Free Practice Questions for National Payroll Institute PF1 Exam

For payroll withholding, income tax is calculated on taxable income for the pay period, so only deductions that are income-tax deductible (or otherwise reduce taxable income at source) will reduce the employee’s taxable base for withholding. Employee contributions to an RRSP are generally deductible for the employee, which is why payroll-deducted RRSP contributions (such as contributions to a group RRSP taken off the paycheque) reduce the amount of income tax withheld when the payroll system is set up to treat them as deductible contributions. The CRA confirms that deductible RRSP contributions can be used to reduce your tax.

By contrast, paying provincial health care premiums (where applicable) and paying an employee share of group benefit plan premiums are not automatic “reduce taxable income at source” deductions in the same way for payroll withholding; they may be personal expenses and, depending on the plan/premium type, may only affect the employee’s personal tax situation through credits/deductions when filing, not the standard payroll withholding base. Therefore, the only correct choice is A.

Overtime premiums and piece-rate pay are forms of earnings because they are amounts paid for work performed. CRA’s payroll guidance confirms overtime pay is remuneration from which you must deduct statutory deductions (CPP, EI, and income tax), reflecting that overtime is treated as employment earnings.

Similarly, piecework (piece-rate pay) is a method of paying wages based on units produced rather than time. It is still compensation for labour and therefore part of gross earnings used to calculate payroll deductions and net pay. This is fundamentally different from:

Expense reimbursements, which repay employee-incurred business costs (not pay for work).

Allowances, which are predetermined amounts to help cover anticipated expenses without receipts.

Benefits, which are the value of goods/services provided by the employer or paid on the employee’s behalf.

So a premium paid for overtime hours or a piece-rate per unit produced is classified as earnings (option A).

The CRA defines a retiring allowance (also called severance pay) as an amount paid to an employee when or after they retire or lose their job, in recognition of long service or for the loss of office or employment. This matches option A.

The other options are specifically not retiring allowances under CRA guidance. The CRA states a retiring allowance does not include salary, wages, bonuses, or overtime, which rules out bonus or incentive pay and accumulated overtime. The CRA also states it does not include payments for accumulated vacation leave not taken before retirement, which rules out vacation pay.

This classification matters in payroll because retiring allowances have distinct rules: for example, they are not subject to CPP or EI deductions, and part of a retiring allowance may be eligible for direct transfer to an RRSP/RPP under special rules (based on pre-1996 service).

For separation/termination-related payroll decisions (including whether a payment can qualify as a retiring allowance and whether the relationship has truly ended), the key question is whether the employee–employer relationship is still continuing. CRA training material on “special payments and the end of employment” explains that ongoing health insurance coverage or accrual of pensionable time are indicators the employer–employee relationship is continuing.

Among the choices, the most direct, reliable indicator is continued accrual of benefits in the organization’s pension plan (option D). If pensionable service continues to accrue, the relationship is still considered to exist—meaning the relationship has not been fully severed for payroll/tax purposes.

Option C (“no expectation of work”) points the other way: that is consistent with a relationship being severed, not continuing. Option B (“refuses the right to be recalled”) is not a standard indicator of an ongoing relationship. Option A can occur in some arrangements, but the CRA specifically highlights pension accrual (and ongoing coverage) as strong evidence the relationship continues.

In Quebec, employer-paid premiums (contributions) to a group insurance plan, including a private health services plan (which commonly covers items like dental and prescription drugs), are treated as a taxable benefit for the employee for Quebec purposes. Revenu Québec explicitly states that contributions (premiums) an employer pays under a group insurance plan for coverage received by an employee constitute a taxable benefit.

Because the employer is paying the premium directly to the insurer (the employee receives coverage rather than cash), this is treated as a non-cash taxable benefit in payroll classification terms. The payroll impact is that this taxable benefit must be included in the employee’s Quebec taxable income and reported on the RL-1 (and handled according to Quebec source deduction rules).

