Frequently Asked Questions

Q) Do I have more options by transferring my Pension to Canada

A) Yes. In the UK at retirement you can only receive your pension rights as a monthly or annual income stream (annuity)

In Canada you can purchase a similar annuity or leave your funds in an RRSP, growing tax deferred, until you need to access some of it.

Q) What is a QROPS?

A) QROPS stands for Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme.
Your UK pension funds would go into a Canadian RRSP which has been accepted by the Inland Revenue as a QROPS.

Q) Can my UK pension go directly into a Regular RRSP here in Canada?

A) Yes as long as that RRSP has been accepted by the Inland Revenue as a QROPS.

Q) What is the 5 Year Rule I keep hearing about?

A) Once pensions are transferred out of the UK they only have to comply with the rules of the RRSP they are transferred into in Canada.

However, any withdrawals made from the RRSP within a 5 year period in which a person became UK non-resident for UK tax purposes could attract a UK tax liability.

For example if you arrived in Canada on 4th July 2003 you would be able to access your funds on 6th April 2009, free of any potential tax liability to the UK.

Q) What is a Frozen Pension?

A) The technical term for a Frozen Pension is a Deferred Pension Entitlement. Basically you were in a company’s pension scheme and then you left, leaving your pension benefits behind.

Q) What is a Pension Scheme?

A) That is simply the name in the U.K. for a Company Pension.

Q) I do not have any documentation from my former pension scheme?

A) We have traced frozen pensions from the most basic information, without any documentation, quite easily.

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