Services

The Pension Benefit Standards Division is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Pension Benefits Act, 1997 which governs employer-sponsored pension plans established in respect of Newfoundland and Labrador employees.

• Pension Regulation

The mandate of the Division, and the objective of the Pension Benefits Act, 1997, is to protect the accrued pension entitlements of plan members to the extent possible and to ensure the equitable treatment of plan members. This mandate is accomplished by requiring pension plans to comply with minimum benefit requirements and minimum funding standards and by regular monitoring and review of all plan documents, actuarial valuations and annual information return forms.

The Division is also responsible for the regulation of contracts issued by financial institutions to administer locked-in pension funds on behalf of former pension plan members. A list of approved locked-in retirement savings arrangements can be found at the following link: Locked-In Retirement Savings Arrangements.

To assist clients, the Division provides interpretations of pension legislation and may issue policies and guidelines under the Pension Benefits Act, 1997 and associated regulations when required.

Clients

Our clients include:

• members or former members of pension plans (and the spouses, former spouses, or beneficiaries of these members or former members);
• individuals who own locked-in pension funds (and the spouses, former spouses, or beneficiaries of these individuals);
• companies that provide or administer registered pension plan arrangements;
• financial institutions that provide locked-in retirement savings arrangements; and
• Canada Revenue Agency and Statistics Canada who are provided statistical information on registered pension plans under separate agreements.

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