Pass the National Payroll Institute Payroll Fundamentals PF1 Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

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.

The CRA’s prescribed interest rates are established for specific periods labelled by calendar quarter (for example, “first calendar quarter 2026”), and CRA publishes the rate schedule by quarter.

This prescribed rate is used in multiple tax contexts, including calculating taxable benefits on certain interest-free or low-interest employee/shareholder loans, and it also relates to interest charged/paid by the CRA on overdue amounts and overpayments (with different rates for different situations).

Because CRA’s publication is organized and effective by quarter (e.g., Jan 1–Mar 31; Apr 1–Jun 30; Jul 1–Sep 30; Oct 1–Dec 31), the correct answer is each calendar quarter (option D), not monthly, semi-annual, or annual.

The CRA defines a benefit as something the employee receives when the employer pays for or gives something that is personal in nature (a good or service), either directly to the employee or through a third party. CRA’s T4130 guide describes a benefit as a good or service you give (or arrange for) such as free use of employer property, and it is the value of that benefit that may need to be included in the employee’s income if taxable.

This matches the wording in the question: “dollar values attributed to something the employer has either provided…or paid for…on an employee’s behalf.” By contrast, earnings are pay for work performed (salary, wages, commissions). Allowances are fixed amounts paid to help cover anticipated expenses without receipts (often taxable unless an exception applies). Expense reimbursements repay actual business expenses (typically supported by receipts) and are generally not treated as earnings.

So the correct classification is Benefits.

An expense reimbursement is a repayment to an employee for business costs they already paid personally (for example, meals, mileage, supplies), typically supported by receipts or an expense report. CRA’s guidance explains that a reimbursement is a payment made to repay amounts the employee spent while conducting the employer’s business, and that a reasonable reimbursement is generally not included in the employee’s income.

That’s why reimbursements are generally not part of “earnings” for payroll calculations—they are not compensation for work performed; they are repayment of a business expense. This differs from an allowance, which is usually a fixed amount paid without requiring receipts; allowances are often taxable unless a specific CRA exception applies.

So the correct term for “dollar amounts paid to cover job expenses incurred, but not considered earnings” is expense reimbursements (option D). Payroll best practice is to ensure reimbursements are properly documented and reasonable to support non-taxable treatment.

Service Canada treats commission salespeople (paid solely by commission or salary plus irregularly paid commission) as a special ROE situation where the weekly averaging formula is used. In that scenario, the ROE Guide states that for Block 12 (Final pay period ending date) you must use the Saturday of the week that contains the last day for which paid (Block 11).

This is different from the usual rule for most employees, where Block 12 is simply the end date of the final pay period that includes the Block 11 date (and it can’t be earlier than Block 11).

The key reason is consistency in applying the weekly averaging approach: even if the employer’s actual payroll cycle is not weekly, commission-only/irregular-commission employees are reported using a weekly framework for ROE purposes. Payroll should therefore align Block 12 to the correct “weekly” period end (Saturday) when that rule applies, to avoid ROE errors and Service Canada follow-up.

The CRA defines a retiring allowance (also called severance pay) as an amount paid when or after an employee retires or loses their job, in recognition of long service or for the loss of employment.

However, the CRA is also explicit about what a retiring allowance does not include. It does not include “salary, wages, bonuses, [or] overtime,” which rules out bonus/incentive pay and accumulated overtime in the options. It also does not include “payments for accumulated vacation leave not taken,” which rules out vacation pay as a retiring allowance. Finally, it does not include wages in lieu of termination notice, which rules out wages in lieu (including legislated notice pay) as a retiring allowance.

Because every listed item is specifically excluded by CRA guidance, the correct answer is None of the above (E).

In payroll, deductions are applied in a priority order so employers satisfy mandatory legal obligations first. CRA collection tools such as a Requirement to Pay (RTP) and a Demand on a Third Party (DTP) are legal/garnishment-type deductions. CRA explains that a Requirement to Pay directs a third party (often the employer) to send amounts otherwise payable to the employee to the CRA, and the employer must comply.

Company pension contributions (where participation is required as a condition of employment or under a plan/collective agreement) are generally company-compulsory deductions—important, but they come after statutory and legal deductions. Voluntary insurance coverage is a classic voluntary deduction (the employee chooses it; it is not legally required). Voluntary deductions are normally taken last because they must not interfere with statutory/legal withholding obligations.

So among the options, voluntary insurance coverage is the one that would be withheld last in the order of priority.

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).

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).

A strong hire-authorization/onboarding checklist ensures payroll and HR collect documents needed to pay the employee accurately and enroll them in required programs. Abenefit enrollment formis a practical, common checklist item because many employers offer benefit plans that require employee elections (for example, health/dental coverage levels, beneficiary information, dependent details, etc.). Indeed’s Canadian onboarding guidance explicitly notes employers often collectbenefits enrollmentpaperwork as part of essential new employee forms and onboarding checklists.

By contrast, aT1213(Request to Reduce Tax Deductions at Source) is not routinely required for all hires; it is only used when an employee applies for CRA authorization to reduce tax withheld. A “clearance certificate” is not a standard Canada-wide payroll onboarding requirement for typical employment relationships. Therefore, “All of the above” is not correct.

Selectingbenefit enrollment formbest matches the purpose of a hiring authorization checklist: ensuring all employment setup steps are completed (pay setup, statutory forms, and benefits enrollment where offered) so payroll deductions and coverage are handled correctly from the start.