Subsection 172.1(4) Election for Specified Pension Entity

GST/HST Notices - Notice 281
January 2013

This notice explains the information required to be included in an election made under subsection 172.1(4).

The term "specified pension entity" is defined in subsection 172.1(4), and is relevant in cases where, during the fiscal year of a registrant that is a participating employer (employer), the employer consumes or uses its own resources for pension activities of the pension plan, but not for the purpose of making supplies to a particular pension entity. In this situation, subsection 172.1(7), as discussed in Part IV of GST/HST Notice257, stipulates that a specified pension entity is deemed to have paid tax for purposes of claiming a rebate under section 261.01.

Where a pension plan has only one pension entity, that pension entity is the specified pension entity of the pension plan. If there are two or more pension entities, the employer and one of the pension entities may jointly elect for that pension entity to be the specified pension entity of the pension plan. A participating employer may, at a particular time, have only one specified pension entity for a pension plan, although each employer of a pension plan may have a different pension entity as its specified pension entity.

Subsection 172.1(4) specifies that this election must be made in prescribed form containing prescribed information. Since the election is not required to be filed with the Canada Revenue Agency, it is sufficient that the election be evidenced in writing and retained on the books and records of the parties to the election, for audit purposes.

The following information must be retained by the employer and the pension entity that is a specified pension entity for purposes of subsection 172.1(4):

• complete legal name, mailing address (including city and postal code), name and title of contact person and business number (if applicable) of the specified pension entity of the pension plan,
• complete legal name, mailing address (including city and postal code), name and title of contact person and business number (if applicable) of the participating employer of the pension plan,
• the effective date of the election,
• a certification indicating that the information given in the election is true, correct and complete in every respect, and
• the signature of a duly authorized officer or employee of each of the parties to the election.

Enquiries by telephone

All technical publications on GST/HST are available on the CRA Web site at www.cra.gc.ca/gsthsttech.