Explaining the Statement of Contributions Form - 18 to 29 years

Your Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions

Virtually all people working in Canada contribute to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP); in the Province of Quebec, people contribute to the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP). Your Statement of Contributions provides details of your contributions to the CPP and QPP, if applicable. As you contribute to the CPP during your working life, you may become eligible for a disability benefit, a retirement pension, or death benefits, providing you meet certain requirements, such as age and years of contributions.

Your Statement of Contributions covers only the time from your 18th birthday to your 70th birthday, or 1966, whichever is later.

Date of Birth

The Date of Birth is maintained by the Social Insurance Registration office. If the date of birth on your statement is incorrect it will affect:

  • your benefit estimate amounts;
  • your benefit start date; and
  • earnings information.

To correct your date of birth, you can send a copy of the top portion of your statement AND your provincial birth certificate, your Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, or your Immigration documentation to the following address:

Social Insurance Registration
P.O. Box 7000
BATHURST, NB
E2A 4T1

Once the Social Insurance Registration office has advised you that the correction has been made, which may take 2 to 3 months, you can call CPP to request a new statement.


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Date of Statement

The date of statement refers only to the date that the Statement of Contributions was produced. The statement is generally mailed to you the same month that it was printed.

Bar Code

A bar code has been placed above your name and should appear in the window of the envelope. This code is used for handling returned mail.

Name

The Social Insurance Card, which contains your name, is issued and maintained by the Social Insurance Registration office. It is important that the names and Social Insurance Number under which you are working are identical to the names and Social Insurance Number that appear on your S.I.N. card. This will ensure that the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan contributions you make are properly credited to you.

If your name is incorrect you can call or write to:

Social Insurance Registration
P.O. Box 7000
BATHURST, NB
E2A 4T1

The phone number for the Social Insurance Registration office is listed in the Government of Canada pages of the telephone directory, under Human Resources Development Canada, under the heading Social Insurance Number.

Once the Social Insurance Registration office has advised you that the correction has been made, which may take 2 to 3 months, you can call CPP to request a new statement.

See How do I apply for a SIN, replace my card or amend my SIN record (e.g., a name change)? to obtain instructions.


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Address

If the address is incorrect, call Canada Pension Plan to have it corrected.

The address CPP is using to mail the Statement of Contributions is the one you have on file with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The address is updated each time you file your income tax return, or if you send CPP an application for a statement.

It is important that your address is correct with both CRA and CPP. Therefore, you are advised to also contact CRA to update your address.

For a list of offices and telephone numbers for CRA, please visit the CRA Internet site.

Year

The "Year" column on your Statement of Contributions starts with the year you turned 18 or January 1966, whichever is later. This column will end with:

  • the year in which you begin to receive a CPP retirement pension; or
  • the year in which you begin to receive a CPP disability benefit; or
  • the year you turn 70 years of age.

The last year on the statement, if you are not receiving a CPP retirement pension, disability benefit, or over age 70, is the last full calendar year.

Your Contributions

The amounts in this column are the contributions you have made to the CPP and QPP; if applicable. Contributions are made by employers, employees, and self-employed people.

Contributions are made on your annual earnings between a minimum amount called the Year's Basic Exemption (YBE) and a maximum amount known as the Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE). The YMPE is approximately the average Canadian wage. For 2002 it is $39,100. The YBE is $3,500.

Contributions are incorrect

On the back of each statement is information on how to correct an error in your contributions:

If you were employed; send a copy of your earnings and contributions from your T4, or a signed letter on company letterhead from each of your employers confirming all your earnings and contributions to the CPP for the year(s) in question.

If you were self-employed; send a copy of the earnings and contributions from your T1 Income Tax Return and your Notice of Assessment for the year(s) in question. Send this information with a letter to:

Contributor Client Services
Canada Pension Plan
P.O. Box 9750, Postal Station T
OTTAWA, ON
K1G 4A6

If you do not have these documents, please send as much information as you can to Contributor Client Services. They will begin an investigation which will include contacting Canada Revenue Agency.

Note: For the current tax year, the statement "not yet available" appears if CPP has not yet received the contribution information from CRA or QPP. Next year's statement will have your contributions, if you file your income tax return.


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Your Pensionable Earnings

This column shows the amount you earned through employment and/or self-employment each year, up to a maximum. The maximum amount is adjusted every year. For 2002 it is $39,100. This figure is based on the average Canadian wage as measured by Statistics Canada.

Pensionable Earnings are incorrect

On the back of each statement is information on how to correct an error in your pensionable earnings.

If you were employed; send a copy of your earnings and contributions from your T4 slip(s), or a signed letter on company letterhead from each of your employers confirming all your earnings and contributions to the CPP for the year(s) in question.

If you were self-employed; send a copy of your earnings and contributions from your T1 Income Tax Return and your Notice of Assessment for the year(s) in question. Send this information with a letter to:

Contributor Client Services
Canada Pension Plan
P.O. Box 9750, Postal Station "T"
OTTAWA, ON
K1G 4A6

If you do not have these documents please send as much information as you can to Contributor Client Services. They will begin an investigation that will include contacting Canada Revenue Agency.

Note: For the current tax year, the statement "not yet available" appears if CPP has not yet received the information from CRA or QPP. Next year's statement will have your earnings information, if you file your income tax return.


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"M" - Maximum

A letter "M" will appear in "Your pensionable earnings" column to show that you have maximum earnings and have made a maximum contribution for that year.

For example:
In 2002, if you earned more than $39,100 and have made the maximum contribution of $1,673.20, a letter "M" will appear to the right of the pensionable earnings.

"S" - Self-employed

An "S" will appear in the "Your contributions" column to show that all or part of the contributions are based on self-employed earnings for that year.

"D" - Credit Split

A "D" will appear in the column "Your Pensionable Earnings" to show that there was a credit split for that year.

Date of extract

This is the date that CPP took your information from its computers and prepared it for printing onto your statement. The date the statement was printed is under the heading "Date of Statement" on the front page of your statement.

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