Retirement Planning Flashcards
Canadian Pension Plan Basics
- everyone over age of 18 in Canada pays into it
- 5.95% Employees / Employer portion
-Stops no matter what at age 70
-Contributions are based on salary “pensionable earnings”
-Minimum level aka Yearly Basic Exemption (YBE) is frozen at $3,500
-The yearly maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE) is adjusted each Jan based on increases of average wage
CPP CONTRIBUTION RATES:
2023: YMPE: $66,600, YBE: $3,500
SO Pensionable Earnings = (66,600-3,500) = $63,100
Employee contribution = 5.95% x $63,100 = $3,754.45
Employer contribution = 5.95% x $63,100 = $3,754.45
CPP Plan Benefits
- Disability benefits
- Retirement pension
- Survivor Benefits - death benefit ($2,500)
- Post-Retirement Benefit
CPP as early as age 60 and as late as age 70
-Reduced by 0.6%/mo (max 7.2%/year) if started before age 65
-Increased by 0.7% per month after age 65 (max 8.4% per year)
-Retroactive payments only up to 12 months
What keeps a record of your CPP earnings and contributions over the years?
Pension Credits
CPP sharing example:
Pat and Jean have been living together in a common-law relationship since 1979. They are both over 60 and both receive a CPP retirement pension.Jean’s monthly retirement pension is $400. Of that, $100 is based on income earned before moving in with Pat; this amount will not be affected by a pension-sharing arrangement. The other $300 is based on income earned during their relationship.
Pat was not working before this relationship. Pat’s monthly retirement pension of $550 is based entirely on income earned while living with Jean.Their pension payments, added together, total $950.
After subtracting the portion of Jean’s pension that is based on income earned before moving in with Pat ($100), their “shareable” pension amount is $850. With pension sharing, they would each receive half of $850, or $425. In addition to the $425, Jean would also receive the $100 that is based on earnings prior to this relationship with Pat. Jean’s total monthly CPP payment would be $525, while Pat’s would be $425.
Their T4 slips will show the amount each received during the previous year and will be used when calculating their income tax.
What are your three options with leaving an employer pension after it’s been vested for 2 years (min req)
- Take a deferred pension
- take pension funds to another pension plan (if new employer agrees)
- transfer funds to a LIRA
What is commuted value?
lump sum present value of your expected future pension plus benefits
What are your 3 retirement fund options?
- a LIF
- LIRA fund
- use funds to purchase an annuity
What are IPPS?
-IPPs offer best savings solution for ppl over 40 earning more than $100K / yr
-creditor proofing
-higher cont. limits
-guarantee an income at retirement (cannot be collapsed unless critical sitch prior)
- ALL IPP conts, fees etc made by a corp on behalf of key person, fully tax deductable to corp and non-tax benefit to employee
DPSP - deferred sharing profit plans
- are not locked in
- offer employers flexibility
-do not increase payroll taxes
-tax deductible for employers
What is the 3 Year Attribution Rule for RRSPs?
-if your spouse withdraws funds from their spousal RRSP within 3 calendar years of the other spouses SPL contribution, the withdrawal is treated as income on the contributing spouses tax return
-If after 3 years vested the withdrawal is considered income on the receiving spouses tax return
3 year rule does apply if:
-marriage breakdown
-death
-either spouse becomes non-resident
-money transferred to an annuity
RRSP deduction limit calculated by?
18% of “earned income” for preceding year LESS “pension adjustments” (RPP) LESS “past service pension adjustments” PLUS any “” reversals, Plus previous unused room
2023 max: $30,780
Withholding tax rates for RRSPs
- $0-5000 = 10%
- $5001-15000 = 20%
- > $15000 = 30%
What is a Pension Adjustment?
(PA) is an individual’s total pension credits for the year with a specific employer.
What does Pension Adjustment reduce?
An individuals PA in a year reduces the maximum amount that they can deduct for RRSP contributions the next year
- PA = total pension credits
- PA is ONLY used for DBP - PA = {(9 x benefit earned) - $600}
Formulas for Pension Adjustments (there’s 2)
For DBP: PA = {(9 x benefit earned) - $600}
For DCP: PA = Employer + Employee Contributions
*There is no negative PA, if negative number exists the answer is nil
What is Alternative Minimum Tax
It prevents high income earners and trusts from paying little or no tax as a result of certain tax incentives, including claiming certain tax deductions and earning Canadian dividends and capital gains
What type of retiring allowance does not qualify?
Unused vacation days do no qualify as a retiring allowance
- termination pay and unused sick leave credits do
Two benefits of RRIFs
- growth of investments beyond age 71
- deferral of tax on income earned until money is withdrawn
- no maximum withdrawal limits
- once converted to RRIF user will have until Dec 31 of following year to make first withdrawal (no min in first year RRIF made but minimum amounts every year following)
What is the RRIF “prescribed factor”? (qualifying RRIF / 1993)
- RRIF minimum calculation
PF = 1/(90-age) with age being age of person Jan 1 of the year.
Eg: Marc 1, 2022 Donna turned 70. She converted her RRSP two years ago (2022)
Starting in 2015 all RRIFs use, which RRIF Factor? (non-qualifying RRIF 2015)
- “new factors” (chart of ascending rates) AKA non -qualifying RRIF
What type of RRIFs (qualifying or non-qualifying) can use the spouse or common law partners for calculating the prescribed factor?
BOTH - qualifying and nonQ can use the spouses age
- it can give a lower minimum withdrawal amount using the younger persons age
What is a LIF Life Income Fund?
-Essentially a RRIF but with a minimum AND maximum withdrawal amount
-min by income tax act and max based by province
-income stream until age 80, then converted to annuity in BC
-LIF and LRIF are almost same thing except at age 80 a LIF turns into an annuity, LRIF does not
What is a LRIF?
-Locked - In Retirement Income Fund
-Holds locked in pension money
- more flexible than LIF
-no maturity dates