Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan (VRSP)

Pooled Retirement Pension Plan (PRPP) is a new alternative to traditional pension plans; it is designed for small and mid size companies that want to provide their employees with an effective, low cost, and easily administered way to save for retirement.

Features of the PRPP include:

• Automatic enrolment of all employees
• Employee opt out provision within the first 60 days
• Up to six investment options
• Employer is not required to monitor investments (no CAP requirement)

Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan (VRSP), is Quebec’s version of the Pooled Retirement Pension Plan (PRPP). Quebec is the first jurisdiction to enable this new type of workplace retirement savings plan.

Along with the introduction of the VRSP, Quebec is phasing in a requirement that all companies with more than 5 eligible employees will need to offer a workplace group savings plan to all eligible employees. A workplace group savings plan may include a VRSP, a group RRSP, or any traditional pension plan that is offered to all eligible employees. Organizations with 20+ employees will have until December 31, 2016 to comply, those with 10–19 employees will have until December 31, 2017, and those with 5–9 employees will not have to comply any earlier than January 1, 2018.

Businesses that already offer a group savings plan (pension plan or a group retirement savings plan or a TFSA) to all of their eligible employees may want to consider VRSP but they don’t need to, as they are already meeting requirements.

We currently offer VRSPs, administered by The Royal Trust Company, to businesses with offices/locations in Quebec and intend to offer PRPPs in other jurisdictions once the legislation and guidelines are in place.

Traditionally, helping employees prepare for a financially secure retirement involved a lot of time, effort and potential liability on the part of the employer; and only large companies had the resources to offer a pension plan. PRPP and VRSP legislation addresses these concerns and is expected to put small and mid-size employers on a more level footing with big companies, potentially resulting in better employee retention and productivity.

This will vary depending on the jurisdiction. Each province that passes PRPP legislation will specify whether a PRPP is mandatory or voluntary, as well as other specifics regarding their plan. Presently, employers with a location/office in Quebec, that have 5 or more eligible employees are required by law to subscribe to a VRSP (or another group savings plan) for their eligible employees within a prescribed time period. The federal PRPP legislation does not require that employers of any size subscribe to a PRPP in their business.

RBC remains committed to Group Retirement Savings Plans, Deferred Profit Sharing Plan and Group Investment Accounts in addition to VRSP/PRPP. Our Group Savings representatives can help employers determine which plan type is the best fit for your company.

There is no cost for employers to set up an RBC VRSP^{^}/PRPP. Employer participation is voluntary (with the exception of businesses with 5 or more eligible employees in Quebec). Employers simply set up the plan, enrol employees, and manage the payroll contributions.

No. Employers can voluntarily contribute but they are not required to do so. They are permitted to deduct members’ own contributions by way of payroll deductions. While it is not mandatory, we do recommend a matching contribution to be made. This encourages employee contribution and helps to retain and attract great employees.

Yes. For the self-employed with a business number who currently do not participate in a group savings plan, PRPP/VRSP offers the opportunity to participate in a simple, efficient and straightforward pension plan to save for their retirement.

Businesses of any size and in any sector can implement a PRPP/VRSP solution in their business. Owners and employees can contribute to the plan. Employee eligibility may differ by province. For example, an eligible employee in the Quebec VRSP program includes employees who have a minimum 12 months of employment for a company that has a location in Quebec and where the employee either works or lives in Quebec. RBC can provide guidance, but encourages businesses to seek trusted counsel to determine their specific eligibility and/or compulsory status.