Question:
Hi Can you cash in your retirement annuity before you retire?
Answer:
Magnus,
The only time you can cash out your retirement annuity is on formal emigration, or on proven disability. Formal emigration means you have to sign off with the Receiver of Revenue. Otherwise, you cannot access your retirement annuity before age 55, which is the earliest allowed retirement date. Even then, you can only access one-third as cash, the balance must be converted into an annuity. Only if the balance is less than R75 000 can you commute the entire amount to cash.