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As a LAPP member, you are entitled to a lifetime LAPP pension at retirement.
If you leave the Plan, LAPP will send you a Termination Statement with your options. You will have 90 days to make a decision and let us know. If you do not, your funds will be left with LAPP until you decide what you want to do with them.
You can request a new Termination Statement later as long as you have not rejoined LAPP.
When you turn 55, you will be eligible to receive a pension for the rest of your life.
There are good reasons for leaving your money in the Plan, especially because it is pretty rare these days to belong to a pension plan that will pay benefits for life, no matter how long you live.
Also, if you take another job with a LAPP employer, by leaving your money in the Plan you will add new pensionable service to what you have earned and increase the lifetime pension you will receive. When you leave your money in LAPP until retirement, you become what is called a deferred member.
LAPP has transfer agreements with several other provincial and federal public sector pension plans. If you start working for a new employer who participates in one of those plans, you may be able to transfer your LAPP service to that new plan.
Commuted value, also known as CV, is the present value of a future pension that would be paid for a person’s lifetime after retirement. It is a lump sum payment equal to the amount of money that would have to be set aside by LAPP today, based on LAPP's current economic and demographic assumptions, to pay for that person's future pension.
If you transfer your commuted value out of LAPP, you are no longer entitled to a lifetime LAPP pension.
At LAPP, CVs are calculated using the same economic and demographic assumptions that are used to set funding targets, provide information used in setting contribution rates and form the basis of all other administrative calculations where it is necessary to estimate the cost of the benefits to be provided to members.
A determination of a member’s CV must be done at the time of termination from active membership, or in the case of a deferred member, at the time of retirement or withdrawal from the Plan. If you are already vested and are planning to retire or terminate from your employer, you can read about your options for your pension entitlement on the page, When Can I Retire?
Your Commuted Value Transfer Options Are:
Because there are limits to the amount of funds from a pension payout that you are allowed to tax shelter, your payout may also contain some funds known as tax rule excess that you have to take as taxable cash.
How much income tax is withheld from my payout?
If you live in Canada, the amount withheld is based on this table:
| Lump Sum Amount |
Federal Income Tax Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $5,000 | 10% |
| More than $5,000 up to $15,000 | 20% |
| More than $15,000 | 30% |
A T4A will be issued with your payment to show how much additional income you have received and how much tax you have paid. The amount of tax withheld will be based only on the value of this payment. When added to your employment income for the year, you may be required to pay additional tax when you file your income tax return the following year.
If you are living outside of Canada when you receive funds from the Plan, the amount withheld will depend on that country's income tax rates.
LIRAs have strict rules about how and when the funds within them can be accessed. Normally, money cannot be taken from a LIRA until the owner reaches age 50, but you can get more details about converting LIRA funds from the Government of Alberta Private Sector Pensions Information for Individuals website.
Once the transfer to the LIRA is made, you will not be able to change your mind.