When an employee who has been contributing under the new pension scheme dies before his/her retirement, his/her retirement benefits shall be paid to his/her beneficiary under a will or the spouse and children of the deceased or in the absence of a wife or child, to the recorded next-of-kin or any person designated by him/her during his/her lifetime or in the absence of such designation, to any person appointed by the Probate Registry as the administrator of the estate of the deceased.

An annuity is an income purchased from an approved life insurance company which provides monthly or quarterly income to the retiree during his/her lifetime.

A programmed withdrawal is a method by which the employee collects his/her retirement benefits in periodic sums spread throughout the length of an estimated life span.

The balance in the RSA will be used to procure an annuity that provides regular income to the contributor or fund a programmed withdrawal.

Withdrawals from the RSA can only be made upon retirement. However, why an employee makes additional or voluntary lump sum contributions into the RSA, he can withdraw such money before retirement or attainment of the age of 50 years.

If at the commencement of the Pension Reform Act 2004, the employee is entitled to gratuity (if he were to retire on that date), the gratuity shall be computed and included in the actuarial valuation as part of the accrued pension rights of such employee.

Upon retirement, an employee can draw a lump sum (by whatever name called) from the balance standing to the credit of his/her RSA provided the balance after the withdrawal could provide an annuity or fund monthly payments that would not be less than 50% of his monthly pay as at the date of his/her retirement. However, an employer may choose to pay any other severance benefits (by whatever name called) over and above the retirement benefits payable to the employee subject to the terms and conditions of his/her employment.

Access to the RSA will only be allowed after retirement. If an employee retires at the age of 50 years or more he/she can have immediate access to the RSA. Similarly, if an employee retires before the age of 50 years due to mental or physical incapacity, he/she can have immediate access to his/her RSA. Whereas an employee who retires under the age of 50 years in accordance with the terms and conditions of employment will not access the RSA until after six months of such retirement if he/she does not secure another employment.

There is no qualifying period fro pension. If an employee works for an employer for one month, his pension contribution will be paid by the employer into the employee’s Retirement Savings account (RSA) for that month. If the employee moves on to work for another employer for another 1 year, his pension contribution will be paid by the second employer for that period of 1 year and it goes on and on like that.

The Act did not stipulate any retirement age. It depends on each employee’s terms and conditions of employment.