5 EASY STEPS TO CLAIM YOUR GESOPS TIER-2 PENSION BENEFITS

STEP 1

• Obtain Claim Form from GLICO Pensions/Union Office/GES District Office for completion
• COMPLETE Claim Form and add all required documents and submit them to the GES “SUPERVISOR” (Headmaster / District or Circuit Supervisor or for TEWU, HR Officer, Accountant/Senior Staff for ENDORSEMENT
• GES “SUPERVISOR” receives and endorses form, and returns them to member

STEP 2

• Submit endorsed form along with required documents to Union Office for onward submission to GESOPS
• Union Office receives claim documents and forwards them to GESOPS Secretariat for further processing

STEP 3

• GESOPS Secretariat receives claim documents and reviews them for Completeness and Accuracy
• GLICo Pensions receives claim documents; processes claim and submits Benefit Requisition Slip to GESOPS Secretariat for Authorization for payment

STEP 4

• GESOPS Secretariat receives Benefit Requisition Slip and issues Authorization Note to Custodian to pay beneficiary
• Custodian receives Authorization Note, transfers benefits amount into beneficiary’s account and issues Proof of Payment to GESOPS Secretariat

STEP 5

• GESOPS Secretariat receives Proof of Payment and informs GLICo Pensions via email
• GLICo Pensions receives Email from GESOPS Secretariat and informs Beneficiary via SMS Alert

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO CLAIM YOUR NORMAL RETIREMENT / EARLY RETIREMENT BENEFITS:

• Pension Advice from SSNIT
• Letter from Employer (GES) on your retirement
• Valid National ID
• Copy of SSNIT Card
• Bank and Branch details
• Claim Form (Completed)

WHAT YOU NEED TO CLAIM A SURVIVOR’S BENEFIT

• Proof of Death (Death Certificate or Medical Certificate of cause of Death)
• Letter from Employer (GES) stating that the member is deceased.
• A valid national ID card (SSNIT Card, Voter ID, National ID, Driver License Passport) of the survivor’s beneficiary(ies).
• Affidavit by Head of Family (Confirming identity of Dependents/Beneficiaries)
• Beneficiary(ies) bank account details

WHAT YOU NEED TO ACCESS YOUR INVALIDITY BENEFITS

• Medical report confirming member’s disability
• Letter from Ghana Education Service stating that the member has been relieved of his normal duties
• Valid National ID Card
• Claim Form (Completed)

TAKE YOUR GESOPS TIER-2 PENSION BENEFITS WITH YOU

What you need to access your GESOPS Tier-2 pension benefits if you’re emigrating from Ghana.

• A Valid National ID Card
• SSNIT ID
• A statutory declaration stating that you are permanently emigrating from Ghana and the date you intend to emigrate
• Claim Form (Completed)

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THE 2 PENSION CATEGORIES IN GHANA

By virtue of Act 766 as amended by Act 883 of 2014, workers in Ghana have been divided into two categories for the purposes of pension contribution and payment. GESOPS members fall in category 1 below:

1. Persons aged below 50 years as at 1st January 2010 who have been migrated fully onto the new 3-Tier pension regime.
2. Persons aged 50 and above as at 1st January 2010 who remain on the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) scheme governed by PNDC Law 247.

WHAT HAPPENS TO TPFA & REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS MADE ON BEHALF OF PERSONS IN CATEGORY 2
Persons in Pension Category 2 above, on whose behalf TPFA or Regular Contributions have been received by GESOPS will be entitled to 20% of the contributions received, ie. 4 out of the 5% contributions to the Tier 2 Scheme with interest. The remaining 80% will be returned to SSNIT by GESOPS in line with section 2 of Act 883.

Category 1 members upon retirement shall receive their pension lump sum benefit payment from GESOPS, a one time pension payment. Their monthly pension benefits shall be paid by SSNIT.

A person shall not be entitled to pension entitlements under both categories except as described above.

INTERIM TPFA BENEFITS DO NOT APPLY TO CONTRIBUTIONS FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 2016 ONWARDS

The reconciliation process for TPFA benefits does not apply to contributions from 1st September 2016 onwards (Regular Benefits) as they have been captured and credited to GESOPS members’ accounts in full. Accordingly, full Regular Benefits will be paid to all GESOPS benefit claimants.

PAYMENT OF BENEFITS TO RETIRING GESOPS MEMBERS

Upon retirement of a member, an Interim TPFA Benefit, together with the full Regular Benefit will be paid. A GESOPS member’s account will remain active until the TPFA reconciliation exercise is completed, the residual TPFA Benefit credited to the member’s account and finally paid.