Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The term participant is most frequently used by the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) in referring to active staff members, whose eligibility to participate in the Fund has been determined in accordance with Articles 21 and 25 of the Regulations and Rules of the UNJSPF. Although it generally refers to those staff members who are actively contributing a percentage of their pensionable salary to the Fund, the term also incorporates those staff members who are on officially approved leave, with or without pay (not exceeding a total of 36 months).

The term retiree is used by the UNJSPF in referring to a participant who has officially separated from the service of his/her employing organization and is in receipt of a periodic benefit payment from the Fund. The term beneficiary is used by the UNJSPF in referring to a person entitled to a survivor’s benefit (widow(er), child under the age of 21, disabled child, divorced surviving spouse or secondary dependant) by virtue of a former staff member’s participation in the Fund.

In the past the Pension Fund used to issue a six-digit “Pension Number” for every active participant and a five-digit alpha numeric “Retirement Number” for every retiree or beneficiary.

As of August 2015, with the implementation of the new IPAS system, all individuals in the Fund’s database, namely participants, retires and other beneficiaries, have been assigned a new, nine-digit Unique Identification (UID) number. This UID is a new UNJSPF reference number which remains unchanged throughout the pension lifecycle and which replaces the two ‘former’ IDs (i.e., Pension Number and Retirement Number).

The UID should be used in all communications with the Fund to ensure they are duly received, tracked and the required action is taken by the Fund.

The UID is also required to register for the new Member Self-Service (MSS) feature on the Fund’s website. Please note, every single one of the nine UID digits counts, i.e. even if a UID starts with zero(s) (for example, 000123456), Fund members are required to provide all nine digits, given that the IPAS system only recognizes nine-digit ID numbers.

NB: While the UID is now the main reference number for participants, retirees and beneficiaries, the Fund will of course be able to track a member with the help of any of the three Pension Fund reference numbers.

The “Index Number” is issued by the employing organization of the participant, and not by the Pension Fund. In your communication with the Fund please use your Pension Fund reference number, not your index number.

The list of member organizations of the Fund is published on the Fund’s website. To see the list please click here. Please note that the United Nations includes all its Funds and Programmes, field missions and other offices.

You start participating in the Fund when you become a staff member of a UNJSPF member organization of the Fund and upon being granted an appointment for 6 months or more OR upon completing 6 months of continuous service without an interruption of more than 30 days, whichever occurs first, provided that participation in the Fund is not expressly (exceptionally) excluded by the terms of your appointment (see article 21 of the Fund’s Regulations).

Once you qualify for Pension Fund participation under article 21 of the Fund’s Regulations and Rules, it is mandatory.

Please note that once you qualify for Pension Fund participation, the following options of Validation, Restoration or Transfer of Pension Rights may apply to you; we strongly suggest you read through these options and familiarize yourself with the applicable Regulations and Rules, as well as the information provided on this website, as strict application deadlines apply.

If you become a staff member on an initial appointment of less than 6 months, you do not immediately qualify for UNJSPF participation. Once you qualify for Fund participation in line with the provisions of article 21 of the Fund’s Regulations, you have the option to “validate” the prior non-contributory period under article 23 of the Fund’s Regulations, provided you apply for Validation in writing within 12 months from your date of entry into the Fund. If found eligible, you would be asked to pay your own contributions for the period to be validated while your employing organization would pay its according contribution share. By validating, you would make such non-contributory period pensionable and when you separate from service, such validated period would count into your total contributory service.

For detailed information on Validation, the applicable Regulations, Rules, as well as conditions and requirements, please refer to the booklet VALIDATION.

Please note that inside Member Self-Service, you can submit an initial request for Validation.

If you were a Fund participant in the past, separated and at the time received a Withdrawal Settlement payout from the Fund, and you have again entered the Fund on a new period of participation, you may elect to restore your most recent prior contributory service. Indeed, once you again qualify for Fund participation in line with the provisions of article 21 of the Fund’s Regulations, you have the option to “restore” the most recent prior period of contributory service under article 24 of the Fund’s Regulations, provided you submit your restoration request in writing to the Fund within 12 months from your date of re-entry into Fund participation. There is no limit of the number of years that may have elapsed between your separation from service and re-entering the system, provided you are restoring your most recent period of contributory service. If found eligible, you would be asked to pay back the Withdrawal Settlement amount you had received in the past plus compound interest. By restoring, you would re-activate such prior period of contributory service; when you again separate from service, such restored period would count into your total contributory service. For detailed information on Restoration, the applicable Regulations, Rules, as well as conditions and requirements, please refer to the booklet RESTORATION.

Please note that inside Member Self-Service, you can submit an initial request for Validation.

For detailed information on the possibility to transfer acquired pension rights from the UNJSPF to an outside (non-member) organization, or from an outside (non-member) organization to the UNJSPF, the applicable Regulations, Rules as well as conditions and requirements, please refer to the booklet TRANSFER AGREEMENT .

A complete list of organizations with which the UNJSPF has signed Transfer Agreements, as well as the complete text of each agreement can be found here: https://www.unjspf.org/existing-transfer-agreements/  

Please note that inside Member Self-Service, you can submit an initial request to Transfer-IN pension rights.

There are no provisions in the Fund’s Regulations and Rules that would allow to make pensionable any period during which you were not a participating staff member of one of the Fund’s member organizations. In other words, voluntary contributions to the UNJSPF for such periods are not possible.

However, if you were employed or going to be employed by an organization which signed a Transfer Agreement with the Fund, you may be allowed to transfer your pension rights into/from the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Transfer Agreement. Please note that application deadlines apply. To view the list of Transfer Agreements that were signed by the Fund and read those agreements please click here. For more information on this topic, please refer to the FAQ Transfer of Pension Rights.

For more information regarding participation in the Fund please refer to the Fund’s informative booklets on Participation, Validation, Restoration and Transfer Agreements.

Please see the section in the FAQs concerning prior contributory and/or non-contributory service.

A UNJSPF participant who is granted a period of special leave without pay (SWLOP) has the following two options with respect to Pension Fund participation during the SLWOP:

• To pay contributions to the Pension Fund during the period of SLWOP, in which case the period of SLWOP would be considered contributory service. The participant would have to arrange this with his/her payroll office of their employing organization (not with the UNJSPF) BEFORE starting the period of SLWOP, and would be required to pay both his/her own as well as the organizational share of contributions payable to the UNJSPF. The contributions must be paid monthly and concurrently with such leave and arrangements for the remittance of these contributions must be made between the staff member and the employing organization ahead of starting such periods of SLWOP. No checks (or other) payments can be made directly to the Fund, but all contribution payments must be remitted to the Fund as usual by the employing organization. A participant cannot elect retroactively to pay contributions to the Fund for a period of SLWOP, and no retroactive arrangements can be made to contribute for a period of SLWOP when such period has already started or been completed.

To estimate the total month contributions amount a participant would have to pay under the circumstances, the participant should refer to his/her latest pay-slip providing his/her own monthly pension contribution amount; that amount multiplied by 3 would provide a good estimate.

If contributions are indeed paid concurrently with a period of SLWOP, UNJSPF participation simply continues and the participant continues to accrue future pension rights for such period of contributory service.

