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Email this2:31 am
March 3, 2022
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Hello All,
Been researching everything that I can find online and haven't come to conclusion. I have a Group RRSP, they match 50%. When I received my T4, my contributions were but into box 20. From what I can tell, box 20 should be empty, the employers portion goes added to my income (Box 14, which it did), and I claim a deduction for the total (mine and the employers) contributions. This is a new company I started with and the first time I seen a group RRSP being added to box 20. Will it make a difference if I leave Box 20, box 52 like it is and add the employers contributions as a RRSP Deduction, or will this pull a red flag?
Thanks
9:28 am
September 11, 2013
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Box 20 is the right place for your contributions, reported on line 20700. At least this seems to indicate Box 20 ought not be zero in your case:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/tax-slips/understand-your-tax-slips/t4-slips/t4-statement-remuneration-paid.html
I'm no expert but can you get a deduction for amounts you never paid, i.e. employer's contribution to your RRSP?
10:09 am
April 6, 2013
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Box 20 on the T4 slip shows registered pension plan contributions.
I don't think it is a group RRSP. It is likely a defined contribution pension plan.
I've been a member of a group RRSP. My contributions were reported on regular RRSP contribution receipts.
10:42 am
September 11, 2013
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I looked around a bit more and agree, Norman1 is right, Box 20 is not the right place to report amounts for group rrsps.
7:11 am
March 3, 2022
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Yea, I've had RRSP in other companies and I would just get the RRSP Slip, nothing on the T4. I guess my question is, should I tell them about this? Will it affect anything for me?
7:23 am
March 30, 2017
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Bill said
I'm no expert but can you get a deduction for amounts you never paid, i.e. employer's contribution to your RRSP?
Since pension adjustment also reduce ur RRSP room and is not count as RRSP contribution from a tax perspective, i would imagine group RRSP treatment would be the same. In other words, u cant claim the portion the employer contributed as a RRSP contribution for tax purposes.
9:08 am
April 6, 2013
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I would first inquire and confirm what it actually is. A group RRSP or a defined contribution pension plan?
If it is a defined contribution pension plan, then it is a registered pension plan. Pension plans are governed by one of the pension acts. Consequently, one will not be able to withdraw or transfer funds out of them as easily as from a regular RRSP. For example, one won't be able to do a Home Buyers' Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan withdrawal from a pension plan.
I strongly suspect it is a defined contribution pension plan. It would be a mistake to report RRSP contributions in Box 20 of a T4 slip as registered pension plan contributions.
Would you also have an amount in Box 52 (Pension adjustment) of the T4 slip? That is used to reduce the RRSP contribution room of people who have contributions to a registered pension plan made by themselves and/or their employer.
12:11 pm
April 6, 2013
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…This is a new company I started with and the first time I seen a group RRSP being added to box 20. Will it make a difference if I leave Box 20, box 52 like it is and add the employers contributions as a RRSP Deduction, or will this pull a red flag?
You do have an amount in Box 52!
You have a defined contribution pension plan then. Can't deduct employer's contributions as an RRSP deduction because the contributions were not to an RRSP. 
5:36 pm
October 21, 2013
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If anyone should be able to claim a deduction, it should be the employer. It's their money that went into the plan.
6:44 pm
April 6, 2013
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The employer does deduct the pension plan contribution.
The pension plan contribution also consumes employee's RRSP contribution room via what is included in Box 52 (Pension adjustment).
4:14 pm
March 5, 2022
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Actually OP may have a pension plan in addition to (or instead of) a group RRSP in the new company.
"(T4) Box 20 is another one that will reduce your taxable income. This is where employers report your contributions to a company pension plan, also known as Registered Pension Plan, or RPP. RPPs are set up by businesses to provide pensions to their employees. Usually, both employees and employers make contributions to the plan. However, only your employee contributions will lower your taxable income.
