Death of a RRIF Annuitant

RC4178(E) Rev. 16

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Table of Contents

• Slips issued by the RRIF issuer
• General rule – deceased annuitant
• General rule – beneficiaries of the RRIF
• Optional reporting
• Qualified beneficiaries – transfers
• Transfers to registered disability savings plans
  • RDSP rollover reporting
• Online services
• For more information

A registered retirement income fund (RRIF) annuitant is the owner of a RRIF. This information sheet contains general information about the taxation of amounts held in a RRIF at the time the annuitant died. It also explains how these amounts are generally reported, and the options that are available to reduce or defer the tax liability resulting from the annuitant's death.

Slips issued by the RRIF issuer

The chart below shows how the RRIF carrier generally prepares the slips used to report the amounts paid out or considered to have been received from a deceased annuitant's RRIF.

Chart 1 – How the RRIF carrier generally prepares the slips used to report the amounts paid out of a deceased annuitant's RRIF

Footnotes Footnote 1 Two exceptions to the reporting requirement are provided where the spouse or common-law partner is the successor annuitant or the sole beneficiary of the RRIF. For more information, see General rule – deceased annuitant Return to footnote 1 referrer Footnote 2 Only the part of the income earned in this period that is not taxable to the RRIF trust is reported to the beneficiary. A beneficiary will not have to pay tax on any part of the amount he or she receives, to the extent that it can reasonably be regarded as having been included in the RRIF trust's income. Return to footnote 2 referrer
Period	Day the annuitant died.Footnote 1	From the day after the day the annuitant died to December 31 of the year after the year of death	From January 1 of the year after the period described in the previous column to the date the RRIF property is distributed
Amount	(The shaded areas represent amounts that qualify as a designated benefit if received by a qualified beneficiary. If you do not know the type of RRIF the annuitant has, or need a breakdown of the amount reported in box 22, contact the fund carrier.) Fair market value of the RRIF	(The shaded areas represent amounts that qualify as a designated benefit if received by a qualified beneficiary. If you do not know the type of RRIF the annuitant has, or need a breakdown of the amount reported in box 22, contact the fund carrier.) Income earned in the RRIF during this period	Income earned in the RRIF during this period.
How the RRIF carrier generally reports the amount	(The shaded areas represent amounts that qualify as a designated benefit if received by a qualified beneficiary. If you do not know the type of RRIF the annuitant has, or need a breakdown of the amount reported in box 22, contact the fund carrier.) We consider that the annuitant received this amount at the time of death. This amount is reported in box 18 of a T4RIF slip issued in the name of the annuitant for the year of death. This slip also shows any other amounts the annuitant received in the year.	(The shaded areas represent amounts that qualify as a designated benefit if received by a qualified beneficiary. If you do not know the type of RRIF the annuitant has, or need a breakdown of the amount reported in box 22, contact the fund carrier.) If the annuitant's spouse or common-law partner is named as a beneficiary in the RRIF contract, income paid to that beneficiary is reported in box 16 of a T4RIF slip issued in his or her name, for the year of payment. For all other beneficiaries named in the RRIF contract or the annuitant's estate (if no beneficiary is named), income paid is reported in box 22 of a T4RIF slip issued to each beneficiary or the estate for the year of payment	Depositary RRIF – Income is paid to the beneficiaries named in the RRIF contract or the annuitant's estate (if no beneficiary is named) and reported in box 13 of a T5 slip issued to each beneficiary or the estate, for the year in which the income is credited or added to the deposit. Trusteed RRIF – Income is paid to the beneficiaries named in the RRIF contract or the annuitant's estate (if no beneficiary is named) and reported in boxes 22 and 36 of a T4RIF slip issued to each beneficiary or the estate, for the year of payment.Footnote 2 (The shaded areas represent amounts that qualify as a designated benefit if received by a qualified beneficiary. If you do not know the type of RRIF the annuitant has, or need a breakdown of the amount reported in box 22, contact the fund carrier.) Insured RRIF – Income is paid to the beneficiaries named in the RRIF contract or the annuitant's estate (if no beneficiary is named) and reported in the same way as described in the previous column.

General rule – deceased annuitant

When the annuitant of a RRIF dies, we consider that the annuitant received, immediately before death, an amount equal to the fair market value of all the property held in the RRIF at the time of death. This amount and all other amounts the annuitant received from the RRIF in the year have to be reported on the annuitant's income tax and benefit return for the year of death.

A beneficiary will not have to pay tax on any amount paid out of the RRIF if it can reasonably be regarded as having been included in the deceased annuitant's income.

