head had to confirm that the organization’s workforce and operational criteria were met. After departmental acceptance, the Pension Centre performs the final validation of age, pensionable service, and employment service.
If your deputy head confirmed your application, follow the official instructions for submitting your resignation and retirement package. Once your manager accepts your resignation, the retirement date is generally irrevocable unless the Pension Centre later determines that you do not meet the eligibility parameters.
Use a personalized pension estimate
An approved ERI retirement pays an immediate pension based on pensionable service up to the retirement date, without the normal reduction for early retirement. It does not add years of service or replace a person-specific calculation.
Group 1 members joined the public service pension plan on or before December 31, 2012 and had to meet the program’s minimum age of 50. Group 2 members joined on or after January 1, 2013 and had to meet the minimum age of 55. Both groups also needed at least two years of pensionable service and 10 years of employment in the public service.
Use My GC Pension when available, the federal basic pension calculator, or a Pension Centre counselling appointment. Confirm pensionable service, service buybacks, the best-five-year salary used, and the exact retirement date before relying on an estimate.
Separate the lifetime pension from the bridge benefit
A public service pension can include a lifetime pension and a temporary bridge benefit. The bridge normally ends at age 65, or earlier if CPP or QPP disability benefits begin.
Starting regular CPP or QPP retirement benefits before age 65 does not make the bridge end sooner. It also does not prevent the bridge from ending at 65. Early CPP is permanently reduced, so compare household cash flow before and after age 65 instead of treating the bridge and CPP as interchangeable.
Confirm coverage, tax, and first-payment timing
- Confirm whether you can apply for retiree health and dental coverage and when coverage begins.
- Review survivor benefits, beneficiary information, and any optional benefit elections.
- Ask how unused leave, final salary, and any other departure payments will be paid and taxed.
- Do not assume a severance or retiring allowance can be transferred to an RRSP. CRA’s special transfer rule is limited and generally relates to eligible retiring-allowance amounts for service before 1996.
- Confirm that you are not entitled to a separation benefit under workforce-adjustment or employee-transition provisions that would make the ERI unavailable.
The government says the first pension payment can be expected within 45 days after the Pension Centre receives all correctly completed documents. Missing banking, age, or other information can delay processing; amounts owed are paid retroactively after processing.
Final pre-retirement checklist
- Obtain the Pension Centre’s final eligibility validation.
- Save the accepted resignation and confirmed retirement date.
- Download or print a personalized pension estimate showing the lifetime and bridge portions separately.
- Compare after-tax income before age 65 and after the bridge ends.
- Review CPP timing rather than automatically starting CPP with the public service pension.
- Submit every retirement-package document and verify banking details.
- Confirm health, dental, life-insurance, survivor, and beneficiary arrangements.
- Plan for the timing and tax treatment of final salary, leave payouts, and any eligible retiring allowance.
Official sources
General educational information only—not pension, tax, legal, or employment advice. The ERI is a one-time federal program with person-specific eligibility and pension calculations. Confirm your status, dates, and amounts with your department and the Government of Canada Pension Centre before acting.