Applying for Coverage

Manulife wants you to know that you can apply for coverage in complete confidence, because our first concern is to make sure you are satisfied with your purchase. That is why there is the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Once you have received your Certificate for your coverage under the CPA Ontario Insurance Plans, read it carefully. If you are not completely satisfied, contact Manulife within 30 days of receipt to have your coverage cancelled and your premiums refunded in full.

 

The cost of coverage will be the same whether you purchase member and spouse coverage, or each of you purchases Member coverage. However, eligible spouses who are covered as members also enjoy Waiver of Premium if disabled.

 

All applicants must complete a short statement of health and other particulars of insurability. If Manulife requires the medical examination of any applicant, it will be at Manulife's expense. The applicant will be notified directly in this case.

There are no medical requirements for any additional coverage purchased when you exercise your Future Insurability Option or when you apply for Personal Accident Coverage or for the first unit of Child Life & Accident coverage. (Additional units of Child Life & Accident coverage will require a statement of health.)



As a member, you are entitled to non-smoker rates for Term Life Insurance or Critical Illness Insurance if, as of the date your application is received by Manulife, you have not used tobacco or tobacco cessation products in the past 12 months.

 

Your coverage will begin on the date the properly completed application and the first premium are received by Manulife, subject to the approval of Manulife's underwriters. If you are approved, you will receive a certificate specifying the coverage provided and outlining the main policy provisions. If you are not insurable, a full refund of the premiums will be made.

 

As noted above, once you receive your Certificate of Insurance, examine it carefully. If you are not completely satisfied, simply return your Certificate of Insurance to Manulife within 30 days and request that your coverage be cancelled. Your premiums will be refunded in full for any new coverage that you cancel within 30 days of receiving your Certificate —  no questions asked!

 

If you and/or your spouse apply for $250,000 or more of new or additional Term Life coverage — and you enjoy exceptionally good health — you may qualify for Preferred Rates of up to 27% less than the regular rates. You don’t have to apply for these Preferred Rates; Manulife’s underwriters will assess your application automatically and notify you if you qualify.

Once You Are Covered

Yes, once approved you must continue to be a member of one of the following participating bodies:  

  • Chartered Professional Accountants of New Brunswick

  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia

  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario

  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Prince Edward Island

  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Bermuda

 

Eligibility for this coverage is a benefit of your continued membership of a participating body. This coverage may be continued no matter where you choose to work, providing you maintain your membership and pay your premiums when they are due. However, if you are claiming disability benefits and are in a country where proof of disability cannot be obtained, you may be requested to return to Canada, the U.S. or Bermuda.

 

If your former spouse was insured under the CPA Ontario Insurance Plans prior to the date of your separation or divorce, you may continue to cover that person as your spouse, subject to the provision of the group policy that only one person at a time may be covered as your spouse.

 

Insured members who have stopped using any form of tobacco or tobacco cessation products for at least 12 consecutive months may apply to switch to non-smoker rates at the premium due date. Applications for change are accepted based on smoking status and health, you can find this application in the Resource Centre. If an application for non-smoker rates is denied, coverage will continue to be provided at the smoker rate.

 

To cancel your coverage, return your Certificate of Insurance to us within 30 days of first receiving it, along with your written and signed cancellation request. Your premiums will be refunded in full for any new coverage that you cancel within 30 days of receiving your Certificate. If you choose to cancel your coverage at a later date, mail us a written notification bearing your signature. Your coverage will end beginning with the payment due date following the date on which we receive your cancellation request. Please take note that if you later choose to rejoin the plan, you must once again complete an application and meet the medical qualifications required of any new applicant. If you are unsure about cancelling your coverage, please contact Manulife for assistance.

 

  • Termination age is 85 on the new plan and 75 on the old plan, therefore, coverage ends at this time. 
  • However, if you’re interested in extended coverage, there is a conversion privilege. This privilege allows you to convert part or all of your policy to permanent insurance without underwriting. 
  • For more information, please contact Manulife at 1 866 219.4245.

 

Your Premiums

Premiums increase with age, as shown on the product rate tables for all insurance except Personal Accident Insurance and Child Life and Accident Insurance. “Age,” for the calculation of premiums and benefits, means attained age at the beginning of the Policy Year (June 1).

