What you need to know about the ORPP

By Special to MoneySense on August 12, 2015
Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Someone making $45K a year would contribute $2.16 daily

This article is 9 years old. Some details may be outdated.

TORONTO – Some key facts and figures about the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, the details of which the province’s Liberal government announced Tuesday: — It aims to replace 15 per cent of an employee’s earnings. — A person making $45,000 a year would contribute $2.16 a day, as would the employer, which would leave the employee with $6,410 per year for life. — The government has not yet established minimum pensionable earnings, but the maximum is $90,000. That’s compared to $3,500 minimum earnings and $53,600 maximum for the Canada Pension Plan. — Employers and employees with a comparable plan won’t have to enrol in the ORPP. — Employees between the ages of 18 and 70 qualify, but can only start collecting benefits at age 65. — Defined benefit plans are considered comparable with a minimum benefit accrual rate of 0.5 per cent. — Defined contribution plans are defined as comparable with a minimum annual contribution rate of eight per cent and employers must match at least 50 per cent. — Self-employed people can’t take part in the ORPP, as the federal Income Tax Act doesn’t allow the self-employed to participate in registered pension plans. — Large employers (with 500 or more employees) without registered workplace pension plans start contributions Jan. 1, 2017. Medium employers (with 50-499 employees) without registered workplace pension plans start contributions Jan. 1, 2018. Small employers (with 50 or fewer employees) without workplace pension plans start contributions Jan. 1, 2019. — Employers that already have pension plans but that aren’t comparable to the ORPP have to start contributions Jan. 1, 2020. — Contributions will be phased in, starting with 0.8 per cent each from employers and employees, and reaching 1.9 per cent each by 2021. — Benefits will be paid starting in 2022. How Wynne’s ORPP will change savings habits »