RRSPs and Other Registered Plans for Retirement

T4040(E) Rev. 24

The CRA's publications and personalized correspondence are available in braille, large print, e-text and MP3. For more information, go to Order alternate formats for persons with disabilities or call 1-800-959-8281.

Find out if this guide is for you

Use this guide if you want information about registered pension plans (RPPs), registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), registered retirement income funds (RRIFs), specified pension plans (SPPs), and pooled registered pension plans (PRPPs).

This guide has information which is not in the income tax package and which you may need to fill out your income tax and benefit return.

A Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) is not a registered plan for retirement. You should refer to Guide RC4466, Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), Guide for Individuals.

The CRA has included definitions of some of the terms used in this guide in the Definitions section. You may want to read this section before you start.

La version française de ce guide est intitulée REER et autres régimes enregistrés pour la retraite.

Unless otherwise stated, all legislative references are to the Income Tax Act or, where appropriate, the Income Tax Regulations.

Table of contents 

Definitions

This section provides a general definition of the technical terms that the CRA uses in this guide.

Advanced life deferred annuity (ALDA) – a life annuity where the annuity payments must be started before the end of the year in which the annuitant turns 85 years of age.

Advantage – any benefit, or debt that is conditional on the existence of the RRSP or RRIF, subject to certain exceptions for normal investment activities and conventional incentive programs.

An advantage also includes any benefit that is an increase in the total fair market value (FMV) of the property of the RRSP or RRIF that is reasonably attributable to any one of the following:

An advantage also includes a registered plan strip, or any benefit that is income or a capital gain that is reasonably attributable to one of the following:

For more information on advantages, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C3, Advantages – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Annuitant – generally, an annuitant of an RRSP or a RRIF is the person for whom the plan or fund provides a retirement income. In certain circumstances, the surviving spouse or common-law partner may qualify as the annuitant when, because of the death, they become entitled to receive benefits out of the plan or fund.

Arm’s length – refers to a relationship or a transaction between unrelated persons who act in their own separate interests. An arm’s length transaction is generally a transaction that reflects ordinary commercial dealings between parties acting in their own separate interests.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S1-F5-C1, Related Persons and Dealing at Arm's Length.

Common-law partner – a person who is not your spouse, with whom you are living in a conjugal relationship, and to whom at least one of the following situations applies. The person:

Note
In this definition, “12 continuous months” includes any period that you were separated for less than 90 days because of a breakdown in the relationship.

Commutation payment – a fixed or single lump-sum payment from your RRSP annuity that is equal to the current value of all or part of your future annuity payments from the plan.

Deferred profit-sharing plan (DPSP) – an employer-sponsored plan the CRA registers, in which the employer shares the profits of a business with all the employees or a designated group of employees.

Defined benefit provision – the terms of an RPP that promise a certain level of pension on retirement, based on the employee's earnings and years of service.

Earned income – the CRA calculates your earned income by adding your employment earnings, self-employment earnings, and certain other types of income, then subtracting specific employment expenses and business or rental losses. To calculate your earned income, refer to Step 2 of Chart 3.

Qualifying performance income (generally endorsement income, prize money, or income from public appearances received by an amateur athlete) contributed to an amateur athlete trust (AAT), qualifies as earned income in determining the RRSP deduction limit of the trust’s beneficiary.

Excess ALDA transfer – An excess ALDA transfer is defined in subsection 205(1) of the Income Tax Act and is informally referred to as an amount in excess of the 25% limit.

Fair market value (FMV) – is generally considered to mean the highest price expressed in terms of money that can be obtained in an open and unrestricted market between informed and prudent parties, who are dealing at arm’s length, and under no compulsion to buy or sell.

For more information on the valuation of securities of closely-held corporations, refer to Information Circular IC89-3, Policy Statement on Business Equity Valuations.

Financially dependent – if you are a child or grandchild of an annuitant, you are generally considered financially dependent on that annuitant at the time of their death if, before that person's death, you ordinarily resided with and depended on the annuitant, and you meet one of the following conditions:

If, at the time of the annuitant's death, you are away from home because you were attending school, the CRA still considers you to have resided with the annuitant.

If you meet one of the above conditions and did not reside with the annuitant at the time of their death, but received significant financial support from the annuitant, the CRA may consider you to be financially dependent on the annuitant at the time of their death, if you can establish that you were. To do so, you or the legal representative should submit a request in writing to your tax services office explaining why the CRA should consider you to be financially dependent on the annuitant at the time of their death.

