Participants Frequently Asked Questions

Copies of your Annual Statements of Pension Status are available online through the Participant’s Login. Copies can also be mailed to you upon your request.

These statements are automatically generated and mailed to you each year during the month of your birthday. A more current detailed report of your hours known as a Contribution History Report can be found through the Participant’s Login.

It generally takes up to 2 months for your hours to post and reflect on your Annual Statement of Pension Status. If you believe that you are missing hours that were worked in the jurisdiction of a participating local union, a missing hours inquiry can be initiated by clicking here. We recommend downloading a more current detailed report, known as a Contribution History Report, prior to initiating a missing hours inquiry. Your Contribution History Report can be found through the Participant’s Login.

The UANPF is a multiemployer-defined benefit pension plan funded solely by employer contributions. Members do not have individual money accounts with the Fund so there is no account balance from which money may be withdrawn or borrowed.

The UANPF is a multiemployer, defined benefit pension plan that is funded solely by employer contributions and investment earnings on same. Participants do not have individual accounts in the plan to which they can make contributions.

You can request an estimate through the Participant’s Login, or you can request it in writing. Your written request can be faxed or mailed to the Fund Office. You should include your name, SSN, the date of retirement, and if you are married, your spouse’s name and date of birth.

If you leave before becoming Vested, you may incur a Permanent Break In Service and all your Pension Credit and Vesting Credits can be canceled.

Your beneficiary may be eligible for a benefit. If you are a Vested Participant, a death benefit may be payable on your behalf, and the type of benefit will depend on your marital status. If you are not Vested, your beneficiary may still be eligible for a benefit if you did not incur a Permanent Break in Service and you worked at least one hour in employment for which contributions were owed to the Fund during the calendar year of your death or the five prior calendar years.  Please refer to page 22 of the UANPF’s SPD for more information.

At your death, your spouse, beneficiary, or next of kin should notify the Fund by contacting the Benefit Determination Group (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) at 800-638-7442 (ext 4726). The Fund will request that they provide the Fund with a certified copy of the death certificate.  Please note that any questions relating to the Burial Expense Benefit, which is administered by the United Association not by the Fund, should be directed to the U.A. at (410) 269-2000.

If you have any changes in your life such as a marriage, divorce or birth of a child you should make sure your beneficiary designation has been updated. You can download a Beneficiary Designation Form online, or you can request by calling the Fund Office (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) at 800-638-7442.

The Beneficiary Designation Form must include an original signature, so even if completed online you will need to print and mail it in. We will not accept forms faxed, emailed or photocopied.

• You can name any person as your beneficiary as long as it’s not you. You can name a Trust or an Estate, but you cannot name a Parish, Charity, Family Pet or a Will. To name a Trust or an Estate, use the fields for the First/Middle/Last Name sections to spell them out within the boxes. In the Relationship box, you would enter if it is a Trust or an Estate. No further information would be needed in these examples.
• Your Primary Beneficiary is the person(s) you would like to receive the benefit if any is payable at your death. The Contingent Beneficiary will only receive a benefit if all your Primary Beneficiaries listed are deceased.
• Your Beneficiaries’ Social Security Number is important for us to have on file. This will help us locate them but we do recognize that your beneficiary may be outside of the United States or Canada and will not have a Social Security Number.
• The form only allows for you to name three Primary and three Contingent Beneficiaries. If you would like to name more, you can make another copy of the form or attach a separate paper. It is important to be clear of your intentions and to provide all of the same requested information for each designation.
• If you live in Canada, place your Social Insurance Number in the upper right-hand corner of the form and within each Beneficiary section.

You may need to update your Beneficiary Designation Form. We also recommend that you provide your Marriage Certificate along with your Spouse’s proof of age (driver’s license or birth certificate). By sending these documents in now, it will be one less document to provide at retirement.

You may need to update your Beneficiary Designation Form. Note that, although some state laws provide that a divorce automatically cancels your designation of your former spouse as your beneficiary, those laws do not apply to the UANPF, which is governed by federal law. If you previously designated your former spouse as your beneficiary, then, that designation will stand until you change it by submitting a new beneficiary designation form.