However, should the staff member then separate from service and the Fund in the future and elects to receive a Withdrawal Settlement he/she would not recover the monies he/she paid to the Fund on behalf of the organization.

OR,

(ii)     Not to pay contributions to the Pension Fund during the period of SLWOP, in which case the staff member would continue to be considered a participant in the Fund (continuous participation), however, since s/he would be ‘in-active’ the participant would NOT accrue pension rights for such period of non-contributory service.

The participant will be deemed to have separated from the UNJSPF after having completed a period of 36 months of SLWOP without concurrent contributions having been paid to the Fund (even if s/he continues to be an in-active staff member). To re-enter the Fund, such former participant would have to satisfy the requirements for UNJSPF participation under Article 21 of the Fund’s Regulations and Rules (referring to the quality of contract and the minimum contract duration requirement), once s/he again becomes an active staff member.

It should be noted that spouses married and/or children born during such period of SLWOP without concurrent contribution payments to the Fund, would not be covered for potential survivor’s benefits until the participant again becomes a contributing member of the UNJSPF (i.e. resumes participation).

For the SLWOP relevant provisions of the Fund’s Regulations and Rules, please see articles 21, 22 and 25.

The Fund must receive the following three (3) mandatory separation documents, in the required format, duly completed, dated and signed, to be able to review, calculate and process your entitlement:

• your original Payment Instructions (PI) on the correct form (Pens.E6 or Pens.E7, depending on your years of contributory service), duly completed, dated and signed with your original ink signature;
• the original and duly completed, dated and signed Separation Notification on form PF4 (financial clearance) issued and submitted to the Fund by the Payroll Office of your employing organization and signed by an authorized payroll or finance officer; and
• the Separation Personal Action form (SEPPA) issued and submitted to the Fund by your employing organization.

If you have elected and are entitled to receive a periodic pension benefit from the Fund, the Fund must also receive the following supporting documents (if and as applicable to your case) at the latest at the time of separation, in order for the Fund to set up all entitlements correctly:

• a copy of your Birth Certificate or valid passport;
• a copy of your valid photo ID document (e.g. Passport or other valid official, government issued photo ID, carrying your names, date of birth and signature – the “UN Laisser Passer” is NOT a valid ID document);
• a copy of your marriage certificate/s;
• a copy of your divorce decree/s;
• a copy of the birth certificate/s or valid passport of your current and/or former spouse/s (or copy of his/her valid passport or other official, government issued photo ID);
• a copy of the spouse’s official, government issued photo ID;
• a copy of the birth certificate(s) of your dependent child(ren) under 21 years of age;
• a copy of death certificate(s) for spouse(s), ex-spouse(s), child(ren), if applicable; and
• ORIGINAL Designation of Beneficiary form A2 (a bar-coded version of this form can be downloaded and printed in your MSS on this website under the subtitle “Forms”). Please note that the PENS.A/2 Form specifically relates to potential payouts under Article 38 of the Fund’s Regulations and Rules; it is the Pension Fund’s form, and is a different and separate form from any other designation of beneficiary form which staff members may have been requested to fill out for the purposes of their employing organizations.

Please be mindful that benefit-processing delays are often due to submission of incomplete or erroneously completed Payment Instruction forms, or, for those awaiting implementation of a pension benefit, due to missing supporting documentation. Please carefully review your benefit options and diligently complete your PI, to ensure all information provided is correct and up to date. Always include a personal email address on your PI, so that the Fund can easily reach you if and as required for processing of your benefit. Ensure that you submit all required supporting documents if and as required for your case.

Normally, UNJSPF benefit processing time is between 4 to 6 weeks from the date of receipt by the Fund and scanning to file of the complete set of the required and duly completed, dated and signed separation documents for your case and provided no discrepancies are noted during the review of your case.

Often times, delays are also due to the delayed or non-submission to the Fund of the valid Separation Notification Form (PF4) by your former employing organization. When following up on the status of your case, kindly first check with your former employing organization to confirm the date at which the original PF4 form was dispatched to the UNJSPF and by which means it was sent. Then, if your organization confirmed the PF4 was indeed sent to the UNJSPF, follow up with the Fund at the address provided on our website: https://www.unjspf.org/contact-us/

• Participants with less than five years of contributory service must complete, date, sign and submit to the Fund the original form the E/6 form.
• Participants with 5 or more years of contributory service must complete, date, sign and submit to the Fund the original form the E/7 form. Please make sure to elect only one benefit, as well as to sign and date each of the PI pages you submit to Fund.
• Participants, who upon separation from service do not wish to make a benefit election and receive their benefit, can opt to defer their benefit election and/or the payout of their benefit under Article 32 of the Fund’s Regulations for a period of up to max. 36 months from their date of separation. In that case, they must complete, date, sign and remit to the Fund page 1 ONLY of either E/6 form or of PENS.E/7 form. If they do not rejoin the UNJSPF as a participant within the 36 months from their date of separation, they must submit payment instructions on the appropriate form before the 36 months deferment period has expired. They should also refer to articles 46 and 32 for more detailed information, as well as the informative booklet on Participation or Separation:
• Those eligible for a disability or death benefit must complete, date and sign and submit to the Fund the original form E/2 form. The beneficiary’s signature on this form must be witnessed, verified and certified as authentic by an authorized UN Officer or Governmental Authority.
• Participants who elected to defer their retirement benefit under Article 30 of the Fund’s Regulations and have now reached normal retirement age (or became eligible for an early retirement and wish to start receiving their reduced pension) must fill out and submit to the Fund 23/A form.
• Retirees and/or beneficiaries who wish to change their payment instructions must complete, date and sign and submit to the Fund the original form 23 form.
• Retirees and/or beneficiaries who wish to change their official mailing address on file with the Fund or who wish to submit a personal email address to be used for official communications with the Fund must complete and submit the original form 23.M.

All forms must be duly filled out, dated and signed. Furthermore, if you have an email address please make sure to write it on the form.

The Fund must receive the original document with the original ink signature. The Fund will not accept a cable, email or facsimile. For the Fund’s official mailing address please visit the “Contact Us” tab on the Fund’s website or click here.

All forms can be downloaded and printed on the Fund’s website. For the list of forms on the Fund’s website, please click here. Please note that each of these official UNJSPF forms is available for download and printing in your Member Self-Service (MSS), where it will be automatically issued with your name, UID number and a bar code that will facilitate tracking upon receipt of the original form by the Fund.

For more information please see the Fund’s informative booklets on Separation and on Information for beneficiaries.

The benefit option(s) open to you at the date of your separation from service depend on the length of your contributory service (CS) and whether or not you have ‘vested’ pension rights at that date. To ‘vest’ your pension rights means that your contributory service is of five years or more and, therefore, you have earned the right to elect a form of retirement benefit at the date of separation. If your CS is of less than five years at the date of separation, you do not have vested pension rights and are entitled only to a Withdrawal Settlement payment at the date of your separation.
For those who separate and at that time expect to again join the service of a UNJSPF member organization and the Fund within 36 months from their date of separation, keep in mind that you also have the option NOT to make a benefit election/request payment of your benefit at this time but to defer such decision for up to max. 36 months from your date of separation. In that case, your holdings would be ‘frozen’ in the Fund (you would not earn interest on them) until you again join the Fund as a participant, or, until you decide to make a benefit election and/or request the payment of your benefit. For detailed information on this option, please refer to the FAQ “Deferment of benefit election/payment under Article 32 of the Fund’s Regulations”.

