- Eligibility and Participation
- How Your Service Counts
- Non-Signatory Employment
- Normal Retirement Pension
- Early Retirement Pension
- Pro-Rata Pension
- How Benefits are Paid
- Full Disability Benefit
- Requesting Pension Estimates and Applying for Benefits
- If You Die Before You Commence Your Retirement Benefits
- Suspension of Benefits
- 401(h) Supplemental Insurance Subsidy
- Claims and Appeals Procedures
- Other Information You Should Know
- Your Rights Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
- Plan Facts
- Board of Trustees
- Merged Pension Funds
- Glossary of Key Terms
- Eligibility and Participation
- How Your Service Counts
- Non-Signatory Employment
- Normal Retirement Pension
- Early Retirement Pension
- Pro-Rata Pension
- How Benefits are Paid
- Full Disability Benefit
- Requesting Pension Estimates and Applying for Benefits
- If You Die Before You Commence Your Retirement Benefits
- Suspension of Benefits
- 401(h) Supplemental Insurance Subsidy
- Claims and Appeals Procedures
- Other Information You Should Know
- Your Rights Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
- Plan Facts
- Board of Trustees
- Merged Pension Funds
- Glossary of Key Terms
Requesting Pension Estimates and Applying for Benefits
Requesting an Estimate
You can obtain a pension estimate from the “Participant Sign In” portion of the website if you have filed a Vesting Application with the Fund Office. If you have not filed a Vesting Application, you can download one or request one from the Fund Office. Any and all estimates given to you before you retire is strictly informational. If an error was made in your estimate, you will be paid the correct amount due under the terms of the Plan, even if it is less than the amount shown on the estimate.
Applying for Benefits
To receive pension benefit payments, you must meet the eligibility requirements and submit an application for benefits in writing to the Fund Office in advance of the month you wish benefits to commence—but no more than 180 days in advance of your Effective Date. In addition to submitting a completed application, you must provide the Plan with:
- proof of your age (birth certificate or other acceptable document)
- your Social Security number
- information regarding your work in the Sheet Metal Industry.
If you are married and you intend to choose a Joint and Survivor Annuity Option, your spouse must present proof of his or her age, proof of marriage (marriage certificate), and his or her Social Security number.
Download an application or contact the Fund Office. Submit your written application to:
Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund
ATTN: Pension Benefits Department
8403 Arlington Blvd, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22031
Fax: (703) 739-7836
info@smwnbf.org
Spousal Consent
If you are married, you may elect a form of payment other than the Joint and Survivor Annuity only if your spouse consents in writing to your election and the consent is witnessed by a notary public. Complete details on this process are available from the Fund Office.
When to Apply for a Pension
You should apply in writing no later than the month before you want pension benefits to begin. It’s a good idea to apply two to three months in advance if you have filed a Vesting Application; otherwise, you should apply five to six months before you want benefits to begin. Applications are not accepted more than six months in advance.
You may continue to work up until the date your pension payments start.
When Payments Begin
If your application is approved, your pension payments will begin the first day of the month for which you applied. In the event there are administrative delays, it is possible that your initial check will be paid after your Effective Date. If this occurs, you will be given the option of receiving a retroactive payment to your Effective Date.
Although you are not required to start receiving your pension benefit when you reach the Plan’s Normal Retirement Age, you must begin receiving benefits no later than April 1 of the calendar year following the year you attain age 70½. If you should continue to work after this date, your benefit will be increased annually to reflect the additional benefits you have earned. If you decide to return to work after you retire, you may incur a temporary suspension of pension payments.
Making Changes
You may change your payment election at any time before payments start. No changes can be made after payments have begun.
Your Address
If you move, please notify the Fund Office in writing immediately to ensure that information about your benefits is sent to the proper location.
This page includes only highlights of the Plan’s rules for requesting an estimate and applying for a pension. See the Details Tab for more information.