An Individual Pension Plan (IPP) is normally structured as a defined benefit registered pension plan. Unlike an RRSP, where contribution room is determined primarily by a statutory percentage of earned income and applicable pension adjustments, the required funding of an IPP is actuarially determined.
The contribution required to support the promised pension depends materially on the member's age, pensionable earnings history, and the pension benefit formula. Older members generally require larger contributions because fewer years remain to fund the promised retirement benefit. Earnings history is relevant because defined benefits are commonly based on final-average or best-average earnings, while the benefit formula determines the pension entitlement that must ultimately be funded.
CRA describes defined benefit arrangements as plans in which the retirement pension is determined by a prescribed benefit formula, including formulas based on earnings and pensionable service. The associated pension calculations therefore reflect the member's pensionable earnings and the benefit structure.
Business profitability may affect the employer's practical ability to fund the plan, but it is not itself one of the actuarial determinants of the required pension contribution.
FPII reference/topic: Retirement Planning — Individual Pension Plans; defined benefit pensions; actuarial funding; pensionable earnings and benefit formulas.
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