Outside Quebec, employer-paid health/dental plan premiums are generally not treated the same way for provincial taxable benefit purposes, which is why the correct answer among the options is Quebec.

Piecework (also called piece-rate pay) is a pay method where an employee’s earnings are determined by output—they are paid a set amount per unit produced or completed, rather than by hours worked or a fixed salary. This aligns directly with option C. A time-based hourly/daily wage (option A) is a different earnings method, and a fixed pay-per-period arrangement (option B) describes salary. Therefore, “all of the above” is incorrect because these are three distinct compensation structures.

In payroll calculations, piecework earnings are typically calculated as: piece rate × number of units produced in the pay period. Employers still have to ensure compliance with employment standards, such as minimum wage and overtime rules, even where piecework is used. A Canadian payroll educational reference defines piecework as payment for each unit produced “regardless of the amount of time taken.”

A retiring allowance is treated as a lump-sum payment for payroll withholding purposes. When part of a retiring allowance is transferred directly to an RRSP/RPP, CRA guidance indicates you do not withhold income tax on the transferred amount (up to the employee’s available limit), because it is not paid to the employee in cash.

Step 1: Determine the portion paid directly to the employee (non-eligible portion):

$25,000 − $15,000 transferred to RRSP = $10,000 paid/remaining.

Step 2: Apply CRA lump-sum withholding rates (outside Quebec):

For total lump-sum payments $5,001 to $15,000, the withholding rate is 20%.

Step 3: Calculate tax to withhold on $10,000:

$10,000 × 20% = $2,000.00.

So the correct option is B ($2,000.00).

Net pay (often called “take-home pay”) is what the employee actually receives after all withholdings and other deductions are taken from their earnings. In Canadian payroll practice, the starting point is gross earnings (regular wages plus any taxable amounts that must be included in income). From gross earnings, payroll subtracts total deductions, which include statutory deductions (such as CPP/QPP, EI, and income tax) and any authorized non-statutory deductions (for example, union dues, benefits premiums, pension contributions, or garnishments where applicable). This is why the most accurate generic formula is gross earnings − total deductions. CRA payroll guidance reflects this structure by requiring employers to calculate gross pay, determine the correct statutory deductions, and then arrive at the amount paid to the employee after those deductions are withheld and remitted.

Options C and D are incomplete or incorrect because “total tax” is only one part of deductions, and “net taxable income” is not a payroll calculation base in the way the question frames it. Option A is also incorrect because “pensionable earnings” is only relevant to CPP/QPP calculations, not the overall net pay formula.

An ROE is required when an employee experiences an interruption of earnings, such as 7 consecutive calendar days with no work and no insurable earnings (the “7-day rule”), or when earnings fall below 60% of regular weekly earnings for specific reasons (the “60% rule”). That means a 6-week unpaid leave (A) typically triggers an interruption of earnings, and a drop to 40% of normal earnings (B) meets the “below 60%” threshold (when due to the listed leave reasons). A layoff with no recall (D) also triggers an interruption of earnings under the 7-day rule.

However, Service Canada lists a special situation for a change in ownership: the former employer does not have to issue ROEs if (1) there is no actual break in the employee receiving earnings, and (2) payroll records are available to the new owner and the new owner agrees to issue a single ROE covering both periods if needed. That is exactly option C, so no ROE is required in that scenario.

A SIN that begins with “9” (often called a 900-series SIN) is issued to temporary workers—people who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents—and who are authorized to work in Canada. Service Canada’s employer guidance explicitly states that SINs beginning with “9” are issued to temporary workers who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents, and these SINs are valid only until the expiry date shown on the immigration document that authorizes the person to work in Canada.

Service Canada also advises employers to confirm that employees with a SIN starting with “9” remain authorized to work and that their immigration document has not expired.

So, options A–C are incorrect because a 900-series SIN is not for permanent residents (“landed immigrants”), not for Canadians whose SIN “expires,” and not based on working outside Canada. It specifically signals temporary status tied to work authorization in Canada.