Group Retirement Plans
A well-designed group retirement plan is one of the highest-ROI things a Canadian SMB can offer — and one of the most under-used. The right plan structure can give your team better investment pricing than they can get as individuals, lock in a meaningful retention benefit at a fraction of the cost of a raise, and reduce your corporate payroll-tax bill at the same time.
We design, install and ongoing-service group retirement plans for small and mid-sized businesses across Ontario and New Brunswick — from 3 lives to 300+ — independent of any single insurer or asset manager.
Plan types we install & service
The most flexible option for SMBs. Employee payroll contributions are tax-deductible at source — they see the tax savings immediately, not at refund time. Employer matching is fully deductible to the corporation and a powerful retention tool.
Often paired with a Group RRSP. Employer-only contributions are deductible to the corporation and not subject to payroll taxes (CPP/EI) — making the DPSP a more cost-efficient match than wages or bonus.
A formal pension plan with employer contributions required and vesting rules. Best for larger SMBs and unionized workforces that want a true pension structure.
After-tax payroll deduction into a tax-free savings vehicle — great for employees who have already maxed RRSP room or want short-to-medium-term savings alongside retirement contributions.
A bonus / profit-sharing vehicle for high-income employees who've maxed every registered option. Often layered on top of a Group RRSP.
Lower-administration option for very small employers — meets the spirit of a retirement plan with minimal employer obligation.
Why employers choose us for group retirement plans
- Institutional fund pricing — group plans access lower-fee fund versions than retail investors can buy on their own
- Employer matching as a recruitment & retention tool — 81% of Canadian employees cite retirement matching as a top-3 reason to stay
- Tax-effective compensation — DPSP and DCPP contributions avoid payroll taxes that bonus and wages don't
- Real advisor support for every employee — group enrollment meetings, one-on-one allocation reviews, retirement income projections
- Simple payroll integration with your existing system (Wagepoint, ADP, Ceridian, QuickBooks, Sage, etc.)
- Sponsor governance support — we handle the compliance, reporting and member statements your insurer requires
The Group RRSP + DPSP combo (most common SMB structure)
For most Canadian SMBs, we recommend a layered design: the employee contributes to a Group RRSP through payroll (immediate tax savings), and the employer match goes into a DPSP instead of the RRSP. The DPSP match avoids CPP and EI payroll taxes on the employer side, and the vesting rule (up to 2 years) helps retention. The employee sees one consolidated statement and one investment menu — they don't know or care about the back-end split.
Result: the employee gets more retirement savings per dollar of employer spend, and the employer pays less in payroll taxes than they would on an equivalent raise or bonus.
What every employee gets
- Group enrollment meetings (in person or virtual)
- One-on-one allocation review with a licensed advisor — not just a 1-800 number
- Annual retirement income projection so they can see where they're tracking
- Beneficiary and spousal-rollover guidance
- Help rolling in prior employer plans and stranded LIRAs
Most clients pair their group retirement plan with group benefits and corporate-side insurance — see our full business services for buy/sell agreement funding, key person and corporately owned critical illness.
Compare your current plan — or design one from scratch
We'll benchmark your existing plan's fees and investment options against the full Canadian market, or build a new plan from the ground up. No cost, no obligation.