Total contributions to your RPP, if you’re lucky enough to have one, appear in box 52. The amount your employer paid for your pension is equal to box 52 minus box 20. RPP contributions lower the amount you can put into your own RRSP. Box 52, then, also reflects the amount by which your RRSP contribution room is reduced."
1:53 am
March 3, 2022
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Norman1 said
The employer does deduct the pension plan contribution.The pension plan contribution also consumes employee's RRSP contribution room via what is included in Box 52 (Pension adjustment).
I understand that they would deduct their contribution to a pension plan. The amount they contributed was added to my income on line 14. My tax receipt for the plan has the total amount on it (Employee and employer). I think there is a mistake made on their end, I have contacted them about it, but have not gotten a response yet.
5:33 am
September 11, 2013
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Have you confirmed whether it's a group RRSP or a RPP? Box 52 should not have anything if it's the former.
8:49 am
April 6, 2013
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tosbourne88 said
I understand that they would deduct their contribution to a pension plan. The amount they contributed was added to my income on line 14. My tax receipt for the plan has the total amount on it (Employee and employer). …
Employer contributions to a registered pension plan are not considered a taxable benefit to the employee.
Are you sure that amount added to Line 14 is your employer's pension plan contribution? It could be something else that is coincidentally about the same amount. Other things could be benefits like employer paid disability insurance.
10:24 am
March 5, 2022
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Bill said
Have you confirmed whether it's a group RRSP or a RPP? Box 52 should not have anything if it's the former.
Correct. You need to find out what the plan really is (a group RRSP? or a DCPP? or a RPP/DBPP?) first to understand T4 boxes and enter them correctly in tax return. Without that knowledge, everyone is wasting time here guessing.
11:24 am
April 6, 2013
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The T4 slip amounts should be reported as is or the T4 slip should be corrected by the employer. On the back of the T4 slip, there are prescribed instructions on how the amounts should be reported.
One should not be reinterpreting the T4 slip amounts or claiming RRSP contribution deductions that don't have a supporting RRSP contribution receipt. CRA will flag the discrepancies and consider them to be filing errors.
1:11 pm
March 5, 2022
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freedom_2008 said
Correct. You need to find out what the plan really is (a group RRSP? or a DCPP? or a RPP/DBPP?) first to understand T4 boxes and enter them correctly in tax return. Without that knowledge, everyone is wasting time here guessing.
By "guessing" I meant guessing the answer of "if the company made an error on the T4 Box 20" as OP has asked.
6:28 am
March 3, 2022
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Norman1 said
The T4 slip amounts should be reported as is or the T4 slip should be corrected by the employer. On the back of the T4 slip, there are prescribed instructions on how the amounts should be reported.One should not be reinterpreting the T4 slip amounts or claiming RRSP contribution deductions that don't have a supporting RRSP contribution receipt. CRA will flag the discrepancies and consider them to be filing errors.
Thats the issue with this that I am having. I contacted the company and they said everything on the T4 is correct, but I received a RRSP Contribution Receipt from the bank that we are dealing with. Plus, the amount that is on the T4 has nothing to do with the Jan-Mar RRSP contributions, but there are 2 RRSP Contribution Receipts that on the website, for Mar-Dec and for Jan-Mar.
6:35 am
March 3, 2022
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tosbourne88 said
Thats the issue with this that I am having. I contacted the company and they said everything on the T4 is correct, but I received a RRSP Contribution Receipt from the bank that we are dealing with. Plus, the amount that is on the T4 has nothing to do with the Jan-Mar RRSP contributions, but there are 2 RRSP Contribution Receipts that on the website, for Mar-Dec and for Jan-Mar.
So I just got off the phone with them again. They are saying that the amount I contributed is put into box 20, but there is nothing added to my box 14 income. Do this sound right?
8:31 am
September 11, 2013
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As has been stated here, Box 20 is for registered pension plans and meanwhile you're talking about RRSPs. It's just a guess until you've clarified here exactly what type of pension arrangement you're part of, imo.
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