If your contributory service is of less than five years at the date of separation you are only entitled to receive a Withdrawal Settlement under Article 31 of the Fund’s Regulations. Such Withdrawal Settlement (WS) is a one-time payment representing the reimbursement of your own contributions plus interest earned at the rate of 3.5%.
Please keep in mind that should you receive the payment of a WS and then join the service of a UNSJPF member organization again in the future and at that time again qualify for UNJSPF participation, you have the option to restore the period for which the WS was paid to you by submitting a written application to the Fund within the 12 months from again joining the Fund as participant; if confirmed eligible, you will have to reimburse the WS amount plus compound interest. For detailed information on Restoration, please refer to the according FAQ section, as well as to the informative booklet on Restoration available at this link: https://www.unjspf.org/documents/restoration/

To be entitled to a form of retirement benefit, you must have ‘vested’ pension rights, i.e. at least five years of contributory service (CS) with the Fund. If at the date of separation you have vested pension rights, you are entitled to a form of periodic retirement benefit; a periodic benefit is payable on a regular basis (monthly, in arrears) and for life; it is adjusted for cost of living increases over time if and as applicable.

Which kind of retirement benefit you are entitled to will depend on your age at the date of separation and whether or not you have reached your Normal Retirement Age for pension purposes (NRA) at that date.

Following are various scenarios to explain which benefit options are available to you depending on your age at the separation date and provided you have vested pension rights at that time:

SEPARATION AT NORMAL RETIREMENT AGE (NRA): A participant who completed at least five (5) years of contributory service (CS) with the Fund, and has reached Normal Retirement Age (refer to Article 1(n) of the Fund’s Regulations and to the FAQ “What is my Normal Retirement Age”) at the date of separation is entitled to an unreduced retirement benefit under Article 28 of the Fund’s Regulations and Rules. The normal retirement age is 60 for a participant who entered the Fund before 01 January 1990; 62 for a participant who entered the Fund or re-entered the Fund on or after 01 January 1990 but before 01 January 2014; and 65 for a participant who entered or re-entered the Fund on or after 01 January 2014.

SEPARATION AT AN AGE YOUNGER THAN NRA BUT HAVING REACHED AT LEAST EARLY RETIREMENT AGE: A participant who completed at least five (5) years of contributory service with the Fund who has not yet reached his/her normal retirement age (NRA) at the date of separation but at least his/her early retirement age (55 or 58 years, depending on their date of entry into the Fund), may elect a reduced early retirement benefit under Article 29 of the Fund’s Regulations. If a participant entered or re-entered the Fund before 01 January 2014 an early retirement benefit shall be payable to him/her as of the age of 55. If a participant entered or re-entered the Fund on or after 01 January 2014 an early retirement benefit shall be payable to him/her as of the age of 58.

A reduction factor is applied for life to any benefit that comes into payment earlier than NRA.

SEPARATION AT AN AGE YOUNGER THAN NRA, EVEN IF YOUNGER THAN EARLY RETIREMENT AGE: A participant who completed at least five (5) years of contributory service with the Fund who has not yet reached his/her normal retirement age (NRA) at the date of separation, even if younger than his/her early retirement age, may elect a deferred retirement benefit under Article 30 of the Fund’s Regulations. Such early retirement benefit can be elected at any age younger than NRA; it would normally come into payment at NRA or, at any age that the beneficiary requests between his/her early and normal retirement age. Should the benefit come into payment earlier than the beneficiary’s NRA, a reduction factor is applied for life to such benefit.

SEPARATION AT AN AGE YOUNGER THAN NRA: A participant who separates with vested pension rights but at an age younger than his/her normal retirement age can also elect to receive a Withdrawal Settlement under Article 31 of the Fund’s Regulations, instead of a periodic retirement benefit. In that case, the Withdrawal Settlement (WS) would consist of the reimbursement of the participant’s own contributions plus interest earned, increased by 10 per cent for each year in excess of five up to a maximum of 100 per cent over the own contributions amount. The payment of such Withdrawal Settlement would extinguish all entitlements from the Fund.

Please keep in mind that should you receive the payment of a WS and then join the service of a UNSJPF member organization again in the future and at that time again qualify for UNJSPF participation, you have the option to restore the period for which the WS was paid to you by submitting a written application to the Fund within the 12 months from again joining the Fund as participant; if confirmed eligible, you will have to reimburse the WS amount plus compound interest. For detailed information on Restoration, please refer to the according FAQ section, as well as to the informative booklet on Restoration available at this link: https://www.unjspf.org/documents/restoration/

1. If you separate from your employing organization prior to reaching normal retirement age and have five (5) or more years of contributory service with the Fund your options are as follow:

• To elect a withdrawal settlement, which is a one-time payment in an amount equivalent to your own contributions plus interest increased by 10 per cent for each year in excess of five up to a maximum of 100 per cent (Article 31 of the Fund’s Regulations). Please note that if you elect a withdrawal settlement no other benefit will be paid to you or to your survivors.
• To elect a deferred retirement benefit (Article 30 of the Fund’s Regulations). A deferred retirement benefit will become payable at your normal retirement age or, at your request, any time between the date when you become eligible for an early retirement benefit and your normal retirement age; should you request payment of your deferred retirement benefit to start earlier than at NRA, an according reduction factor will be applied for life to your entitlement. Such benefit carries potential surviving spouse’s benefit(s). For details on survivor’s entitlements, please refer to the informative booklet on “Survivor Benefits” and related materials available on the Fund’s website at the following link: https://www.unjspf.org/documents/survivors-benefits/ 

Please note that:

• for participants who separated before 31 December 1989 no adjustment shall be applied to their deferred retirement benefit prior to reaching the age of 50. For participants separating from service on or after 31 December 1989 no adjustment shall be applied to their deferred retirement benefits prior to them reaching the age of 55 (see Section J, Article 27 of the Pension Adjustment System).
• if you elected a deferred retirement benefit and re-join the Fund in the future you will not be entitled to restore your prior contributory service, and instead you will have a new and separate pension account for the new period of contributory service.
• If at the date of separation you have reached at least your early retirement age, to elect a reduced early retirement benefit, with or without commutation of up to one third of the benefit into a lump sum (Article 29 of the Fund’s Regulations). Such benefit carries potential surviving spouse’s and surviving child/ren benefit(s). For details on survivor’s entitlements, please refer to the informative booklet on “Survivor Benefits” and related materials available on the Fund’s website at the following link: https://www.unjspf.org/documents/survivors-benefits/
• To defer your benefit election/benefit payment (e. of a withdrawal settlement, an early or a deferred retirement benefit) for a period of max. 36-months under Article 32 of the Fund’s Regulations. Pursuant to Article 21(b) of the Fund’s Regulations, should you return to service of a UNJSPF member organization of the Fund within the 36-month deferment period from your date of separation from service, your participation will be deemed to have been continuous (provided that no benefit has been paid to you). The period in between your date of separation and of re-entry into Fund participation will be considered a period of break-in-service, which cannot be made pensionable.

