PRSA figures for fourth quarter 2007
Friday 8 February 2008: The Pensions Board today announced fourth quarter data for Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs), received from all ten PRSA providers, to the end of December 2007.
The data shows that 130,709 PRSAs have now been taken out, comprising 100,229 Standard PRSAs and 30,480 non-Standard PRSAs, with a total asset value of €1.25 billion. At end of December 2007, 84,557 employers had signed up with a PRSA provider under the employer mandatory access requirements. The data also shows that 45,243 employees have taken out PRSAs through their employer.
The Pensions Board online calculator and pensions information is available on www.pensionsboard.ie.
ENDS
Media queries:
David Malone
Head of Information Services
The Pensions Board
Tel: (01) 613 1900
Jackie Gallagher
Q4 Public Relations
Tel: (01) 475 1444 / (087) 237 1838
Notes to Editors:
About PRSAs
A PRSA is a contract between an individual and an authorised PRSA provider in the form of an investment account that can be used to save for retirement. It is a personal pension plan where the contributions paid are tax deductible and the investment return is tax exempted. There are two types of PRSA – a Standard PRSA and a non- Standard PRSA.
About Mandatory Access – 15 September
All employers were required on 15 September 2003 to enter into a contract with a PRSA provider so that access to at least one Standard PRSA is available for all “excluded employees” on and from that date.
Excluded employees are:
- Employees of an employer who does not offer an occupational pension scheme, or
- Employees included in an occupational pension scheme for death in service benefits only, or
- Employees included in an occupational pension scheme that does not permit the payment of additional voluntary contributions, or
- Employees who are ineligible to join the occupational pension scheme and who will not, under the rules, become eligible to join the scheme for pension benefits within six months from the date they commenced employment.
Public Information
The Information unit at The Pensions Board provides a wide range of pension information booklets free of charge and can be reached at the LoCall number 1890 656565 and on www.pensionsboard.ie.
PRSA figures at 31 December 2007
Cumulative value of assets: €1,253,022,785.33
Total number of PRSA contracts sold: 130,709
- Standard: 100,229
- non-Standard: 30,480
Total number of employers who have designated a PRSA Provider: 84,557
- number of these designations where contributions are being made: 12,891
- number of PRSA contracts under the designations: 45,243*
*This figure is included under the total number of PRSA contracts sold