Ten covered employees, and the obligation s'applique. Many employers are unaware of it.
In Quebec, an employer that had at least 10 covered employees on 30 June — and at least 5 on 31 December of the previous year — must have set up a VRSP by 31 December at the latest, unless it already offers an RRSP, a TFSA with payroll deduction, or a registered pension plan. It is the CNESST that oversees compliance with this obligation. Eight questions to situate your business.
Source : Retraite Québec — Employers and the VRSP. A covered employee is 18 or older and has at least one year of uninterrupted service within the meaning of the Act respecting labour standards.
Common assumptions
« We are too small for a group plan » is the most frequent error
The law does not ask about your revenue. It counts your covered employees. And on the group insurance side, insurers' eligibility thresholds have fallen a great deal over the past ten years.
Ce qu'on croit
« The VRSP is for large companies. »
The threshold is 10 covered employees on 30 June, with at least 5 on the preceding 31 December. An SMB of 12 people is concerned; a company of 300 that already offers a registered pension plan is not. It is not a question of size, it is a question of what you already offer.
What is true
The plan you have is not necessarily the one you need
A group plan renews each year based on the group's experience. Without periodic marketing to insurers, the gap with what is available elsewhere widens without anyone noticing. Shopping does not mean changing — it means knowing.
Self-assessment
Eight questions. A clear picture.
The first five situate your business on two fronts: your legal obligation on retirement savings, and the state of your group insurance plan. The last three help prepare a picture that reflects you. This test does not replace an analysis of your file.
1. How many employees aged 18 and over have at least one year of uninterrupted service with you?
2. Do you offer all your employees a retirement savings plan with payroll deduction — VRSP, group RRSP, group TFSA or registered pension plan?
3. Does your business offer a group insurance plan — health, dental, disability?
4. When was the last time your plan was marketed to several insurers?
5. Have you lost an employee to a company offering better benefits?
6. How are premiums shared between the business and the employees?
This question and the next two do not change your result. They help prepare a picture that matches your reality.
7. When is your next renewal?
8. Is an advisor or a broker currently looking after your file?
Leave your contact information: I will come back to you with a picture of your situation — VRSP obligation, the state of your group plan, and what is being done elsewhere in your sector. With no obligation.
Request received. Your advisor will contact you shortly to discuss the picture of your business.
This test is a self-assessment tool with an educational purpose. It does not constitute legal advice, a compliance audit, or a product recommendation. Only an analysis of your file can confirm whether your business is covered by the Voluntary Retirement Savings Plans Act. The thresholds cited (10 covered employees on 30 June, 5 on the preceding 31 December) come from Retraite Québec, consulted on 26 July 2026. It is the CNESST that oversees compliance with this obligation.
A budget order of magnitude, right now.
The group comparison tool prices your plan by company size, sector and the components you want.
Coverage for 10, 20 or 30 years, at the lowest cost per dollar of coverage, for the years your family depends on you: mortgage, children, debts. It can usually be converted later to permanent insurance without new proof of health.
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Group insurance and annuities
Offer more to your team
Group insurance (life, disability, health and dental) and group retirement savings (group RRSP, VRSP, DPSP). A well-designed plan helps attract and keep employees, and employer contributions are generally deductible.
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Insurance with cash value
Protection that grows in value
Whole life insurance protects your family for life and builds a guaranteed cash surrender value. Participating policies may also pay annual dividends, which are not guaranteed.
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Universal life insurance
Protection and savings, with flexibility
Universal life separates the cost of coverage from the savings component, which grows tax-sheltered within permitted limits. You adjust deposits to your budget and choose your investment options.
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Mortgage insurance
Protect your home and your family
Individual mortgage insurance belongs to you: the benefit is paid to your beneficiaries, who decide how to use it, and the coverage follows you if you change lenders. Compare it with the bank's offer before you sign.
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Your situation
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An employee
Get group insurance and a group retirement plan through your workplace.
I present a group plan to your employer. You and your colleagues enjoy the same benefits: group-rate coverage and retirement savings boosted by your employer.
Employer contributions: a benefit on top of your salary
Lifetime maximums, based on family income and federal program conditions. L'Éveil: insurer's conditions apply.
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Automated tool — general answers, not personalized advice
You are interacting with an automated tool, not with a person. It draws its answers from the content of this site: it does not replace a needs analysis and does not constitute a recommendation. Your advisor remains responsible for the information published here. For any question concerning your own situation, please contact him directly.