However, if you do not return to the service of a UNJSPF member organization and Fund participation, you must submit you benefit election and payment instructions on the according form to the Fund at the latest by the end of the 36 months deferment period; if you do not submit your benefit election and payment instructions to the Fund within the 36-month deferment period, the Fund will automatically deem you to have elected a deferred retirement benefit governed by Article 30 of the Regulations.

• Please note that if you take a withdrawal settlement, and in the future re-enter the service of one of the UNJSPF member organizations, you would have the option to restore this most recent period of prior contributory service within 12 months of entering the Fund pursuant to Article 24 of the Fund’s Regulations. For more information about Restoration please refer to the section in the FAQs concerning prior contributory and/or non-contributory service, as well as the FAQ on Restoration.

1. If at the date of separation you have less than five years of contributory service with the Fund your options are as follow:

• To take a withdrawal settlement from the Fund in an amount equivalent to your own contributions plus interest.
• To defer payment of the withdrawal settlement in accordance with Article 32 of the Fund’s Regulations for up to max. 36-months. Please note should you return to service with any member organization of the Fund during the 36-month period after you separate from service, your participation will be deemed to have been continuous (provided that you were not paid a withdrawal settlement). If you do not return to service you must submit payment instructions (E/6; the original form with the original ink signature) within the 36 months deferment period, so that we may process your withdrawal settlement. Failure to submit payment instructions (PENS.E/6) within 36 months may lead to the eventual forfeiture of your benefit, if after another 24 months no claim has been brought forth.

Furthermore, if you were to elect the payment of a withdrawal settlement, and at a later date returned to the service of one of the UNJSPF member organizations and again qualified for UNJSPF participation, you would be able to restore the period of your prior contributory service within 12 months of your re-entry to the Fund. There is no limit of the number of years that may have elapsed between your separation from service and re-entering the system, provided you are restoring your most recent period of contributory service.

• Please note that regardless of the length of your contributory service with the Fund, once the Fund has implemented your benefit based on your benefit election and payment instructions, your election is considered irrevocable.

Once you become eligible to receive a retirement benefit, part of the benefit can be commuted into a lump sum which would be payable upon separation from service. The lump sum may not be greater than 1/3 of the actuarial equivalent of the full benefit and the remaining periodic benefit will be reduced accordingly (see Articles 28(g) and 29(e) of the Fund’s Regulations).

If a retiree selects to commute part of his/her benefit into a lump sum, the Fund will automatically pay the maximum lump-sum allowed (i.e., the actuarial equivalent of 1/3 of the benefit OR the total of his/her own contributions with compounded interest, whichever is greater). The retiree may, however, choose a lesser amount as a lump-sum by specifically indicating such amount in the PENS.E/7 payment instructions form.

 The Lump Sum is always calculated and paid in US dollars. If you want it in local currency, it will be converted at the current exchange rate applied by your bank. If you want to keep it in US dollars, be sure you have already opened an account in US dollars and that this account is the one indicated on your payment instructions form.

Please note that once the Fund has implemented your benefit election, it is considered irrevocable.

Please note, Tax related queries (e.g. regarding taxation of benefits and lump sum payments) cannot be addressed by the UNJSPF as this is not within the Fund’s competence or authority. Indeed, as fiscal periods and national tax laws are exceedingly divers and complex, and subject to frequent changes, the Fund is not able to maintain up to date familiarity in this field or to give advice to participants or retirees in this area. Keeping this in mind, for some additional information regarding tax issues, please refer to the FAQ section concerning Taxation as well as to the tax related information available on the Fund’s website at the following link: https://www.unjspf.org/general-principle-of-taxation-of-unjspf-benefits/

The Withdrawal Settlement under Article 31 is one-time benefit payment to a former participant who is not entitled to or chooses NOT to elect ANY form of periodic pension benefit that carries potential future survivors’ benefits; the former participant will receive the reimbursement of his/her own contributions plus interest, and where applicable increased by 10 per cent for each year in excess of five up to a maximum of 100 per cent. A withdrawal settlement extinguishes all other rights to any other future benefits.

At the request of the beneficiary, articles 28 and 29 allow for partial commutation of up to 1/3^rd of the pension entitlement into a one-time lump-sum cash payment. If elected, the lump-sum represents a portion of the periodic retirement benefit and is payable at the time of benefit implementation; it can represent up to a maximum of 1/3 of the actuarial equivalent of the retirement benefit. If a beneficiary elects to commutate part of his/her retirement benefit into a lump sum, the proportionately reduced balance will be paid for life to the beneficiary in the form of a periodic benefit. Payment of the lump sum does not impact the right/s to potential future survivors’ benefits.

Please note that you can elect a deferred retirement benefit only if you have five (5) or more years of contributory service with the Fund, and you separate from service prior to reaching your normal retirement age.

If you have elected a deferred retirement benefit under Article 30 of the Fund’s Regulations, you decide at what time you want the benefit to come into payment. Normally, payment of such benefit begins at your normal retirement age; however, you can request for it to come into payment earlier, any time as of the date when you become eligible for early retirement, in which case the according reduction factor would be applied by the Fund.

Please note that –

• for participants who separated before 31 December 1989 no adjustment shall be applied to their deferred retirement benefit prior to reaching the age of 50. For participants separating from service on or after 31 December 1989 no adjustment shall be applied to their deferred retirement benefits prior to them reaching the age of 55 (see Section J, Article 27 of the Pension Adjustment System).
• if you elected a deferred retirement benefit and re-joined the Fund in the future you will not be entitled to restore your prior contributory service, and instead you will have a new and separate pension account for the new period of contributory service.

Unless you request payment earlier than at normal retirement age, the Fund will contact you prior to your normal retirement age to request that you submit the following documents:

• Payment instructions form: a duly completed, dated and signed payment instructions form 23/A. If you have an email address, please make sure to write it on the payment instructions form. The Fund must receive the original form with the original ink signature. The Fund will not accept a cable, email or facsimile. Signature authentication?

• Identification document: a copy of the relevant pages in your valid passport, or other valid photo identification document such as driver license or local government identification, which would indicate your name, date of birth and your signature.

For the Fund’s mailing address please click here.

For more information please see the Fund’s informative booklets on Separation and on Information for beneficiaries.

The Pension Fund can remit payments only to an account (i) in the name of the retiree/beneficiary; and (ii) capable of receiving wire transfers.

If you wish to roll-over payments from the Fund to a retirement plan account please first contact your financial institution to determine if your account is capable of receiving wire transfers. If your account can receive wire transfers, please have your bank provide you with clear and specific instructions as to how they wish to receive incoming payments via wire transfer bearing in mind that the funds will be remitted from JP Morgan Chase Bank in New York.

If you then want to move forward and request the roll-over of your lump sum or withdrawal settlement from the Fund into an IRA account, please make sure to duly complete the appropriate UNJSPF Payment Instructions (PI) form (Pens.E6, or Pens.E7) and note under the Lump Sum banking information box to refer to an annex sheet which will provide the IRA relevant information.

