Retirement Planning Flashcards
Unvested DC Plan Monies Returned
Your contributions + Your Interest + Employer Interest
RRSP Earned Income
- Net income from employment
- Net income from business
- Net Rental from RE
- CPP Plan
- Spousal Support
RRSP Limit
2021 RRSP Limit $27,830
2020 “ “ $27,230
2019 “ “ $26,500
RRSP Contribution Calculation
- 2021 RRSP Limit $27,830
- Calc 18% of earned income (previous yr.)
- Use Lower of 1 or 2
- Less** any PA (**previous yr.)
- Less** any PSPA (**current yr.)
- Add** and PAR (**current yr.)
- Equals current year’s RRSP contr. limit.
- Add unused RRSP contr. room all previous yrs.
- Equals total RRSP contribution limit.
- Add $2000 lifetime allowable over-contribution.
- Equals maximum allowable contribution limit.
Retirement Allowance Rollover Rules
Before ‘96, # yrs of service x $2000 +
Before ‘89, # yrs unvested x $1500 = RRSP rollover
RRSP Earned Income Deductions
- Losses from Business
- Deductible spousal support paid
Pension Adjustment Calculation
First Calculate benefit of DB plan
average or best yrs or final income x 2% = Benefit
Pension Adjustment or PA = (9x Benefit) -600
Annuity Income to include in Income
months of income x interest received x monthly income received
DPSP Rules
- May withdraw vested DPSP in cash
- Not a formal DPP
- Only Employer can contribute
- Based on profits to a Max 18% or Max $27,830
- Savings sheltered until withdrawn
- When retiring may: receive a lump sum in cash, transfer funds to RRSP or RRIF, use funds to purchase an annuity
Individual Pension Plan (IPP)
- is a defined benefit plan, contributions actuarially determined
- IPP contributions could exceed the RRSP contribution limit
- contributions will not vary with corporate earnings
- does not need to have more than one member.
Spousal RRSP
- Contributions are deducted to the contributing spouse
- If the spouse uses the RRSP assets to purchase an annuity of RRIF…then no Attr.
- a spousal contribution will not affect the spouse’s personal contribution room
- attr rule affects funds contributed this year and the 2 previous yrs.
Yearly Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE)
- as defined under the Canada Pension Plan
- for 2021 YMPE is $61,600
- for 2020 YMPE was $58,700
Unreduced Pension
- Earliest age without reduction = (age joined the plan + Qualifying Factor / 2
Money Purchase Plan (MPP) or DC Plan
- Contributions to MPP by employees reduce their taxable income directly
- An employer can deduct their contributions
- Payment is taxable to the employee
- Funds inside the MPP grow tax-free, however, funds paid out are considered taxable income to the plan member
Strip Bond Interest Calc?
Semi-annual discounting is used
Attribution of a spousal RRIF
- if within the 3 yrs then attribution applies to anything above the RRIF Min
Receive Shares DPSP
- if leaving the company then can take the shares and report the cost as a taxable benefit
- then make a contribution to his RRSP within 60 days after the end of the year received…this will offset the taxable benefit
- can also transfer the shares directly to his RRSP, DPSP or RPP at FMV.
DC Plan Features
- DC plans appeal to smaller companies as contributions are fixed…usually as a % of income.
- level of benefits is dependent on investment results and max pension is unpredictable
- Max pension amount $3245.56 only applies to DB pensions
- Accumulated amounts to a LIRA if leave the plan
- No inflation protection under a DC Plan
- If leaving a DC or DB plan…transfer to a LIRA or LIF or Deferred Life Annuity, or to another pension plan
GIS and Allowance
- both are reported as part of total income
- BUT amounts are deducted in the calc of taxable income…so effectively exempt from tax
Is U.S. source income earned by a non-resident taxed?
- Does not form part of earned income
- What is…
Employee profit-sharing allocations
Taxable alimony receipts
Net Rental Income
Canadian source employment income while a non-resident
RRSP to RRIF specifics
- If you contribute to the RRSP before it’s a RRIF, you don’t have 60 extra days like other years.
