ContentYou may be retired upon completion of 20 years or more of approved service under appointment prior to the Conference session, with payment of your pension to begin the first month after the session of the Conference in the year you attain age 62. P.359.2a; 2004 DISCIPLINE.

When you will have attained age 62 on or before July 1 in the year in which the session of the Conference is held or will have completed 35 years of approved service under appointment as of the Conference session, you may be retired with an actuarially reduced pension, payment to begin the first month after the adjournment of the session of the Conference. P.359.2b; 2004 DISCIPLINE.

Due to the late date of Annual Conference, the first payment may not arrive until the middle to possibly late July.

Ministers Reserve Pension Fund (Pre-1982 benefits) and the Ministerial Pension Plan (MPP) are pensions benefits funded through the church or salary-paying unit. Effective 1-1-98 the Personal Investment Plan was introduced to the Denomination. This Plan is for a participant’s personal contributions to their pension. The participant, through the church or salary-paying unit, makes a Before Tax or After Tax pension contribution. (Prior to 1-1-98, personal contributions were a part of MPP.)

The number of pre-1982 years of service with pension credit is multiplied by the current annuity rate of the annual conference(s) that you served. (See your service record.) That amount divided by 12 (months) is your monthly benefit amount.

There is only one option available for this portion of your benefit. If you are married, the annuity will be paid to you for your lifetime with 70% payable to your spouse for his/her lifetime in the event of your death. If you are single, the benefit will be paid to you for your lifetime and will stop in the event of your death.

Benefits are based on the accumulation in your account. Annuity amounts are based on the account balance and your age (for joint-life annuities, the age of your contingent annuitant, or spouse, is also taken into consideration.)

A participant may take up to 25% of the MPP account balance as a lump sum. The remaining 75% MPP account balance must be annuitized. Another option is to take the entire account balance as a lifetime annuities.

Benefits are based on the accumulation in your United Methodist Personal Investment Plan (UMPIP). Annuity amounts are based on the account balance and your age (for joint-life annuities, the age of your contingent annuitant, or spouse, is also taken into consideration.

Various distributions options are variable: a) Lump-sum distribution of the entire account. b) Partial lump-sum distribution (one allowed per year.) c) The entire or remaining balance as one of 16 annuities (including annual, monthly, and lifetime annuities.) d) Cash Installments.

Hardship Distributions and In-Service Withdrawals. Please contact the General Board of Pension at 1-800-851-2201, for more information about these options. Also participants can utilize the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System by calling 1-888-851-2201. This system can provide information about your accounts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You must have your Social Security Number and Personal Identification Number available to access your accounts. IVR provides personal account and loan information; investment performance; general plan information; and can accept form and information requests.

Provided you were a participant in Comprehensive Protection Plan (CPP) for two years immediately prior to your retirement under P. 359.2b or P. 359.2c. Death benefits are payable for the retiree, the spouse or surviving spouse.

Reference the 2006 CCF&A Report. The benefit described in the Journal in the year in which you retire is the applicable policy for your retirement move.

Each month, the General Board of Pension will issue either a check or send your pension via an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to your bank account. The check is mailed to reach you on or soon after the first day of each month. Pension is paid in advance; i.e., the funds you receive dated July 1 is for the month of July. If you die on the first day of the month, the check becomes part of your estate. If you die during the month preceding the date of the check, your executor should return it to the General Board of Pensions and a new check in the proper amount will be issued to your surviving spouse.

It may change as the East Ohio Conference (or other conference) may change its annuity rate for Pre 82 service. This annuity rate is set by each Annual Conference session for the succeeding calendar year. It may be raised or lowered. However, there has been no decrease since adoption of the MRPF and MRPP plans. The annuity rate is for years of service prior to January 1, 1982. MPP retirement annuity increases are based on your chosen option at retirement.

No, only your earnings from employment (pulpit supply, minister of visitation, etc.) effect your Social Security payments, and then only when the earnings from employment exceed the allowable maximum prior to your Social Security defined full retirement age (FRA).

Yes, with the exception of the amount you may be able to exclude as a Conference designated housing exclusion. You must be able to prove expenses equal to the amount you exclude (property taxes, insurance premiums, utilities, repair, etc.; or rental payments if you do not own your retirement residence). Limits do apply to the amount a retired clergy may exclude. Please reference Item VI of the Board of Pension report.

Yes, by arrangement with the General Board of Pensions and filing of the necessary form with the General Board, taxes can be withheld and paid to the IRS for you; otherwise, you will need to file an estimated tax return and pay the amounts estimated in quarterly installments directly to IRS. THE LATTER IS RECOMMENDED.

Yes. Your Health Care benefit package provided by the Annual Conference to eligible clergy presupposes your participation in Medicare. If you do not participate in Medicare you must bear the expense of what Medicare would cover from your own resources, or you must carry separate insurance at your own expense. Sixty days before you or your spouse attain age 65, all participants must notify the Conference Treasurer’s Office, for transfer if applicable, may be made to the Conference’s Secondary coverage.

Reference: Health Care Questions Freguently Asked, questions #31 through #36.

Your surviving spouse or the executor of your estate should contact the Benefits Office at the Conference Area Center. If applicable, the General Board of Pensions upon receipt of the Notification of Death from the EOC Benefits Manager, will issue a death benefit check.

You deduct the amount from your gross receipts or income, and report only the reduced amount on your income tax return. You must have expenses equal to the amount of the exclusion. Expenses greater than the exclusion cannot be deducted.

Participation in the Ministerial Pension Plan (MPP) automatically provides eligibility in UMPIP. Your church treasurer deducts from your cash salary, a before-tax contribution that is sent to the General Board of Pensions (GB) and held on deposit for you. An after tax contribution can also be made to UMPIP. The church treasurer must make the payment directly to the GB ‑not you. Contribution limits due apply. Visit websites: www.irs.gov or www.gbophb.org

No, but it is highly suggested and supported by the East Ohio Conference Board of Pensions that all members make personal contributions to their pension plan. Prior to 1-1-98, a MPP participant was required to contribute 3% of cash salary to their personal account.

Write the General Board of Pensions, 1201 Davis Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201, and request that a copy of your service record be sent to you. Or call 1-800-851-2201.

You should write the Board of Pensions of the Annual Conference within whose boundaries geographically the service was rendered. The East Ohio Conference Board of Pensions can deal only with the service rendered in a predecessor Annual Conference within the boundaries of the current East Ohio Conference.

You must present documentary evidence to the Conference Board of Pensions to support any change requested, particularly if you are requesting annuity credit for service previously classified as "without annuity credit" or service that is unclassified. Documentary evidence consists of references of Conference Journals and Yearbooks and other records substantiating the claim. The Conference Board of Pensions may require information from third parties.