 

If your payment method of choice is either by credit card or Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD), and the credit card or account number shown on your Premium Notice is correct, you don't need to do anything. We will charge your premium payment to your account in the month in which your premium is due, and apply it to your coverage.

If your payment method is by cheque, send a cheque for the full amount to us by the Anniversary Date (June 1).

 

Premiums are payable once a year on June 1 by cheque, Visa, MasterCard or American Express; or once a month by Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD), Visa, MasterCard or American Express. No matter which payment method you choose, you will receive an annual renewal notice. If your payment method is credit card or PAD, your notice will automatically reflect that choice so you can continue using the same method, without having to provide information again. If you wish to switch to another payment method, simply let Manulife know before the due date.

 

To change your payment method to Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) you can do this online by visiting Manage My Profile – and completing the form, or if you prefer, by simply filling out the form on the back of your Premium Notice and mailing it back to Manulife.

To change your payment method to credit card, or to change your credit card number on file, please call Manulife toll-free at 1 866 219.4245 between 8am and 8pm, ET, Monday through Friday. A representative will be able to help you.

 

You can easily update your address, phone number or email address by visiting Manage My Profile. You can update this information online or downloadable the applicable forms to complete offline and mail in.

 

Unless the beneficiary designation is irrevocable, you may change your beneficiary at any time by providing written notification to Manulife using the downloadable forms available in the Resource Centre. Irrevocable beneficiary designations can only be changed with the consent of the named beneficiary.

Note: In the province of Quebec, the designation of a spouse as beneficiary is considered irrevocable unless it has been specifically indicated as revocable.

 

To apply for increased coverage, simply complete another application for any additional amount you may be eligible for, then send it to Manulife. For your convenience, you can apply online directly from this website. If you prefer, you can download a printer-ready application which you can find in the Resource Centre.

You can also contact one of Manulife's experienced Customer Service Representatives to receive an application form through the mail.

To increase your coverage under the Future Insurability Option, contact Manulife's Customer Service toll-free at 1 866 219.4245 from Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  ET, or email am_service@manulife.com. Please do not include any credit card account numbers in your email message to us.

You can request a printed brochure and application by contacting Manulife at 1 866 219.4245 Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Or e-mail am_service@manulife.com any time. You can also download brochures or a printer-ready application from the Forms and Brochures section of the Resource Centre.

 

You can contact Manulife’s customer service representatives by calling toll-free 1 866 219.4245 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET), by sending through your questions using the online contact form – or by e-mail at am_service@manulife.com

Note: Please do not include any credit card account numbers in your email messages to us.

Answers to your 2024 Premium Notice Questions

We are aware of this issue. The policy period was added incorrectly on the notice and should be June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025.

All calculations on the notice, including the amount owing for 2024 and any credit details are correct. It is only the “Policy period”  that was noted in error.

If you would like an updated premium notice emailed to you, please contact us at am_service@manulife.com or call 1.866.219.4245 and provide us with your name and policy number.

Our sincere apologies for this error and any inconvenience this may have caused.

If you are eligible to receive the premium refund in 2024, it will be equal to: 

  • 5% of premiums paid (plus sales tax where applicable) for member, spouse and/or child Term Life coverage for the full policy year from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023;
  • 25% of premiums paid (plus sales tax where applicable) for Income Protection coverage for the full policy year from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023; and
  • 20% of premiums paid (plus sales tax where applicable) for member and/or spouse Personal Accident Insurance coverage for the full policy year from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023.

 

The Premium Credit will be applied towards your monthly premium until the credit is depleted. Your 2024 Premium Notice will indicate the month when regular Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) payments resume. Note that when your PAD payments resume, the first payment may be a partial payment with full payments resuming thereafter; the onus is on you to know when your premiums are due.

If you have changed your bank or your credit card has been reissued, please contact Manulife immediately to update your payment instructions at 1 866 219.4245 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

 

The CPA Ontario Insurance Plans are a group insurance arrangement. Premium rates are set based on accepted insurance practices, actuarial standards, and expected claims experience. Funds not needed to maintain a sound financial position (based on actual Plan experience) are typically returned to eligible plan members in the form of a premium refund.

