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Moving between international organizations? You may be able to carry over your accrued pension rights!

14 June 2019

The UNJSPF currently has agreements for transfer of pension rights with 23 entities. This is one of the great benefits for participants in the Fund. The most recent agreement, effective from 1 January 2019, is with the African Development Bank.

While the transfer of pension rights remains optional, it contributes to facilitate mobility within the international civil service community. Note that mobility between UNJSPF member organizations does not fall under this concept of ‘Transfer of pension rights’. Indeed, if you were to move from one UNJSPF member organization to another, your participation continues subject to the relevant time frames. For more details in this regard, please refer to the information provided at the end of this article.

For detailed information on transfer of your pension rights, please check the dedicated page and booklet. Below is some additional information that may assist you in making a decision.

Like ADB,  22 other international organizations and entities have signed a transfer agreement with the UNJSPF which allows for the portability of pension rights to and from the UNJSPF.

How do I know whether I am eligible to transfer pension rights to or from the UNJSPF?

You may be eligible to transfer your pension rights if:

- you are a former participant of one of the 24 UNJSPF member organizations and intending to start, or recently started a new job in an international organization that has a transfer agreement with the UNJSPF or;

- you recently joined a UNSPF Member Organization, are a UNJSPF participant, and you are a former employee of an organization that has a transfer agreement with the UNJSPF.

What to do in such cases?

Please note that each Transfer Agreement sets strict timeframes within which you must communicate your written interest to transfer your pension rights from or to the UNJSPF. The applicable conditions and timeframes are clearly spelled out in each of the Transfer Agreements the Fund has signed and posted on its website.

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of transferring your pension rights, we encourage you to check if your previous or new employing organization has a transfer agreement with the UNJSPF; if so, review the conditions in the transfer agreement to determine whether you are eligible to request a transfer.

If so, all you need to do is contact the Fund and the other pension scheme in writing, within the time frames allowed, to record your expression of interest in transferring your pension rights. To contact the UNJSPF, please submit your communication via the online Contact Form with the contact reason “Transfer/Portability of Pension Rights”. You can also submit an initial request to transfer-in your pension rights inside your UNJSPF Member Self-Service (MSS) account.

For detailed information on the transfer of pension rights, please check our dedicated web page and booklet, or contact us for any question.

What if I change from a UNJSPF member organization to another UNJSPF member organization?

If you change jobs from one UNJSPF Member Organization to another UNJSPF Member organization with a break of no more than 30 days, without a benefit having been processed or paid to you, no action is necessary. The UNJSPF member organization that employs you will automatically report your participation status to the Fund and your entitlements and obligations as a UNJSPF participant will continue.

For more information, please check our participation booklet and page.

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