Can I cash in my paid-up retirement annuity?


Question:

My retirement annuity is paid-up, how can I get this money?

Answer:

Leonard,

You can only access your retirement annuity at "retirement". The earliest you can retire is at age 55. The fact that you have made your retirement annuity paid-up (ie stopped contributing) does not change this fact.

If you are already 55 years old, you need to instruct your retirement annuity provider that you wish to claim your savings. You are allowed to take up to one-third as a cash lump sum; you must use at least two-thirds to invest in an annuity or living annuity. If the total value of your savings is less than R75 000, you can take the entire amount as cash. An annuity will pay you a guaranteed income for life (escalating with inflation if you choose – this annuity will pay out less initially); the living annuity allows you to choose how much you wish to withdraw every year (between 2.5% and 17.5%). However, you then have to decide how to invest your money and you carry the risk that you may outlast your savings.

The information and answers supplied in this section do not constitute advice as defined by the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 37 of 2002.


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