 

To qualify for a refund, you must:

  1. Be a member of a participating provincial body from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, or Prince Edward Island, or from Bermuda; and
  2. Have been insured and paid your premiums under specific CPA Ontario Insurance Plans for the full "eligibility period."

Note: the policy year of June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023 is the "eligibility period" for the 2024 refund distribution.

The most equitable way to distribute a refundable surplus is to base it on premiums and associated tax paid by an insured member during the full eligibility period. This eligibility requirement has been in effect for several years.

 

The details of your refund and applicable taxes will be available on your Individual Premium Notice, which is sent to you by mail in early May. On the reverse side of this notice, you will find a detailed breakdown of the individual Plan refunds and applicable taxes which you are eligible to receive. If a refund cheque is issued due to the credit exceeding any premiums due, an explanatory letter will be included with your cheque.

 

The 2024 refund is based on the gross premium (net of any volume discount but prior to any previous year's refund) as reported on your 2022 Premium Notice. This is the notice you received two years ago, in May 2022, which was for the policy year from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023.

The refund surplus, if any, is determined annually based on the financial results for the Plan’s fiscal period (October 1 through September 30). The 2024 refund is based on the financial results for the period from October 1, 2022 to September 2023. Refund amounts vary from year to year – depending on actual Plan experience, there may be no refunds in some years.

 

The "eligibility period" (the key measurement to determine if you qualify to receive a refund, if declared) runs from June 1 to May 31. The "experience period,” or fiscal year, runs from October 1 to September 30; this is the period when we review the financial experience to determine if refunds are possible.

 

No. Your refund is based on coverage you hold during an eligibility period (e.g., in 2024, the eligibility period is June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023). Any purchases made after an eligibility period would only impact future eligibility periods.

 

If you have ongoing coverage, the refund will be applied as a premium credit on your June 1, 2024 Premium Notice. In other words, the refund will be used to offset (reduce) the premium due for the upcoming year. If your premium credit exceeds the premium due, you will receive a refund cheque for the difference. If you have discontinued all coverage, you will receive a cheque covering the full refund.

 

If you have discontinued all coverage effective on or after June 1, 2023, but were eligible to receive a refund (i.e., you are an insured member of an eligible participating body and you paid full premiums during the eligibility period – in this case, from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023), a cheque covering the full refund will be mailed to you.

 

The Premium Credit section on the reverse of your 2024 Premium Notice will indicate the month when you resume regular payments. If you have Term Life, Personal Accident and/or Income Protection coverages, these payments may resume at separate times, and will be noted on your Premium Notice. Please remember that the onus is on you to know when your premiums are due. Note that the first payment will likely be a partial payment, with full payments resuming after that time.

Please remember to check whether Manulife has your current payment instructions. If you have changed your bank or your credit card has been reissued, please contact Manulife immediately to update your payment instructions at 1 866 219.4245 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

 

This difference may be due to a transaction on your account that resulted in additional funds (in addition to your premium credit) being credited to your account. For details specific to your account, please call a Manulife representative directly at 1 866 219.4245 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

 

Our objective is to maintain the CPA Ontario Insurance Plans in a sound and stable financial position. When results for any plan's fiscal period produce surplus funds which are not needed to meet this key financial objective, a refund may be declared.

 

There is no guarantee of a refund in any year. The availability and amount of any refund will be reviewed annually and declared in conjunction with the annual billing cycle in May. CPA Ontario, with the help of Manulife and independent actuarial consultants, will continue to monitor the Plan experience and trends annually — to ensure the CPA Ontario Insurance Plans remain competitive and on sound financial footing.

Manulife cannot provide advice on personal tax situations. However, our understanding is that refunds should not be taxable to members.

Manulife has obtained an opinion from its external tax advisors on the implications of the Income Tax Act on refunds to insured members from the Term Life Plan. The opinion indicates that under the existing tax legislation, a refund of premiums to an insured member should not be deemed a disposition of an interest in a life insurance policy and, furthermore, such amount is not paid to the policyholder (Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario).

Refunds under Health Plans (Income Protection and Personal Accident Plans) are not taxable.

 

For further questions call toll-free at 1 866 219.4245 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

 

For assistance with changing your credit card on file, please call Manulife toll-free at 1 866 219.4245 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. A representative will be able to help you.

If your credit card is expiring, no action is required by you. The system will automatically update the expiry date on file.