Exception 1 – Spouse or common-law partner as successor annuitant – We do not consider the deceased annuitant to have received an amount from the RRIF at the time of death if the RRIF contract or the annuitant's will names his or her spouse or common-law partner as the successor annuitant of the RRIF. In this situation, the RRIF continues and the spouse or common-law partner becomes the successor annuitant under the fund. All amounts paid out of the RRIF after the date the annuitant died become payable to that successor annuitant. The successor annuitant will receive a T4RIF slip for the year of death (if applicable) and for future years showing the amounts he or she received. The successor annuitant has to report the amounts on his or her income tax and benefit return for the year they are received.

If the spouse or common-law partner is not named as the successor annuitant, he or she can still be considered as a successor annuitant if the deceased annuitant's legal representative consents to the designation and the RRIF carrier agrees.

Exception 2 – Spouse or common-law partner is the sole beneficiary of the RRIF – We do not consider the deceased annuitant to have received an amount from the RRIF at the time of death if the annuitant had a spouse or common-law partner when he or she died and both the following conditions are met:

• the spouse or common-law partner is named in the RRIF contract as the sole beneficiary of the RRIF; and
• by December 31 of the year following the year of death, the entire eligible part of the RRIF property is directly transferred to a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), pooled registered pension plan (PRPP), specified pension plan (SPP), or RRIF under which the spouse or common-law partner is the annuitant, or to an issuer to buy an eligible annuity for the spouse or common-law partner.

If both these conditions are met, only the spouse or common-law partner will receive a T4RIF slip. The total amount that was paid out of the RRIF will be shown in box 16 of the slip, and the part that was transferred will be shown in box 24 of the slip. The amount shown in box 16 has to be reported on line 115 of the spouse’s or common-law partner’s income tax and benefit return for the year the transfer was made. The spouse or common-law partner will receive a receipt for the amount that was transferred. To find out how to claim a deduction for the transfer, see Qualified beneficiaries – transfers.

General rule – beneficiaries of the RRIF

Amounts paid from the RRIF, which represent income earned in the RRIF after the date the annuitant died, have to be reported by the beneficiaries named in the RRIF contract or by the annuitant's estate (if no beneficiary is named). These amounts have to be included in the income of the beneficiaries or the estate for the year they are received. Chart 1 shows how RRIF carriers generally prepare the slips that report the amounts paid out of a deceased annuitant's RRIF.

Optional reporting

If the two exceptions described before do not apply, read this section.

If a qualified beneficiary receives an amount from a deceased annuitant's RRIF that qualifies as a designated benefit, the annuitant's legal representative can claim a reduction to the amount that we consider the annuitant received at the time of death.

The reduction, which is determined by filling out Chart 2, allows for a redistribution of the annuitant's income to the qualified beneficiary who actually received it. This redistribution of income allows the deceased annuitant and the qualified beneficiary to pay the least amount of tax the law allows.

If none of the amounts paid out of the RRIF are made to a qualified beneficiary or designated as a designated benefit, the amount that we consider the annuitant received at the time of death cannot be reduced.

Qualified beneficiary – A qualified beneficiary is the deceased annuitant’s spouse or common-law partner, or a financially dependent child or grandchild. A child or grandchild of a deceased annuitant is generally considered financially dependent on that annuitant at the time of death if, before that person’s death, the child or grandchild ordinarily resided with and was dependent on the annuitant and they meet one of the following conditions:

• the child or grandchild's net income for the previous year (shown on line 236 of their income tax and benefit return) was less than the basic personal amount (line 300 from Schedule 1) for that previous year; or
• the child or grandchild is impaired in physical or mental functions and their net income for the previous year was equal to or less than the basic personal amount plus the disability amount (line 316 from Schedule 1) for that previous year.

If, before the annuitant’s death, the child or grandchild had ordinarily resided with and was dependent on the annuitant but was away from home to attend school, we still consider them to have resided with the annuitant.

If the child or grandchild’s net income was more than the amounts described above, we will not consider them to be financially dependent on the annuitant at the time of death, unless they can establish the contrary. In such a case, the child or grandchild or the legal representative should submit a request in writing to the child or grandchild’s tax services office outlining the reasons why we should consider them to be financially dependent on the annuitant at the time of death.

Designated benefit – A designated benefit out of a RRIF is any of the amounts shown in the shaded areas of Chart 1 if paid to a qualified beneficiary. If these amounts are paid to the annuitant's estate, they will qualify as a designated benefit if both the following conditions are met:

• there is a qualified beneficiary who is a beneficiary of the annuitant's estate; and
• the annuitant's legal representative and the qualified beneficiary jointly file Form T1090, Death of a RRIF Annuitant Designated Benefit, to designate all or part of the amounts paid to the estate as a designated benefit received by the qualified beneficiary.

