Investment Calculators · Canada
RRSP Contribution Calculator Canada: 2026 limit, room and growth.
Project your Registered Retirement Savings Plan balance and the tax refund you get back this year for every dollar contributed.
The 2026 RRSP dollar limit is $33,810. Your room is the lesser of that and 18% of your previous year’s earned income, plus unused room carried forward, minus any pension adjustment (CRA limits table). Your exact room is on your notice of assessment.
Worked example. Contribute $10,000 a year for 25 years at a 6% average annual return, starting from $0: you put in $250,000 and the account grows to about $548,645 (contributions made at year-end, no fees, return not guaranteed). The calculator below runs your own numbers.
Want the refund on one contribution rather than the long-run balance? Use the RRSP deduction and tax refund calculator.
Withdrawing from an RRSP? Calculate withholding tax and cash received.
Saving for a first home? The FHSA is deductible like an RRSP and tax-free like a TFSA: try the FHSA calculator.
Looking for TFSA room instead? Use the TFSA contribution limit calculator. This page is the RRSP contribution room calculator: your limit is 18% of last year's earned income up to $33,810, plus carry-forward, less any pension adjustment.
Source: CRA — MP, DB, RRSP, DPSP and TFSA limits, YMPE and YAMPE; CRA — How contributions affect your RRSP/PRPP deduction limit · As of
Cite this page: TNAADO Tools, “RRSP Calculator Canada 2026: Limit & Growth”, https://tools.tnaado.ca/calculators/investment/rrsp/
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RRSP contribution limit calculator: estimate your 2026 room
Your 2026 deduction limit is the lesser of 18% of your 2025 earned income and the $33,810 dollar limit, plus unused room carried forward, minus your pension adjustment (PA). Enter the figures from your notice of assessment and T4 to see the estimate. It is a quick check; your exact room is in CRA My Account.
Worked example: $100,000 of 2025 earned income, no PA and no carry-forward gives 18% × $100,000 = $18,000 of new room, below the $33,810 cap. The 18% only reaches the cap at about $187,833 of earned income.
About the RRSP
RRSP contributions are tax-deductible and the investments inside grow tax-deferred. Withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, so the RRSP works best when you contribute in a high-income year and withdraw in a lower-income retirement year. Your marginal rate is estimated from your gross income and selected province.
Sources (checked October 4, 2026)
- CRA: MP, RRSP, DPSP, ALDA, TFSA, FHSA and YMPE limits (RRSP dollar limit $33,810 for 2026).
- CRA: how contributions affect your RRSP deduction limit (18% of previous-year earned income, unused room carried forward, $2,000 buffer, 1% per month tax).
TNAADO Inc. · Toronto
Room, deduction and withdrawal are three separate things
RRSP contribution room is 18% of the previous year’s earned income up to an annual dollar ceiling the CRA indexes each year, plus every dollar of unused room carried forward since 1991, less any pension adjustment from a workplace plan. The deduction saves tax at your marginal rate, the account then grows untaxed, and the withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income. The whole value of the account is the difference between the rate going in and the rate coming out.
The mistake people make. Calculating your own room. The pension adjustment is easy to get wrong, and an over-contribution beyond the $2,000 buffer is penalised at 1% per month until it is withdrawn, so use the figure on your notice of assessment or in CRA My Account. Note also that an RRSP withdrawal permanently destroys the room it used: unlike a TFSA, RRSP room does not come back.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my RRSP contribution limit?
Take the lesser of 18% of last year’s earned income and the $33,810 dollar limit for 2026, add any unused room carried forward from earlier years, and subtract your pension adjustment. For example, $100,000 of 2025 earned income with no PA and no carry-forward gives $18,000. The estimator above does this; your notice of assessment and CRA My Account show the official figure.
What is the RRSP limit for 2026?
The 2026 RRSP dollar limit is $33,810. Your personal limit is the lesser of that and 18% of your previous year’s earned income, plus unused room from earlier years, minus any pension adjustment from a workplace plan. Your exact figure is on your notice of assessment and in CRA My Account: use it rather than calculating it yourself.
What is the RRSP contribution deadline?
Contributions made in the first 60 days of the following year can be deducted for the earlier year. For the 2026 tax year the deadline is March 1, 2027. For the 2025 tax year it was March 2, 2026, because the 60th day fell on a weekend. Contributions made after the deadline count towards the next tax year.
Does unused RRSP room carry forward?
Yes, indefinitely, so a year you cannot contribute is not a year lost. You can also carry an RRSP deduction forward and claim it in a later, higher-income year: the contribution and the deduction are separate decisions.
What happens if I over-contribute to my RRSP?
You have a $2,000 buffer above your deduction limit. Beyond that, the CRA charges tax of 1% per month on the excess until you withdraw it or new room opens up. The buffer amount is not deductible either, so treat it as a safety margin, not extra room. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
How much will I get back from an RRSP contribution?
Roughly your contribution multiplied by your marginal tax rate. A $10,000 contribution for someone with a 43% marginal rate reduces tax by about $4,300.
A large contribution can straddle two brackets, in which case the top portion is relieved at the higher rate and the remainder at the lower one, so the blended benefit is slightly less than the headline figure. The deduction can also be carried forward and claimed in a later, higher-income year: useful if this year’s income is unusually low.
Should I contribute to an RRSP or a TFSA?
The RRSP is better when your marginal rate today is higher than the rate you expect on withdrawal, since you deduct at the high rate and pay at the low one. The TFSA is better when the reverse is true, or when you may need the money before retirement.
One point that is often missed: RRSP withdrawals count as income and can claw back income-tested benefits such as OAS, while TFSA withdrawals never do. For many people the answer is both; RRSP for retirement, TFSA for flexibility.
Disclaimer
Educational only. RRSP limits change annually - always verify your personal contribution room with CRA. Marginal rates calculated using 2026 federal and provincial tax brackets.