USFigure out your retirement income options
What are Retirement Income Options?
Retirement Income Options (RIOs) are plans that act as sources of income after you retire, using the money you saved during your working years. The most common type of RIO is a Retirement Income Fund (RIF).1 A RIF uses the savings from your Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) to provide you with a steady, dependable source of income. Other than a minimum annual amount set by the federal government, you have the freedom to choose the amount you want to receive each year and you only pay tax on the money withdrawn from your RIO.A RIO is also available for your Locked-in RSP (LRSP), Locked-in Retirement Account (LIRA) or Restricted Locked-in Savings Plan (RLSP) in the form of a Life Income Fund (LIF), Locked-in Retirement Income Fund (LRIF), Restricted Life Income Fund (RLIF) or Prescribed Retirement Income Fund (PRIF) depending on the governing legislation of the original pension plan.
By keeping the majority of your funds in a RIO and withdrawing a predictable, manageable amount each year, you can continue to enjoy the benefits of tax-deferred growth and an additional source of income during retirement.
You have the option to convert your RSP into a form of retirement income at any time, but it must be done by the end of the calendar year in which you turn 71. At that time, you’ll have three choices:
- Convert your RSP to a RIF
- Convert your RSP to an annuity
- Withdraw the entire amount of your RSP in one lump sum
Government Regulations & Tax Considerations
Holders of RIFs must withdraw a minimum annual amount of retirement income from their RIFs. This amount is based on your age or your spouse's or common-law partner's age (as of January 1 of the current calendar year) and the value of the RIF at the previous year's end. If your spouse or common-law partner is younger, using their age will result in a lower minimum withdrawal, allowing more of your plan property to grow in a tax-deferred environment.
Note: Consult your tax advisor for further information on the above tips or other tax minimization strategies.
Find the right account for you
Legal
1 RIF refers to Retirement Income Fund (RIF), Life Income Fund (LIF), Locked-in Retirement Income Fund (LRIF), Prescribed RIF (PRIF), and Restricted Life Income Fund (RLIF).