Withdrawing From An RRSP? Get Ready For Partial Deregistration Fees

For those in the accumulation phase of their financial plan, withdrawals are not even on the radar yet, they’re entirely focused on contributions.

But for those getting close to retirement and the decumulation phase, their mindset starts to shift from contributions to withdrawals. They’ve been adding to these accounts for so long that they’re probably now wondering “how do I get my money out?”.

One unexpected realization people often have as they enter the decumulation phase is that it costs money to withdraw from an RRSP, sometimes a lot of money.

That’s right, withdrawing from an RRSP costs money. There is typically a fee charged on every RRSP withdrawal. These RRSP withdrawal fees are called “partial deregistration fees” and they can range anywhere from $50 to $100+ depending on the financial institution.

Finding out about these partial deregistration fees is a shock for those entering early retirement and for those who aren’t aware that these fees exist… or how to avoid them.

What Are RRSP Partial Deregistration Fees?

RRSP stands for Registered Retirement Savings Plan and whenever you withdraw from an RRSP there is usually a fee. This fee is called a “partial deregistration fee” and it gets charged whenever someone withdrawals from an RRSP.

This fee is on top of the withholding tax that the financial institution withholds when you make an RRSP withdrawal.

Unlike the withholding tax, which is just a prepayment of income tax and gets credited towards your income tax owing at the end of the year, the partial deregistration fee is paid to the financial institution and is not recoverable.

Presumably this fee is to cover the extra administrative work of reporting the withdrawal to the CRA? And yet, TFSA withdrawals also need to be reported to the CRA and typically do NOT have deregistration fees.

So why is there a partial deregistration fee for RRSP withdrawals? Likely just another way to make money for the financial institution.

When Do You Pay RRSP Partial Deregistration Fees?

The RRSP partial deregistration fee gets paid on every RRSP withdrawal. This is an important consideration especially for early retirees who will start withdrawals from their RRSP early.

This fee is paid on each and every RRSP withdrawal, so it’s important to consider how frequently you’ll withdraw from your RRSP in early retirement.

Sometimes it can be attractive to make multiple small RRSP withdrawals to avoid higher withholding tax rates. Although RRSP withholding tax is just a prepayment of income tax, and not a penalty for withdrawing early, some people have a strong desire to avoid the higher withholding tax rates.

The withholding tax is 10% on withdrawals up to $5,000, 20% on withdrawals between $5,000 and $15,000, and 30% for larger withdrawals over $15,000. To avoid these higher withholding tax rates, people sometimes irrationally plan multiple smaller $5,000 withdrawals, but what they’ll quickly realize is that making multiple RRSP withdrawals will trigger multiple partial deregistration fees.

Because you’ll pay a partial deregistration fee on every RRSP withdrawal it can sometimes make sense to make fewer withdrawals during the year, so plan accordingly.

How Large Are RRSP Partial Deregistration Fees?

How large are RRSP partial deregistration fees? The amount that is charged for a partial RRSP deregistration will vary depending on the financial institution. It will typically range from $50 to $100+ per withdrawal, but can be much lower or sometimes much higher, so check with your financial institution before making a withdrawal.

If you plan to make a quarterly withdrawal to support early retirement spending, you could pay $200 to $400+ per year in withdrawal fees!

For couples this is double! To split income tax effectively before age 65 an early retirement couple might make equal sized RRSP withdrawals to effectively split income in early retirement. They might make withdrawals from either two personal RRSPs or perhaps a personal RRSP and a spousal-RRSP. This doubles the number of withdrawals each year and doubles the amount of fees. A couple could pay $400 to $800+ per year for RRSP partial deregistration fees if withdrawing quarterly or if withdrawing from multiple accounts! Is that in your early retirement budget?!?

A Few Examples of RRSP Partial Deregistration Fees:

• RBC Direct Investing: $50 per withdrawal
• Questrade: $50 per withdrawal
• Edward Jones: $25 per withdrawal
• Wealthsimple Invest: $0 per withdrawal

How To Avoid RRSP Partial Deregistration Fees

If you’re not interested in paying $200 to $800+ to withdraw from your RRSP each year, there are a few options…

1. Make fewer withdrawals: Obviously making fewer withdrawals each year will lower the total fees paid. Consider making a semi-annual or annual withdrawal instead of quarterly or monthly.

2. Consolidate RRSP accounts: If you have multiple personal RRSP accounts then consolidating them into one account before retirement can help avoid the need to make multiple withdrawals each year.

3. Call and ask for a refund: Many financial institutions will refund RRSP partial deregistration fees for good clients if you ask.

4. Convert to a RRIF: Probably the best way to avoid RRSP partial deregistration fees in early retirement is to convert to a RRIF (or partially convert to a RRIF). Withdrawals from a RRIF are often free, or free for the first few withdrawals per year, or at least less expensive that RRSP withdrawals.

If you’re entering early retirement and will start making regular withdrawals from your investment accounts, then converting (or partially converting) to a RRIF might just be the easiest and best option to avoid or reduce RRSP partial deregistration fees. But, converting to a RRIF will trigger mandatory minimum RRIF withdrawals each year, so make sure this is part of your retirement income plan.