Sometimes there can be an increase in the value of a RRIF between the date of death and the date of the final distribution to the beneficiary or estate. Generally, this amount has to be included in the income of the beneficiary or the estate for the year it is received. A T4RIF slip may be issued for this amount. For more information, see "Chart 7 – Amounts from a deceased annuitant's RRIF," in Chapter 4 of Guide T4040, RRSPs and Other Registered Plans for Retirement.

If there is a decrease in the value of a RRIF between the date of death and the date of the final distribution to the beneficiary or the estate after 2008, the deceased’s legal representative can ask that the amount of the decrease be carried back and deducted on the deceased’s final income tax and benefit return through a reassessment. However, if the final distribution is made in the year of death, the deduction will be claimed when filing the final income tax and benefit return. The deduction is claimed on line 232 of the T1 General Income Tax and Benefit Return.

The amount of that deduction is the total of:

• the part of the fair market value of the RRIF at the time of death included in the deceased annuitant's income as a result of the annuitant's death;
• all amounts received after the annuitant's death that have been included in the recipient's income as a taxable payment from the RRIF, other than tax paid amount(s); and
• all tax-paid amount(s) (see box 36 of T4RIF slip);

  MINUS

• the total of all amounts distributed from the RRIF after the death of the annuitant.

Generally, the deduction will not be available if the RRIF held a non-qualified investment after the annuitant dies or if the final distribution is made after the end of the year that follows the year in which the annuitant died. However, this rule may be waived to allow the deduction to deceased annuitants on a case-by-case basis.

If a RRIF experiences a post-death decline in value, and the exceptional reporting described starting at Exception 1 does not apply, the financial institution that holds the RRIF will issue Form RC249, Post-Death Decline in the Value of a RRIF, an Unmatured RRSP and Post-Death Increase or Decline in Value of a PRPP.

This form will be issued to the executor of the deceased annuitant's estate for the year in which the final distribution is made.

Qualified beneficiaries – transfers

When a qualified beneficiary includes a designated benefit into income, he or she can defer paying tax on the eligible part of it by transferring it to a RRSP, PRPP, SPP, or RRIF, or to an issuer to buy an eligible annuity.

See the definitions of qualified beneficiary and designated benefit. To calculate the eligible part of a designated benefit, which is the amount that can be transferred, fill out Chart 3.

The following table shows the transfers that qualified beneficiaries can choose.

The transfers that qualified beneficiaries can choose

Designated benefit paid to:		RRSP Footnote 3	PRPP	SPP	RRIF	Annuity
the annuitant's spouse or common-law partner		Ok	Ok	Ok	Ok	Ok
the annuitant's financially dependent child or grandchild who:	was dependent because of an impairment in physical or mental functions; or	Ok	Ok	Ok	Ok	Ok
	was dependent but not because of an impairment in physical or mental functions.	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	Ok Footnote 4
Footnotes Footnote 3 The qualified beneficiary must be 71 years of age or younger at the end of the year the transfer is made. Return to footnote 3 referrer Footnote 4 The annuity can provide for payments based on a period of not more than 18 years, minus the child's or grandchild's age at the time the annuity was bought. The payments from the annuity have to start no later than one year after the purchase. Return to footnote 4 referrer

The transfer or purchase has to be completed in the year the designated benefit is received or within 60 days after the end of the year. If the qualified beneficiary is 71 years of age in the year the designated benefit is received, the transfer to an RRSP must be completed by December 31 of that year.

The carrier or issuer who receives the transferred funds will issue a receipt to the qualified beneficiary. The beneficiary can use the receipt to claim a deduction on his or her income tax and benefit return for the year the designated benefit was received.

The following table shows where on the income tax and benefit return that the beneficiary should claim the deduction.

Where the beneficiary should claim the deduction

Designated benefit transferred to:	Claim deduction on line 208	Claim deduction on line 232
an RRSP	Ok	n/a
a PRPP	Ok	n/a
an SPP	Ok	n/a
a RRIF	n/a	Ok
an annuity	n/a	Ok

Transfers to registered disability savings plans

As of July 1, 2011, for deaths occurring after March 3, 2010, the existing RRSP rollover rules are extended to allow a rollover of a deceased individual’s RRSP proceeds to the registered disability savings plan (RDSP) of the deceased individual’s financially dependent child or grandchild with an impairment in physical or mental functions. These rules also apply to RRIF proceeds; certain lump-sum amounts paid from registered pension plans (RPPs), lump-sum amounts from a PRPP, and certain payments from an SPP.

For more information on the RDSP, go to Registered disability savings plan (RDSP).

