Memorial University provides retiring employees with a retirement certificate and an appropriate retirement gift. The university's Retirement Recognition policy outlines the amount of the monetary contribution provided for the gift based on years of service. 

As per the policy, funds for the gift are released upon formal request from the employee’s unit head to the Department of Human Resources. Requests should be made by emailing hrfinance@mun.ca.

In the email request please list the following information:

• Retiring employee’s full name and title (Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr.)
• Retirement date
• Years of service (if known)
• Who the funds should be released to for the gift purchase

Examples of an appropriate retirement gift include:

• Framed photography, artwork, etc.
• Keepsake, memorabilia, collectables, etc.
• Electronics, clothing, housewares, etc.
• Gift basket (fruit, cheese, wine, etc.)
• Gift cards may also be purchased for a single retailer or group of retailers and will be non-taxable. However, if a pre-paid credit card is purchased the dollar value will be recorded as a taxable benefit on the retiring employee’s tax slips.

Once the retirement gift is purchased, the department must send a copy of the receipt to hrfinance@mun.ca specifying who the gift was for and what the funds were used to purchase. If a receipt is not received by the end of the calendar year, the value will be recorded as a taxable benefit on the retiring employee’s tax slips. The tax treatment of retirement gifts is determined based on the CRA’s administrative policy on gifts and awards and may be subject to change.

Any questions regarding retirement recognition should be emailed to hrfinance@mun.ca.