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Did You Know?

Understanding pensions and their terminology requires large doses of Alphabet soup.

A QROPS on the HMRC list that’s also an RRSP recognized by the CRA. (Who writes this stuff?)

A Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS), is an overseas pension scheme that meets mandatory requirements set by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). A QROPS can receive transfers of UK Pensions. In Canada, QROPS are often also approved as a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

DB vs. DC?

A Defined Benefit (DB) plan, is a retirement account for which both an employer and employee make contributions that promise the employee a set payout at retirement e.g. two thirds of final salary. You do not have your own retirement pot but instead have a defined income.  A Defined Contribution (DC) plan is a retirement account where both an employer and employee make contributions to an employee’s own individual retirement pot – the employee has flexibility to take the income any way they wish but the amounts depend on how much was contributed and how those contributions were invested.

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Did You Know?

You might need advice before you are allowed to transfer a UK Defined Benefit pension plan.

To protect you from fraud the UK’s tax authority – HMRC – will not allow trustees to transfer a DB pension with a value of £30,000 or more without the advice of a consultant regulated by the FCA.
Did You Know?

Understanding pensions and their terminology requires large doses of Alphabet soup.

QROPS, HMRC, RRSP, CRA, DB, DC - find out what it all means.
Did You Know?

If you live in Canada and intend to retire there too, there is little value of having a UK pension that allows you to take a tax free lump sum.

Many UK pension plans allow the beneficiaries to make a withdrawal of 25% on reaching the retirement age. In the UK that 25% lump sum is not taxed. Unfortunately, most withdrawals from a pension plan are taxable for Canadian residents.