RDSP rollover reporting

The amount of the rollover will be shown in box 22 of a T4RIF slip. This amount has to be reported in the deceased annuitant’s income tax and benefit return on line 130 and the amount of the transfer deducted on line 232. For the eligible individual (defined below), the amount has to be reported on line 130 and the amount of the transfer deducted on line 232. Form RC4625, Rollover to a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Under Paragraph 60(m), must be attached to both the deceased annuitant's and the eligible individual's income tax and benefit returns. In these situations, you will not have to fill out a Schedule 7, RRSP and PRPP Unused Contributions, Transfers, and HBP or LLP Activities. However, you must attach to the income tax and benefit return the receipt indicating the amount of the rollover.

Eligible individual

An eligible individual is a child or grandchild of a deceased annuitant under an RRSP or RRIF, or of a deceased member of an RPP, PRPP, or SPP, who was financially dependent on the deceased for support, at the time of the deceased’s death, by reason of an impairment in physical or mental functions. The eligible individual must also be the beneficiary under the RDSP into which the eligible proceeds will be paid.

Chart 2 – How to calculate the reduction to the amount that we consider the deceased annuitant received at death

Fill out a separate calculation for each RRIF belonging to the deceased annuitant.

Step 1. Enter the amount shown in box 18 of the T4RIF slip issued to the annuitant for the year of death.
From the example of Sarah and Dan under section Qualified beneficiaries – transfers, Dan enters $150,000.

Step 2. Enter the fair market value of the RRIF on the later of the following dates (you may need to contact
the deceased annuitant’s RRIF carrier to determine these amounts):

• December 31 of the year after the year the annuitant died; or
• the end of the day the last time a designated benefit was paid out of the RRIF.

Dan enters $0.

Step 3. Enter the total of all amounts paid out of the RRIF after the annuitant died.
Dan enters $165,000.

Step 4. Calculate the following: Amount from Step 2 plus the amount from Step 3.
Dan`s result is $165,000.

Step 5. Enter the amount from Step 1 or Step 4, whichever is less.
Dan enters $150,000.

Step 6. Calculate the following: Amount from Step 4 minus the amount from Step 5. Dan`s result is $15,000.

Step 7. Enter the total of the following amounts:

• amount designated as a designated benefit on each Form T1090 filed for the RRIF;
• the part of the amounts shown in box 36 of all T4RIF slips and box 13 of all T5 slips issued in the name of the estate that the qualified beneficiaries are entitled to receive from the estate;
• amounts shown in boxes 16 and 22 of all T4RIF slips and box 13 of all T5 slips issued to qualified beneficiaries;
• the part of the amount shown in box 36 of all T4RIF slips that were issued to the qualified beneficiaries that does not have to be included in income (contact the deceased annuitant’s RRIF carrier to determine these amounts); and
• the part of the amount shown in box 18 of the T4RIF slip that was issued to the deceased annuitant for the year of death and that the qualified beneficiaries are entitled to receive.

Dan enters $165,000.

Step 8. Calculate the following: 1 minus the amount from Step 6 divided by the amount from Step 4.
Dan calculates 1 - ($15,000 ÷ $165,000). Dan’s result is 0.909091.

Step 9. Determine the maximum reduction to the amount that we consider the deceased annuitant received at the time of death. Calculate the following: amount from Step 7 multiplied by the amount from Step 8. The reduction can be any amount, from zero to the amount of this step.
Dan enters $150,000.

Chart 3 – How to calculate the eligible part of a designated benefit

Fill out a separate calculation for each RRIF of the deceased annuitant, for each year in which a designated benefit is paid and transferred, and for each beneficiary who receives a designated benefit. You may have to contact the deceased annuitant’s RRIF carrier to determine certain amounts.

Step 1. Enter the total of all amounts included in the income of all qualified beneficiaries for the year as a designated benefit from this RRIF.
From the example of Sarah and Dan under section Qualified beneficiaries – transfers, Dan enters $140,000.

Step 2. Enter the minimum amount that has to be paid from this RRIF for the year.
Dan enters $7,272.

Step 3. Enter the amount from Step 2, or the total of the amounts the deceased annuitant received from this RRIF during the year and included in income, whichever is less.
Dan enters $0.

Step 4. Calculate the following: Amount from Step 2 minus the amount from Step 3.
Dan’s result is $7,272.

Step 5. Enter the part of all designated benefits from this RRIF that is included in the beneficiary’s income for the year.
Dan enters $140,000.

Step 6. Calculate the following: 1 minus the amount from Step 4 divided by the amount from Step 1.
Dan calculates 1 - ($7,272 ÷ $140,000). Dan’s result is 0.9481.

Step 7. Determine the eligible part of the designated benefit that can be transferred. Calculate the following: amount from Step 5 multiplied by the amount from Step 6.
Dan’s result is $132,734.

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Date modified:

2016-11-01