Most financial institutions will provide you with a so called “FEDWIRE INSTRUCTIONS DOCUMENT”, a sheet with all the details the Fund needs in order to correctly issue and route the payment. If you obtain such document, please simply sign the bottom of that document and submit it to the Fund together with your UNJSPF Payment instruction form Pens.E6 or E7 (as applicable).

In case you cannot obtain the FEDWIRE INSTRUCTIONS DOCUMENT please make sure to duly complete the appropriate Payment Instructions (PI) form (Pens.E6, or Pens.E7) and note under the Lump Sum banking information box to refer to an annex sheet (blank sheet of paper) wherein the following information must be provided:

• Line 1: Bank Name where Financial Institution has its account
• Line 2: Address
• Line 3: Address
• Line 4: (United States of America)
• Line 5: Bank identifier (SWIFT, ABA#, CHIPS UID) of Line 1 Bank
• Line 6: Name of Financial Institution
• Line 7: Account # of Line 6 financial institution with Line 1 Bank
• Line 8: Beneficiary’s name
• Line 9: (Blank)
• Line 10: Account # of beneficiary with Line 6 financial institution

Kindly make sure to print your name and Unique ID number on the annex sheet and to date and sign it with your original ink signature (the same applies for your PI).

Send the duly completed PI form along with the annex sheet via certified mail with receipt confirmation and tracking number to the Fund at the address provided on the Contact Us page which you can access at this link: https://www.unjspf.org/contact-us/

Please be mindful that benefit-processing delays are often due to submission of incomplete or erroneously completed Payment Instruction forms, or, for those awaiting implementation of a pension benefit, due to missing supporting documentation. Please carefully review your benefit options and diligently complete your PI, to ensure all information provided is correct and up to date. Always include a personal email address on your PI, so that the Fund can easily reach you if and as required for processing of your benefit. Ensure that you submit all required supporting documents if and as required for your case.

Normally, UNJSPF benefit processing time is between 4 to 6 weeks from the date of receipt by the Fund and scanning to file of the complete set of the required and duly completed, dated and signed separation documents for your case and provided no discrepancies are noted during the review of your case.

Often times, delays are also due to the delayed or non-submission to the Fund of the valid Separation Notification Form (PF4) by your former employing organization. When following up on the status of your case, kindly first check with your former employing organization to confirm the date at which the original PF4 form was dispatched to the UNJSPF and by which means it was sent. Then, if your organization confirmed the PF4 was indeed sent to the UNJSPF, follow up with the Fund at the address provided on our website: https://www.unjspf.org/contact-us/

Please note that your periodic pension payments are made monthly in arrears, i.e. they are paid at the very end of the month for which they are due. Depending on your banking and whether or not intermediary banks are involved in the transmission process, it can take up to 10 business days for the monies to reach your account from the date they are issues by the Fund.

To change your payment instructions, you must submit to the Fund a duly completed, original PF.23 form, available on the Fund’s website. Please complete, date and sign the form and then submit it to the Fund. If you have a personal email address, please include it on the Form.

The Fund must receive the form with your original ink on it signature. The Fund cannot accept requests for changes in payment instruction if submitted by cable, email or facsimile. For the Fund’s mailing address please click here.

Variations in your monthly benefit amount are most likely due to one of the following reasons:

• Your monthly After Service Health Insurance (ASHI) premium deductions

If you have opted for After Service Health Insurance (ASHI) premiums to be deducted directly from your monthly pension entitlement, variations in your monthly benefit amounts can be due to fluctuations in the monthly premium amounts deducted by ASHI. As the Fund has no authority and no insight into ASHI matters, which are handled by the UN Health and Insurance Section (not the UNJSPF), we are unable to provide detailed information on how such premiums are constituted. Therefore, we invite you to directly contact ASHI and inquire about details. Please address your ASHI email communications to: ashi@un.org. Or, you may wish to contact ASHI directly through a ‘Contact Us ticket’ available on the UN Health and Life Insurance website at the following link: http://www.un.org/insurance/inquiries.

• Your Bank charges

There may be charges applied by your bank. These charges are beyond the control of the Fund; therefore, the UNJSPF cannot accept responsibility for them. You may wish to discuss this matter with your bank for clarification on the exact nature of the deductions made from the amount transmitted by the Fund; you may wish to try and negotiate with your bank and request them to waive any charges given the nature of the payment, i.e., pension benefit. The levying of service fees has become an internationally accepted practice amongst banks, and this practice can be expected only to increase. While the Fund absorbs all fees levied as remittance fees, we regret that we have no control over any fees that have been contractually authorized by your bank with its correspondent bank.

• Discontinuation of child benefit

If you were in receipt of a child’s benefit from the Fund, paid together with your own pension benefit, and your child reached the age of 21, you will notice a reduction in your monthly pension benefit amount, as of the month following that during which your child turned 21. Indeed, a child’s benefit is normally payable until the end of the month during which your dependent child turns 21 and is discontinued effective the following month. For more information about this benefit please see the section in the FAQs concerning Child Benefit.

• Quarterly Cost of Living Adjustment

Your monthly pension benefit amount can change every quarter due to the application of the quarterly cost of living adjustment (COLA). The Fund issues Quarterly Statements in which retirees and beneficiaries are informed of changes in their entitlement amount due to COLA. For more information about the Quarterly Statements please see the section in the FAQs concerning Statements Issued by the Fund.

For detailed information about the two-track system, which is a feature of the Pension Adjustment System whereby your pension is calculated and maintained both in US dollars and in the currency of the country where you actually reside, please see the Fund’s informative booklet on the Two Track.

In essence, the Two Track is an option made available by the Fund so that beneficiaries living in high cost of living countries can receive a periodic benefit that can adapt to the local cost-of-living changes. It has little to do with the choice of currency in which you wish to receive your periodic benefit and is more dependent on the differences in the cost of living between your preferred country of residence and the cost of living in the United States.

The following should provide you with, hopefully, a better understanding of the Two Track System.

What is it?

The Two Track system is composed of two elements, the dollar track and the local track.

Dollar Track:

All pensions are initially calculated in the dollar track which is based on the cost of living of the United States. Therefore, should you decide NOT TO switch to the Two Track, your benefit shall be based on the cost of living of the United States (U.S.), regardless of where you choose to live or whatever currency you would like to receive your benefit. The adjustments made to the amount of your benefit shall be based on the CPI (consumer price index) of the U.S. and if you choose to receive it in a currency other than the dollar, it would simply be converted on the basis of the average UN conversion rate of the preceding quarter.

Local Track:

The local track pension is calculated by converting the value of your dollar track (see above) on the first day of your retirement, at an average exchange rate between the United States Dollar and the currency of your country of residence (this average is computed over the 36 consecutive calendar months up to and including the month of your separation from service). Once established, it will be adjusted, based on the cost of living of your country of residence.

How does it work?

Once you elect to switch to the Two Track, you would now have two pension values, i.e., Dollar Track and Local Track. Each quarter, the Fund shall compare these two values and pay you the higher amount, subject to a maximum amount (which is 110% of the value of the Local Track value) and a minimum (which is 80% of your Dollar Track Value). Such feature provides stability as it avoids fluctuation of the monthly pension in local currency terms.

How to apply?

