When to complete a T4A slip

Complete a T4A slip if you are a payer, such as an employer, a trustee, an estate executor (or liquidator), an administrator, or a corporate director, and you pay any of the following types of income:

• pension or superannuation;
• lump-sum payments;
• self-employed commissions;
• annuities;
• patronage allocations;
• RESP accumulated income payments;
• RESP educational assistance payments;
• fees or other amounts for services; or
• other income such as research grants, certain payments under a wage-loss replacement plan, death benefits, and certain benefits paid to partnerships or shareholders.

Note
Use a T4A slip to report retiring allowances paid in 2009 and prior years only, for example, if you are amending a previously filed T4A slip, or filing late. See Code 026 - Eligible retiring allowances and Code 027 - Non-eligible retiring allowances for the reporting of prior year retiring allowances. For 2010 and later years, report retiring allowances on a T4 slip. For more information, see Retiring allowances.

You have to complete a T4A slip, Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity and Other Income, if you made any of the payments listed above and:

• the total of all payments in the calendar year was more than $500; or
• you deducted tax from any payment.

You have to prepare a T4A slip for a subscriber if any RESP accumulated income payments totalling $50 or more are made in the calendar year. You have to prepare a T4A slip for a beneficiary if any RESP educational assistance payments totalling $50 or more are made in the calendar year.

If you provided group term life insurance taxable benefits for former employees or retirees, you must report the benefit on a T4A slip using code 119 regardless of the amount. The $500 reporting threshold for T4A slips does not apply.

If you are the administrator or trustee of a multi-employer plan and you provided taxable benefits under the plan to employees, former employees, or retirees, report the benefit on a T4A slip using code 119 if it is more than $25.

Note
A multi-employer plan is a pension plan where no more than 95% of the active members work for one employer or group of related employers in a year.

You have to prepare a T4A slip for Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) taxable amounts paid to a recipient when the total amount for the year is more than $50.

For a complete list of the types of other income for which a T4A slip is required, go to Other information.

Note
The term recipient refers to the beneficiary of a payment and includes employees, former employees, retired persons, and shareholders.