Transfer timelines and checking your status

Once you start your transfer, we'll get things moving on our end within 1–2 business days. From there, most transfers take around 4 weeks to complete — the exact timing depends on the account type and how quickly your other institution processes the request.

Here's a general idea of what to expect:

• RRSP, TFSA, RRIF, LIRA, DPSP: around 4 weeks
• Pension transfers: 6 to 8 weeks

Keep in mind these are typical ranges, not guarantees. Some transfers wrap up faster, while others may take a bit longer depending on your other institution's internal processes.

Checking the status of your transfer

If you'd like an update on where your transfer stands, you have a few options:

• Follow up with your current institution. About five business days after starting your transfer, we recommend reaching out to your current financial institution to confirm they've received the request and ask them to process it promptly. This simple step can meaningfully speed things up.
• Reply to your transfer confirmation email. When your transfer request was sent to your other institution, you received a confirmation email from us. Simply reply to that email and our support team will follow up.
• Reach out to our support team directly. You can contact us here anytime for an update.

If you have more than one transfer in progress, please include the account details or transfer reference in your message so we can look into the right one for you.

Why have my funds left my other account but aren't showing up at Common Wealth yet?

Not to worry — this is a normal part of the process. Once your other institution releases your funds, there's a short window where the money is in transit before it arrives at Common Wealth.

Most transfers are sent by cheque, which means the funds need to be mailed to us and then processed once they arrive. Depending on postage times and our processing queue, you should see the funds appear in your Common Wealth account shortly.

If it's been longer than expected or you'd like a specific update, our support team is happy to help.