Before you decide to switch to the Two Track, we strongly recommend that you request for an estimate of your benefit under the Two Track, providing us with your preferred country of residence. This will give you an idea as to whether switching to the Two Track would, indeed, be advantageous. We should be able to run an estimate once the processing of your benefit is complete, following submission of your payment instruction form upon your separation from service.

Once you have decided to switch to the Two Track, you must fill out UNJSPF form PENS.E10 (Declaration of Country of Residence) form and return the same duly completed, date and signed with your signature in original ink, along with a certificate of residence dated no more than 3 months prior to submission. This certificate of residence must be in a form of a statement from a local government officer or local police, confirming that you indeed reside in the declared residence, contained in their letterhead and signed with their seal of office.

Where to submit?

Please mail the original form PENS.E10 affixed with your signature in original ink along with the original certificate of residence via certified mail with receipt confirmation and tracking information to the Fund at the address available at this link: https://www.unjspf.org/contact-us/ 

For more information please see the Fund’s informative booklets on Separation, Information for beneficiaries and the Two Track.

If, before joining the Pension Fund, you had a period of service in a UNJSPF member organization, during which you were not a participant in the Pension Fund, under certain circumstances described in Article 23 of the Fund’s Regulations, you can validate this non-contributory service (i.e., make it contributory) in order to increase your total number of years and months of contributory service and thus your future pension entitlement.

In order to validate prior non-contributory service you must elect to validate within one year of first becoming a participant, or before the date of separation from service, if that is earlier, by completing and submitting to the Fund or to the Secretariat of the Staff Pension Committee of your employing organization the official form for that purpose. The form (Notice of Election to Validate PENS.B/1) can be obtained here or from the secretary of your Staff Pension Committee.

Following receipt of your Notice of Election to Validate, the Pension Fund or the Secretariat of your Staff Pension Committee will review your application, and, if you meet eligibility requirements, will calculate the contributions that you will have to pay for the period(s) of prior non-contributory service open for validation. Furthermore, upon election to validate your employing organization will pay its own share of contributions to the Fund for the period concerned.

As there are a number of requirements which must be met, including important deadlines, you should not delay contacting the secretary of your Staff Pension Committee, if you believe you are eligible for this option.

For more information please also refer to the FAQ Validation, as well as the Fund’s informative booklets on Validation.

Depending on the context of your periods of participation in the Fund, different scenarios apply. Indeed, factors like the duration of your break in service between a date of separation and date of re-entry into the Fund, as well as whether or not a benefit was paid to you at the date of your separation from service will impact your participation status with the Fund. The following three points will provide explanations for different scenarios:

1. If you resumed contributory service with any member organization of the Fund within the 36-month period after you separated from service and the Fund, your participation in the Fund is deemed to have been continuous provided that no benefit has been paid to you (see Article 21(b) of the Fund’s Regulations). In such cases your participation in the Fund is deemed continuous and pension contributions will continue to be made to the same account; the period in between your date of separation and the date of re-entry into the Fund will be considered a period of break-in-service (BIS) which cannot be made pensionable at any time. In cases like this, the participant does not need to submit any document to the Fund, as the UNJSPF will deal directly with the employing organizations. It is advised that in situations like this, the participant informs the ‘new’ employing organization of his/her prior period of participation, to ensure they are aware and report contributions under the same Pension Reference number to the Fund.

2. If you participated in the Pension Fund in the past and upon separation were paid a withdrawal settlement from the Pension Fund, and you again became a participant in the Pension Fund, you can restore your most recent prior period of contributory service, and make it contributory (see Article 24 of the Fund’s Regulations).

In order to restore your prior pensionable service, you must elect to restore within one year after rejoining the Pension Fund as a participant or before the date of your separation from service, if that is earlier, by completing and submitting to the Fund or to the Secretariat of your Staff Pension Committee the official form for that purpose. The form (Notice of Election to Restore PENS.C/1) can be obtained here, or from the secretary of your Staff Pension Committee.

Following receipt of your Notice of Election to Restore, the Pension Fund or the Secretariat of your Staff Pension Committee will review your application, and, if you meet eligibility requirements, will calculate the contributions (plus interest) that you will have to pay to restore your most recent prior period of contributory service.

As there are a number of requirements which must be met, including important deadlines, you should not delay contacting the secretary of your Staff Pension Committee, if you believe you are eligible for this option.

For more information please also refer to the FAQ RESTORATION, as well as the Fund’s informative booklets on Restoration.

3. If neither (a) nor (b) above are applicable in your case, upon re-entering the Fund a new pension account will be opened to you, and your contributions for the new period of participation in the Fund will be paid to that account. Your contributions for your new period of participation in the Fund cannot be added to your previous pension account with regards to previous period(s) of participation in the Fund, and you will have two separate pension accounts with the Fund. Upon separation you will be paid a benefit from each pension account separately.

There are no provisions in the Fund’s Regulations and Rules that allow to make pensionable any period during which you were not a participating staff member of one of the Fund’s member organizations.

However, if you were employed or going to be employed by an organization which signed on a Transfer Agreement with the Fund, you may be allowed to transfer your pension rights into/from the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Transfer Agreement. To view the list of Transfer Agreements that were signed by the Fund and read those agreements please click here.

For more information regarding the option to transfer your pension rights into/from the Fund please also refer to the FAQ TRANSFER of PENSION RIGHTS, as well as the Fund’s informative booklets on Transfer Agreements.

Child(ren)’s benefit is payable to each child of a participant that died in service or separated and is entitled to a retirement benefit or a disability benefit, provided that the child is under the age of 21 at the time of the participant’s death in service or separation from service. Child(ren) benefit is also payable to each child of a participant that separated and is entitled to an early retirement benefit, but in that case eligibility for payment of child(ren)’s benefit will commence only upon reaching normal retirement age, provided that the child is under the age of 21 at that time. To be eligible, the child(ren) must have been born or be in utero at the time of the participant’s separation from service, and must have been reported to the Fund prior to the participant’s death in service or separation from service (see Article 36 of Fund’s Regulations).

There is no need to apply for a child(ren)’s benefit. Child(ren)’s benefits are automatically calculated and paid for every eligible child, in accordance with Article 36 of the Fund’s Regulations. Upon your reaching normal retirement age, you will automatically begin receiving a benefit for every eligible child. The Child benefit will continue to be paid to you as long as the child(ren) is under the age of 21.

A monthly benefit may also be payable in respect of disabled child who is more than 21 years old pursuant to Article 36(b) of the Fund’s Regulations and the conditions listed therein.

For more information please see the Fund’s informative booklet on Survivor’s benefits.

If a staff member of a member organization of the Fund, who is a participant of the UNJSPF, dies in service, the surviving spouse will be entitled to a widow’s or widower’s benefit, as the case may be, under Articles 34 and 35 of the Fund’s Regulations. A child’s benefit, under Article 36 of the Fund’s Regulations is also payable to each child of the late staff member until the child reaches the age of 21. A monthly benefit may also be payable in respect of disabled child who is more than 21 years old pursuant to Article 36(b) of the Fund’s Regulations and the conditions listed therein.

Furthermore also a divorced surviving spouse and a secondary dependent could be eligible for survivors’ benefit if they fulfill the requirements in Articles 35 bis(b) and 37 of the Fund’s Regulations respectively.

For more information please see the Fund’s informative booklets on Survivor’s benefits and Divorce.

