Life Annuity

​A Life Annuity provides your clients with a guaranteed and predictable income for life.

Advantages of a life annuity

  • Provides guaranteed regular lifetime payments
  • Safe from market fluctuations
  • Covers recurring expenses
  • No management necessary
  • Non-registered annuities are eligible for pension income tax credit and pension income tax splitting

Annuity options

  • Reversibility: when the annuitant dies, the annuity payments continue and are paid to the contingent annuitant
  • Guarantee: minimum period during which annuity payments will be made. For registered annuities, the guarantee cannot extend past the annuitant’s 91th birthday
  • Indexation: to offset the effects of inflation, the annuity can be indexed at an annual percentage rate.

Factors that influence annuity payments

  • Amount paid
  • Date funds are received
  • Date of first payment
  • Options chosen
  • Sex and date of birth of annuitant and spouse
  • Interest rate in effect when the annuity is issued

Source of eligible funds

  • Registered annuity
    • LIRA
    • RRIF
    • LIF
    • RRSP
    • RPP
  • Non-registered annuity
    • Non-registered plans

Minimum premium

  • $5,000

Proof of age

  • Required when application is submitted
  • Must be 18 years or older

Annuity payment

  • The annuity can be paid by direct deposit or cheque
  • The annuity can be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually
  • Tax witholding permitted on request
  • Annuities with payments of less than $300/year or $25/month are rejected.

End of annuity payments

  • Upon the annuitant’s death*

* May vary depending on the options chosen (reversibility and guarantee)

Changes

  • No changes are permitted

Surrender

  • The annuity may be surrendered at the commuted value
  • The prescribed annuity is non-redeemable

Taxation

  • Registered annuity: All of the payments received are taxable
  • Non-registered annuity
    • Prescribed: taxed at same rate each year
    • Non-prescribed: tax rate decreases throughout the contract