Service Standards 2017-2018
Detailed performance results can be found in the Departmental Performance Report.
- Deferred income plans - response to written enquiries
- Actuarial valuation reports
- Applications to register pension plans and deferred profit sharing plans
- Education savings plans (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
- Retirement income funds (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
- Retirement savings plans (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
Service standards for pension, deferred, and education plans
Deferred income plans – response to written enquiries
- What is this? This is a timeliness service standard for responding to written enquiries pertaining to deferred income and savings plans. Written enquiries is being expanded to include general enquiries, plan-specific enquiries, waivers, administrative relief, and requests to validate earnings and service. This service is provided to clients who have questions or concerns about registered pension plans, registered disability savings plans, registered education savings plans, registered retirement savings plans, registered retirement income funds, deferred profit sharing plans, supplementary unemployment benefit plans, tax-free savings accounts, or registered investments. We generally deal with all written enquiries on a first-come, first-served basis. This service standard was introduced in 1995-1996.
- Standard: Our goal is to respond to a written enquiry within 60 calendar days.
- Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 80% of the time.
- How you can request this service from the CRA:
- How you will receive this service from the CRA:
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 89% | 43% | 61% |
* Past results based on non-plan specific general written enquiries only.
Actuarial valuation reports
- What is this? This is a timeliness service standard for reviewing and responding to actuarial valuation reports. For an employer's contributions to a registered defined benefit pension plan to be tax-deductible, an actuary must demonstrate that the contributions are necessary to pay for the future pension benefits for employees. These contributions must be approved by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This service standard was introduced in 2001-2002.
- Standard: Our goal is to provide a decision on the recommended employer contributions to a registered pension plan, within 270 calendar days of receipt of the actuarial valuation report.
- Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 80% of the time.
- How you can request this service from the CRA:
- How you will receive this service from the CRA:
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 71% | 81% | 87% |
Applications to register pension plans and deferred profit sharing plans
- What is this? This is a timeliness service standard for reviewing and responding to applications to register new pension plans and deferred profit sharing plans. This service standard was modified in 2017-2018.
- Standard: Our goal is to provide a decision within 180 calendar days of receipt of an application to register a pension plan or a deferred profit sharing plan.
- Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 85% of the time.
- How you can request this service from the CRA:
- How you will receive this service from the CRA:
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Education savings plans (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
- What is this? This is a timeliness service standard for reviewing and responding to submissions to approve new education savings specimen plans or to amend or terminate existing education savings specimen plans. A promoter of an education savings specimen plan can only market its education savings plan once the specimen plan is approved by the CRA or when the proposed amendments under an existing specimen plan are approved. This service standard was introduced in 2001-2002.
- Standard: Our goal is to provide a decision within 60 calendar days to a request to approve, amend, or terminate a specimen for an education savings plan.
- Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 85% of the time.
- How you can request this service from the CRA:
- How you will receive this service from the CRA:
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 92% | 85% | 92% |
Retirement income funds (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
- What is this? This is a timeliness service standard for reviewing and responding to submissions to approve new specimen funds or to amend or terminate existing retirement income specimen funds. Submissions are sent in by carriers, including banking institutions, trust companies, and insurance companies, or by third-party representatives. A carrier can only market its retirement income fund once the specimen fund is approved by the CRA or when the proposed amendments under an existing specimen fund are approved. This service standard was introduced in 1995-1996.
- Standard: Our goal is to provide a decision within 60 calendar days to a request to approve, amend, or terminate a specimen for a retirement income fund.
- Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 80% of the time.
- How you can request this service from the CRA:
- How you will receive this service from the CRA:
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 99% | 100% | 99% |
Retirement savings plans (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
- What is this? This is a timeliness service standard for reviewing and responding to submissions to approve new retirement savings specimen plans or to amend or terminate existing specimen plans. Submissions are sent in by issuers, including banking institutions, trust companies, and insurance companies, or by third-party representatives. An issuer can only market its retirement savings plan once the specimen plan is approved by the CRA or when the proposed amendments under an existing specimen plan are approved. This service standard was introduced in 1995-1996.
- Standard: Our goal is to provide a decision within 60 calendar days to a request to approve, amend, or terminate a specimen for a retirement savings plan.
- Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 80% of the time
- How you can request this service from the CRA:
- How you will receive this service from the CRA:
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 99% | 99% | 99% |