A benefit may be payable to a surviving spouse of a retiree who was entitled to a retirement, early retirement, deferred retirement or disability benefit if the surviving spouse was married to the retiree at the date of separation from service and remained married to him/her until the date of death. In general the amount of the benefit is equivalent to half of the full retirement, early retirement or disability benefit payable to a participant or retiree at the time of his/her death. (see Articles 34 and 35 of Fund’s Regulations and Rules).

Any child(ren)’s benefit(s) that were being paid while the retiree/beneficiary was receiving his/her benefit, will continue to be paid, as long as the child(ren) continue to be eligible for the benefit (see Article 36 of Fund’s Regulations and Rules).

For more information please see the Fund’s informative booklet on Survivor’s benefits.

1. If you are still in service of a member organization of the fund, please take the following steps:

• ensure that you correctly report your date of birth, personal status and number of children to your employing organization, and verify that your pension annual statement, as distributed each year, accurately reflects this information. If it does not, you should provide the correct information to your employing organization (HR Office), which should, in turn, report the information to the Fund. Please note that after the date of your separation from service you will not be allowed to request changes to your prospective beneficiaries; your date of birth; and the date(s) of birth of your prospective beneficiaries, as reported during your service.
• ensure that your prospective survivor(s) is aware that, in the event that you predecease that survivor, the Fund will need an original death certificate (e. not a medical certificate) or a certified copy of the death certificate as issued by local authorities, and an original, duly completed, signed and verified payment instruction form. For the relevant payment instructions form, PENS.E/2, please click here.
• ensure that your spouse(s) or other prospective survivor(s) have available copies of all relevant birth certificates (e. for you, for themselves and for each child under age 21); copies of any relevant marriage certificates and/or divorce decrees should also be available.

1. If you have separated from the service of a member organization of the Fund, and did not elect a withdrawal settlement (which extinguishes all other rights to any other future benefits from the Fund), please take the following steps:

• Provide the Fund with the following documents:
• a copy of your Birth Certificate or valid passport;
• a copy of your valid photo ID document (g. Passport or other official, government issued photo ID, carrying your names, date of birth and signature – the “UN Laisser Passer” is NOT a valid ID document);
• a copy of your marriage certificate/s;
• a copy of your divorce decree/s;
• a copy of the birth certificate/s or valid passport of your current and/or former spouse/s (or copy of his/her valid passport or other official, government issued photo ID);
• a copy of the spouse’s official, government issued photo ID;
• a copy of the birth certificate(s) of your child(ren) under 21 years of age;
• a copy of death certificate(s) for spouse(s), ex-spouse(s), child(ren), if applicable.

The Fund encourages former participants to send all the above listed documents well in advance in order to expedite the processing of survivors’ benefits.

• Ensure that your prospective survivor(s) is aware that, in the event that you predecease that survivor, the Fund will need an original death certificate (i.e. not a medical certificate) or a certified copy of the death certificate as issued by local authorities, and an original, duly completed, signed and verified payment instruction form. For the relevant payment instructions form, PENS.E/2, please click here.

• Please note the following information:

• With regards to a widow benefit, please note that a widow(er) benefit is payable only if the surviving spouse was married to the retiree at the date of separation from service and remained married to him/her until the date of death. If you married your spouse after separation from service there is no eligibility for a widow(er) benefit unless you have elected to purchase annuity within one year of the marriage pursuant to Article 35 ter of the Fund’s Regulations. Such election shall become effective 18 months after the date of the marriage. For more information about the option to purchase annuity for a spouse you married after separation from service please contact the Fund.
• With regards to a child benefit, please note that a child benefit is payable only until the child reaches the age of 21. A monthly benefit may also be payable in respect of disabled child who is more than 21 years old pursuant to Article 36(b) of the Fund’s Regulations and the conditions listed therein.
• A divorced surviving spouse and a secondary dependant could be eligible for survivors’ benefit if they fulfill the requirements in Articles 35 bis(b) and 37 of the Fund’s Regulations respectively.
• If there is no eligibility for a survivors’ benefit the Fund will examine whether there is entitlement to payment of a residual settlement. It is therefore recommended that you ensure that the Fund has on record your duly completed (dated and signed) and up to date ORIGINAL “Designation of Recipient of a Residual Settlement” form (PENS.A/2). For the relevant form (PENS.A/2), please click here. Please note that the PENS.A/2 Form is the Pension Fund’s form, and is a different and separate form from any other designation of beneficiary form which staff members may have been requested to fill out for the purposes of their employing organizations. For more information about payment of a residual settlement please read the rest of the information in this section of the FAQs.

1. If a participant dies in service or prior to being paid his/her pension benefit

If there is a benefit payable to the participant’s widow(er), divorced surviving spouse, children or secondary dependants no other payments are due under the Fund’s Regulations.

If there is no survivor’s benefit payable to his/her widow(er), divorced surviving spouse, children or secondary dependants, the Fund will make a payment to the person(s) or institution(s) of his/her choice as indicated on the latest signed and dated original “Designation of Recipient of a Residual Settlement” form (PENS.A/2 Form), which he/she submitted to the Fund. This payment, which will consist of all his/her contributions plus interest, is called a residual settlement, and is paid as a onetime lump sum payment (see Article 38 of the Fund’s Regulations). Please note that the PENS.A/2 Form is the Pension Fund’s form, and is a different and separate form from any other designation of beneficiary form which staff members may have been requested to fill out for the purposes of their employing organizations.

If there is no duly filled out, dated and signed Pension Fund PENS.A/2 Form in the Fund’s records, an amount will be paid to the late participant’s estate as a residual settlement.

1. If a beneficiary/retiree dies when he/she is already in receipt of a periodic benefit

If there is a benefit payable to the participant/retiree’s widow(er), divorced surviving spouse, children or secondary dependants no other payments are due under the Fund’s Regulations.

Furthermore, in the case of a retiree’s death, there will not be a residual settlement payment due to his/her estate if he/she had elected to be paid, upon separation from service, the maximum lump-sum commutation of the benefit allowed (equivalent to the greater of the actuarial equivalent of 1/3 of the benefit or total contributions with compound interest), and the balance as a reduced monthly pension.

However, if there is no survivor’s benefit payable to the participant/retiree’s widow(er), divorced surviving spouse, children or secondary dependants, and, in the case of a retiree, he/she has not elected to be paid, upon separation from service, the maximum lump-sum commutation of the benefit allowed, the Fund will examine whether there is entitlement to payment of a residual settlement. A residual settlement is payable only if the total amount of the benefits paid to and on account of the late participant/retiree (including any survivor’s benefit) is less than the late participant/retiree’s own contributions to the Fund. In that event, the difference would be paid to the person(s) and/or institution(s) designated as a recipient by the late participant or retiree on the Pension Fund’s PENS.A/2 Form. Please note that the PENS.A/2 Form is the Pension Fund’s form, and is a different and separate form from any other designation of beneficiary form which staff members may have been requested to fill out for the purposes of their employing organizations.

If there is no duly filled out, dated and signed Pension Fund PENS.A/2 Form in the Fund’s records, an amount will be paid to the late participant/retiree’s estate as a residual settlement.