- Can’t contribute to a RRIF
- excess contributions subject to a 1% monthly penalty
CPP Orphan Benefit rules?
- Must be enrolled in school full-time and be 19 or under
- if enrolled would qualify until finished or reached 25 yrs
Pension Calculations and the PA
- Is an estimation of the value of an individual’s pension
- the PA is the amount an RRSPs member can contribute annually
- PA ensures that all taxpayers have access to comparable tax assistance
- for DC Plan…employer and employee contributions
- for DB Plan PA = (9 x Annual accrual benefit) - $600
- annual accrual benefit formula…find first…PB = factor x avg. salary x #yrs
- PA = (9 x (factor x avg. salary x #yrs) - $600… combined to one formula
DPSP and payout to employees or survivors
- Amounts vested are payable no later than the end of the year the employee attains 71 years of age and 90 days after the earliest of:
- the death of the employe
- day ceases to be employed
- the termination or winding up of the plan
Life ONLY Annuity
- Highest Income as payments cease on death
- only one life…no spousal benefit
- no survivor benefit
PSPA
- PSPA increases the benefits to an individual for past years of service
- so you will have to deduct in current yr
Transfer In-Kind
- Refers to the transfer of an asset from non-reg to an RRSP account
- the Market value of the transfer is considered to be the contribution
- This type of transfer will trigger a deemed disposition (trigger CG)
- the individual can claim a tax deduction for the contribution, however, transfers to RRSPs cannot be used to trigger capital losses for tax purposes.
Pension Benefits and Disability
Example Ron DB plan 25 yrs of service
starts to receive disability insurance benefits at 55 yrs of age
At 65…received a full pension based on 35 yrs NOT 25
LIRA
- Cannot be purchased with cash
- Can only withdraw if: death, reduced life expectancy, non-resident of Canada for two years
- LIRA must be converted to a LIF or life annuity to access funds
What are “Forfeitures” in a DPSP?
- member terminates membership prior to vesting
- all claims on employer contributions are forfeited
Individual Pension Plans (IPP)
- best for 45 yrs or older and earns T4 income
- provide significantly higher contributions than RRSP
- more tax-sheltered savings for retirement
- are a form of a Pension Plan, they are entirely creditor proof
- They may be subject to division to support obligations (Divorce)
Take Pension Now or Later Comparison
4 Steps to comparison
- What is the pension worth at retirement age?
Find PV of annuity calc - Discount that amount (as FV) back to today to find PV to know what the pension is worth today.
- Compare it to what the pension is worth if I take the reduced monthly PMT if retire today. The pension over a longer time.
- The last step is to subtract one from the other to deduce which is the higher amount and by how much.
Legal Expenses, Wrongful Dismissal, Retiring Allowance
- $21,000 in legal fees, $36,000 award
- Can carry forward the legal expenses and deduct it against the award
- then…transfer the difference of $15,000 to her RRSP as a retiring allowance
- Retiring Allowance is also called Severance Pay
- includes…unused sick leave, money received, amounts for damages
- DOES NOT INCLUDE…Superannuation or pension benefit, no death benefits, no benefits from counseling, payment from accumulated vacation, no wages in lieu of termination, or damages for violations of human rights
If we see the words ‘in today’s dollars in a question, how do we interpret that?
- Than means, it is already ‘adjusted for inflation’
- no need to use the formula i=Rn-inf/1+inf to incorporate inflation or adjusts the cashflows for inflation
What is the appropriate discounting rate to use in retirement?
The inflation Rate
What is it to say we are discounting cashflows?
- Discounting is the process of determining the present value of a payment or a stream of payments that is to be received in the future.
- Given the time value of money, a dollar is worth more today than it would be worth tomorrow.
- Discounting is the primary factor used in pricing a stream of tomorrow’s cash flows.