Glossary term
Pension adjustment
A pension adjustment is a tax-reporting amount that generally reduces RRSP deduction room for the following year.
Plain meaning
What pension adjustment means
The pension adjustment, often shown as PA, reflects the value of benefits earned under an employer's registered pension plan, deferred profit sharing plan, and sometimes certain other retirement arrangements. It is reported for tax purposes and is not itself income or a deduction.
Calculation context
How OpenBook uses it
RRSP room and catch-up calculators treat the pension adjustment as a reduction to estimated RRSP deduction room. This keeps an RRSP estimate from ignoring pension accruals that CRA normally reflects in the official room calculation.
If a pension adjustment reversal or past service pension adjustment applies, those are separate inputs or assumptions and should not be collapsed into the pension adjustment label.
Common boundary
Not a cash contribution
A pension adjustment is not money paid into an RRSP by the user. It is a tax-reporting amount that affects future RRSP deduction room. Users commonly find it on a T4 or T4A slip, depending on the plan and reporting context.
Primary references
These official sources explain the reporting line and broader calculation context.