Section 53 — Canada Pension Plan: Base unadjusted pensionable earnings for a year

Subject to section 54, the base unadjusted pensionable earnings of a contributor for a year are an amount equal to the aggregate of his contributory salary and wages for the year, and his contributory self-employed earnings for the year in the case of an individual described in section 10, the aggregate of the contributor’s earnings on which a base contribution has been made for the year under this Act, calculated as the aggregate of the contributor’s salary and wages on which a base contribution has been made for the year, and the amount of any base contribution required to be made by the contributor for the year in respect of the contributor’s self-employed earnings divided by the contribution rate for self-employed persons for the year, the contributor’s earnings on which a base contribution has been made for the year under a provincial pension plan, calculated as the aggregate of the amount that is determined in the prescribed manner to be the contributor’s salary and wages on which a base contribution has been made for the year by the contributor under a provincial pension plan, and the amount of any base contribution required to be made by the contributor for the year under a provincial pension plan in respect of the contributor’s self-employed earnings divided by the contribution rate for self-employed persons for the year, and his basic exemption for the year, or his maximum pensionable earnings for the year, whichever is the least, except that if the amount calculated as provided in paragraph (a) is equal to or less than the amount of the contributor’s basic exemption for the year, the contributor’s base unadjusted pensionable earnings for that year are deemed to be zero. For the purposes of subsection (1), for the year in which a retirement pension becomes payable under this Act, the contributor’s basic exemption is equal to that proportion of the amount of the Year’s Basic Exemption that the number of months in the year that are not excluded from the contributory period — and are before the retirement pension becomes payable —

is of 12; and the contributor’s maximum pensionable earnings is equal to that proportion of the amount of the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings that the number of months in the year that are not excluded from the contributory period — and are before the retirement pension becomes payable —

is of 12.