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Did You Know?

Some pension amounts are defined as “Trivial” and you can cash them in.

Right now, but subject to change, if the total lump sum value of your UK Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution* pension plans is £30,000 or less you can withdraw the Defined Benefits amounts in cash and bring it to Canada. The amount transferred would be subject to tax in Canada.

What a cheek calling a pension of £30,000 trivial! Nonetheless, click here to find out more.

*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?

If you are going to retire in Canada and you have a Defined Benefit Pension in the UK, life might be better if you transfer the funds to Canada.

Your retirement expenses will be growing in line with Canadian inflation (which could be quite different from UK inflation). So a transfer out into a QROPS may be a better fit with your retirement plans.
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?

When your pension plan starts paying out, the amounts received will be taxable in Canada whether you leave the pension in the UK or have it transferred to Canada.

If you transfer your UK pension to Canada, it may qualify to go into a special type of RRSP. There is no tax on the lump sum transfer and you would only pay tax when you take some money out.