Leaves, disability, and critical illness

There may be times when your career or life choices alter your earnings. UPP offers many ways to ensure you continue building benefits and maximize your pension along the way.

During an employer-approved leave of absence, you will remain a member of UPP, but you will only earn pensionable service for that period if contributions are made. The chart below shows the most common type of leaves and how contributions can be maintained.

Type of Leave	Your Contributions	Your Employer’s Contributions
Statutory (Ex: parental leave)	Optional – you decide if you want to continue your contributions or not	Your contributions are matched by your employer (as applicable)
Unpaid	Optional – you decide if you want to cover your and your employer’s contribution amounts	Your employer does not contribute
Paid	Required – contributions continue without interruption	Your contributions are matched by your employer
Research & Study	Required – contributions continue without interruption	Your contributions are matched by your employer
Long-term Disability	You do not contribute	Contributions will be made by your employer if you are (or would be) eligible for long-term disability benefits