A Qualified Domestic Relations Order must name the United Association National Pension Fund as the organization to which it applies and must specifically require and state that the Fund is to pay benefits directly to an Alternate Payee now or in the future. The order must clearly state what amount or portion the Fund is to pay to the Alternate Payee. The order must also state when and for how long the benefit is to be paid to the Alternate Payee. Any benefits to be paid by the National Pension Fund must be of a type and form provided under the Plan Rules, and may not exceed the benefits to which the Participant would be entitled. The Fund is not allowed to pay benefits to an Alternate Payee unless required to do so by a Qualified Domestic Relations Order.

If you have any questions regarding Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, you can contact the Pension Services Department (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) at 800-638-7442 (ext. 4729).

It is best to complete an Application For Benefits at least 3-6 months before the date you plan to stop working. The form can be found by clicking on the link in the previous sentence, or you can contact the Fund Office (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) at 800-638-7442 to request that an application be mailed to you. You can indicate a requested retirement date on your application, but the effective date of your benefits cannot be before the later of: the first of the month following the receipt of your application in the Fund Office, the date you requested on your application, or the first of the month after the month in which you stop working in the industry. This means that, if you continue to work after you have submitted your pension application, your benefit effective date will be delayed until you stop working.

For more information on how to complete the application, please refer to the Instructions For Completing Your Application. You will be required to provide the following:

• Proof of age for you, and if married, your spouse – Birth Certificate, Driver’s License, Passport, DD214 or a Baptismal Record.
• Proof of Marriage – Copy of your Marriage Certificate, not the Marriage License.
• Social Security Card – if you do not have your card, you can submit a copy of your Tax Return or Social Security Administration letter which shows your full SSN.
• Divorce Decree – All pages of your Final Decree are required, including any documents that are mentioned. For example a Separation Agreement, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, Exhibits, etc.
• Employment History Form – This is only required if you believe we do not have all your employment records.

If you have not already done so, you can register online and check the status of your application or you can contact the Benefit Determination Group directly at 1-800-638-7442 (ext.4726).

You should review the following documents:

• Election Form Checklist – This Checklist will ensure that all the required forms are completed and you have chosen your desired form of payment.
• Retroactive Annuity Form #64 – You will receive this form only if your Effective Date of Benefits has passed. This form allows you to keep the Effective Date already established, or choose a later date. This can affect any retro payments you may be owed.
• Retirement Declaration Form # 1 – Carefully read the Retirement Declaration and the Summary of the Plan Provisions on Suspension of Benefits Due to a Return to Work and provide your last day of work on Form #1.
• Election Form – You were provided several election forms. You should read each one carefully and choose the one that fits your needs. You can only choose one form of payment. 
• • If you are married and you did not choose the 50% Joint and Surviving Spouse Form of Payment, you will need to complete Form #29, which is the 50% Joint and Surviving Spouse Rejection Form.
  • If you elected a form of payment with a partial lump sum, you will need to complete the Election/Rejection of Direct Rollover Form #90B. We suggested that you read the Election/Rejection of Direct Rollover Form #90A before completing #90B. 
• W-4P Tax Withholding Form – Your monthly benefit is taxable. You should read the W-4P Tax Withholding Form for further information.
• Authorization for Automated Direct Deposit Form #61 – We strongly urge all Pensioners and Beneficiaries to have their monthly benefit directly deposited into their bank account.

We will accept copies of your documents via email or fax. However, the Fund does require your original signature for documents that must be signed in the presence of a notary public. If you have any questions regarding the documents provided in your award packet, feel free to contact the Pension Payment Department directly (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) at 1-800-638-7442 (ext 4727).

Once the Fund Office receives your payment documents, it generally takes 15-20 days for you to receive your first check. If you have not already done so, you can register online and check the status of your benefit.

You can check on the status of your initial payment by logging into our secure Participant area.