TORONTO (Reuters) - Retirement planning once meant plugging a client's 65th birthday into a spreadsheet and going from there. But with more Canadians than ever saying they plan to retire gradually, financial advisers are faced with a growing set of unknowns as they help clients plan for their golden years.

"It's becoming totally different. People are no longer retiring as much as they are redirecting," said Jill Chambers, a certified financial planner at Integrated Wealth Management in Calgary.

"They are going from a predictable full-time salaried position to something totally different. It isn't just a line in the sand: 'Today I'm a worker and tomorrow I'm a retiree.'"

A majority of Canadians say they plan to work after retirement or transition to retirement with a gradual easing of workload. Experts expect the trend to continue as people live longer and healthier lives, making work possible, and carry more debt into retirement, making work necessary.

A survey released in January by Desjardins Insurance found 75 percent of Canadians planned to transition into retirement over time, rather than stopping work suddenly.

And while financial need seems an obvious reason to work longer, the survey showed just as many of those who felt financially secure wanted a gradual retirement as those who felt less secure.

"The traditional notion of retirement of packing up your office at the end of your last day and completely changing your life is ending," Angela Iermieri, financial planner with Desjardins Group, said of the survey.

A similar survey by BMO Financial Group, also released in January, found 81 percent of Canadians plan on working in some capacity during their retirement. Some 39 percent plan to start their own business after age 65 - with 75 percent motivated by the need for income and 62 percent citing a desire to stay mentally focused.

While the trend has an obvious upside in that clients may need to draw on less retirement savings in the early years of retirement, advisers must plan for a range of possible outcomes and expenses beyond the traditional planning scenarios.

"Because there is no fixed date, it makes the financial planning process more complex," said Marlena Pospiech, senior manager at BMO's wealth planning group.

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Gradual Retirement Poses Planning Challenges