RADAR - Issue 18, March 2022

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RADAR - Issue 18, March 2022

What is NEXTGEN? Will it affect me?

The NextGen initiative is a government-wide, multi-phased, exploratory initiative with a goal of delivering a modern, sustainable and efficient HR and pay solution for the federal public service. The NextGen teams working at Shared Services Canada (SSC) and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) know that employees are looking for simplicity in a solution that meets the diverse needs of federal departments and agencies across Canada.

An underlying principle of this initiative is to find a single, simple, HR and pay solution that any federal employee can access anytime, anywhere, from any device.

This year, your DFO Pay Team is participating in a pilot project to test proposed solutions against the complexities of HR and pay in our department. We want to ensure that any solution can meet the business and technical requirements of an operational department like DFO.

Your current HR and pay will continue to be processed in PeopleSoft, MariTime and Phoenix, and no DFO employees will be affected by work being carried out on the pilot.

If successful, this pilot will lead to a recommendation for the future adoption of the NextGen HR and pay solution.

Did you know?

Registering for My Account can help you prepare for tax season and the filing of your tax return. You can also ensure that the Canada Revenue Agency and/or Revenu Québec have up-to-date personal information, such as your contact and direct deposit information.

Register for the Canada Revenue Agency’s MyAccount. My Account is a secure portal that lets you view your personal income tax and benefit information online, including:

  • T4 tax slips
  • tax refunds
  • Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) limits

Register for Revenu Québec’s My Account. (Québec residents only) Revenu Québec’s My Account is a secure portal that also allows you to view information online, including:

  • Relevé 1 tax slips
  • solidarity tax credits
  • work premiums
  • tax credits for childcare expenses

Where did you work this year?

Your deductions will be based on the place of work associated with your position, not your place of residence, even if you worked from home this year.

If you worked from home, the available flat-rate tax deduction for employees working from home has increased for tax year 2021. It is now $2 a day to a maximum of $500. Find out more.

If you worked in more than one province or territory in 2021, you will have been issued separate T4 slips for each province or territory of employment.

April 1 – not just a day for fools

Next month marks the start of the new fiscal year. By the fourth week of April, you will be able to view your updated leave balances in PeopleSoft. To ensure that your carry-over balances are correct, you should submit any outstanding compensatory time or paid leave requests and take a screenshot of your leave balances before the end of this month. Keep in mind that PeopleSoft cannot be accessed during the blackout period from April 7-25, 2022.

Considering leave with income averaging this year?

Paperwork must be sent to the Pay Centre 6 weeks in advance

Leave with Income Averaging (LIA) is a special work arrangement for indeterminate employees that allows you to enjoy an extended period of leave without pay (a minimum of 5 weeks and a maximum of 3 months) while your salary is averaged over 12 months. Don’t forget that your pension and benefits deductions will continue at the pre-arrangement levels.

Before you request LIA ensure you are eligible:

  • You must have indeterminate employment status;
  • You must not be occupying a position that has been declared surplus;
  • You must agree not to work for the federal public service while on leave;
  • You must continue to abide by the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector while on leave.

If you wish to request LIA:

  1. Request approval from your manager. Managers may approve or deny leave requests based on operational requirements.
  2. If your manager approves your request, consult the Manager’s Toolbox for application instructions. Remember that your salary will be averaged over a 12 month period, the effective start date of this period must be the Thursday following a pay day, and the leave must be taken during this period.

For more information about LIA, contact the Life Events team via mypay-mapaye@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and consult Appendix D of the Directive on Leave and Special Working Arrangements.

Hoping to travel this year?

What will your PSHCP benefits cover?

For PSHCP members with supplementary coverage, you and each of your eligible dependents are covered for up to $500,000 (CAD) per participant, per trip for emergency medical expenses incurred up to 40 days after you leave your home province or territory on vacation.

Medical emergencies related to COVID-19 are covered under the Emergency Benefit while travelling, but the PSHCP does not cover:

  • travel expenses resulting from trip cancellations or changes
  • expenses resulting from a quarantine
  • the cost of COVID-19 testing

For more details, see the National Joint Council PSHCP Directive and the interpretation summarized in the PSHCP bulletin.

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