For more information about payment to the estate please see pages 10-12 of the Fund’s informative booklet on Legal Guardianship and Estate.

If you married your spouse after separation from service there is no eligibility for a widow(er) benefit unless you have elected to purchase annuity within one year of the marriage pursuant to Article 35 ter of the Fund’s Regulations. Such election shall become effective 18 months after the date of the marriage. For more information about the option to purchase annuity for a spouse you married after separation from service please contact the Fund.

A divorced surviving spouse could be eligible for a divorced surviving spouse’s benefit if he/she fulfills the requirements in Articles 35 bis(b) of the Fund’s Regulations. Furthermore, pursuant to Article 45 of the UNJSPF Regulations the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pension Fund has the discretion to remit a portion of a periodic pension benefit to a former or estranged spouse in order to fulfill a legal obligation on the part of a participant or former participant (e.g. alimony or child support payment) arising from a marital or parental relationship and evidenced by an order of a court. For more information please read the Fund’s informative booklet on Divorce.

For more information about survivors’ benefits please see the Fund’s informative booklets on Survivor’s benefits and Divorce.

The annual Certificate of Entitlement (CE) allows the Pension Fund to determine whether you are still entitled to your benefit. The bar coded CE is dispatched to retirees and beneficiaries each year, and retirees and beneficiaries must return the original CE (duly completed, dated and signed) to the Fund as soon as possible. The Fund carries out an annual review of the CEs returned and those that are still outstanding. Additional follow-ups are made in respect to the outstanding CEs.

The bar-coded CE form is usually sent out by the Fund at the end of May each year. If the Fund does not receive the CE by the month of September of the year it was dispatched, it will send a second bar-coded CE as a reminder to the retiree/beneficiary concerned. Each year the Fund posts on its website information regarding when the CEs and reminder CEs have been mailed out, as well as updates to keep readers informed of the status of the CE exercise and any relevant information. Please follow this information each year by clicking here.

For as long as you return one duly completed, dated and signed original CE form to the Fund by the end of November of the relevant year, all will be in good order for your benefit and there is no risk of benefit suspension.

If the Fund finds no explanation for the non-receipt of a retiree’s/beneficiary’s CE, the pension payment may be suspended. Therefore it is recommended that if by the end of December you have NOT received your CE, you may consider sending a letter to the Fund, with your full name, your official mailing address, your Unique ID (UID) or/and retirement number(s), the date and your ORIGINAL ink signature; please include the subject line “CE Exercise” at the top of the letter. Such letter would be scanned to your file to alert the Fund of the situation and to allow the Fund to take action to prevent a potential future suspension in case of non-receipt of your CE by the end of November of the relevant year. However, to fulfill audit requirements, the Fund still requires that you return the duly signed and completed bar-coded CE before the end of November of the relevant year; therefore, an according follow-up would be done by the Fund for cases where the Fund receives such letters.

Please note that one of the main reasons some people do not receive their annual CE is that they forgot to inform the Fund of their change of mailing address. If you permanently changed your mailing address, you must inform the Fund in writing by submitting the relevant form (PF.23/M). You will need to duly fill out, date and sign the form. Furthermore, if you have an email address please make sure to write it on the form. The Fund must receive the original form with the original ink signature. The Fund will not accept a cable, email or facsimile. For the Fund’s mailing address please click here.

In the event that you are travelling when the Certificate of Entitlement (CE) is mailed, you can send either an e-mail or a letter advising the Fund of your travel during that period. However you will have to sign and return the CE once you are back at the address to which the CE was mailed. Please note that the bar-coded CE with the original signature must be returned to the Fund as soon as possible and no later than maximum 6 months from the date printed on the CE form to avoid the risk of a benefit suspension.

The Fund’s website offers a lot of information and guidance, including informative booklets, forms, and the CEO’s annual letter, which includes information on the approved changes to the Fund’s Regulations and Rules, as well as lists all local Associations of Former International Civil Servants (AFICS) that can offer assistance.

When you cannot find what you need on the website or need to contact the Fund please ensure to include in the subject line of your inquiry by email or letter and on any form or other document that you send to the Fund your full and precise name(s) as well as your nine digit unique ID and/or pension number (active or retiree). This will ensure that inquiries and the related documentation are not misrouted within the Fund secretariat. Furthermore, please note that due to the UN security policy, incoming paper mail may be required to go through an external screening process, which could result in delays in turnaround time.

Queries from all retirees and active participants who are staff members of the UN, its Funds and programmes, should be made directly to the UNJSPF.

Queries from active participants from other member organizations should be addressed directly to the secretary of their organization’s staff pension committee.

Please ensure that the Fund has your current mailing address, phone number and email address on file.

Retirees and/or beneficiaries that wish to change their mailing address, phone number or email address in the Fund’s records must fill out PF.23/M form. The form must be duly filled out, dated and signed. The Fund must receive the original document (PF.23/M) with the original ink signature. The Fund will not accept a cable, email or facsimile. For the Fund’s mailing address please click here.

Each year the Fund issues Pension Statements which provide each active participant with information regarding his/her personal status and date of birth in the Fund’s records, length of contributory service, total contributions to the Fund and pensionable remuneration (PR). The Pension Statements were previously called Annual Statements. Participants can access their statements at the Member Self Service (MSS) feature on the Fund’s website.

• Quarterly Statements, also known as Cost of Leaving Adjustment (COLA) Letters, are informational communications provided to retirees and beneficiaries in receipt of an UNJSPF periodic benefit. Only retirees and beneficiaries in receipt of periodic benefits and whose benefits have been affected by changes in the Cost-of-Living and/or Quarterly Exchange Rate will receive these letters. The letters provide the quarterly exchange and COLA percentage applied for the determination of benefit entitlements in conformity with the UNJSPF Pension Adjustment System. They also provide the established monthly payable amount for the quarter as well as After Service Health Insurance (ASHI) deduction, if any, and Total Net Payment Amount.

If you have difficulties understanding the information provided in your Quarterly Statement, you can learn more about it by clicking here.

• Upon request the Pension Fund can also provide retirees and beneficiaries with a statement of benefits, which is a yearly statement of the payments made by the UNJSPF.

For information about the Annual Certificate of Entitlement please see the section in the FAQs dedicated to this topic.

Tax related queries cannot be addressed by the UNJSPF as this is not within the scope of the Pension Fund’s competence or authority. Indeed, as fiscal periods and national tax laws, especially those relating to pensions, are exceedingly diverse and complex, and subject to frequent changes, the UNJSPF is not able to maintain up-to-date familiarity in this field or to give advice to participants or beneficiaries in this area.

The Fund encourages its retirees and beneficiaries to consult with an accountant or tax attorney, so that they are advised fully and accurately, or, possibly, consult with the UN Tax Unit where colleague may be in a position to provide answers.

On the Fund’s website you can find a letter issued by the US Department of Treasury stating that the Fund is a qualified plan under IRC Section 401(a).

This information is made available for the convenience of the UNJSPF participants, retirees and other beneficiaries. If there is an ambiguity, inconsistency or conflict between the information provided above and the UNJSPF Regulations, Rules and Pension Adjustment System, any decisions will be based on the Regulations, Rules and Pension Adjustment System, and not on the information contained herein.