If your net income was more than the amounts described above, the CRA will not consider you to be financially dependent on the annuitant at the time of their death, unless you can establish that you were by submitting a request as described above.

First home savings account (FHSA) – a registered plan which allows you, if you are a first-time home buyer, to save money to buy or build a qualifying first home tax-free (up to certain limits).

Foreign plan – a plan or arrangement maintained primarily to benefit non-residents for services they perform outside Canada.

Matured RRSP – an RRSP that is paying you retirement income.

Money purchase provision – the terms of an RPP under which the amount of your pension depends on how much you and your employer contribute to the RPP for you.

Non-arm's length – generally refers to a relationship or transaction between persons who are related to each other.

However, a non-arm’s length relationship might also exist between unrelated individuals, partnerships, or corporations, depending on the circumstances.

For more information, refer to the definition of Arm’s length.

Non-qualified investment – any property that is not a qualified investment for the RRSP or RRIF trust.

For more information on non-qualified investments, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C1, Qualified Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Pooled registered pension plan (PRPP) – a retirement savings plan to which you or your employer, or both, can contribute. Any income earned in the PRPP is usually exempt as long as it remains in the plan.

Prohibited investment – this is property to which the RRSP or RRIF annuitant is closely connected. It includes any of the following:

A prohibited investment does not include a mortgage loan that is insured by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or by an approved private insurer. It also does not include certain investment funds and certain widely held investments which reflect a low risk of self-dealing.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S3–F10–C2, Prohibited Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Qualified investment – an investment in properties (except real property), including money, guaranteed investment certificates, Canada savings bonds and provincial savings bonds, mutual funds, and most securities listed on a designated stock exchange.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S3–F10–C1, Qualified Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Qualifying group plan amounts – (often referred to as mandatory group plan amounts) They are contribution amounts that you are required to make to a PRPP or a "qualifying arrangement." An arrangement is a qualifying arrangement if all the following apply:

Qualifying group plan amounts do not include amounts that you could have prevented from being paid after beginning to participate in the arrangement and within 12 months before the amount was paid.

Qualifying retirement plan – for purposes of the Canada–United States tax convention, a United States qualifying retirement plan is a plan that is generally exempt from income tax in the United States and is operated primarily to provide pension or retirement benefits. Common qualifying United States retirement plans include 401(k) arrangements.

Qualifying survivor – is the annuitant's spouse or common-law partner or the annuitant's financially dependent child or grandchild.

Refund of premiums – is some or all of an amount paid out of an RRSP to a qualifying survivor as a result of the annuitant's death. A refund of premiums includes an amount paid as an RRSP benefit, but it does not include a tax-paid amount.

If amounts are paid to the estate and the qualifying survivor is a beneficiary of the estate, the qualifying survivor and the legal representative of the estate can jointly elect to treat part, or all of the amounts paid to the estate as received by the qualifying survivor as a refund of premiums.

Registered disability savings plan (RDSP)  a trust arrangement between an individual (the holder) and a trust company in Canada (the issuer) that provides for the long-term financial security of a beneficiary who has a prolonged and severe mental or physical impairment.

Registered education savings plan (RESP) – a registered contract between an individual (the subscriber) and a person or an organization (the promoter). The subscriber generally makes contributions to the RESP, which earns income, paid in the form of educational assistance payments to one or more identified beneficiaries.

Registered pension plan (RPP) – a pension plan that the CRA has registered. Funds are contributed by an employer (or by an employer and employees) to provide a pension to employees when they retire.

Registered plan strip – the amount of a reduction in the FMV of property of the RRSP or RRIF, if the value is reduced as part of a transaction or an event (or series) for which one of the main purposes is to enable the annuitant (or non-arm’s length person) to obtain a benefit in respect of the property of the RRSP or RRIF, or to obtain a benefit as a result of the reduction. Exceptions are provided for plan distributions that are included in income or specifically excluded from income (such as a tax-deferred transfer between plans).

For more information on a registered plan strip, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C3, Advantages – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Registered retirement income fund (RRIF) – a fund you establish with a carrier and that the CRA registers. You transfer property to the carrier from an RRSP, a PRPP, an RPP, an SPP, or from another RRIF and the carrier makes payments to you.

Registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) – a retirement savings plan that you establish, that the CRA registers, and to which you or your spouse or common-law partner contribute. Any income you earn in the RRSP is usually exempt as long as the funds remain in the plan. You generally have to pay tax when you receive payments from the plan.

Related persons – are not considered to deal with each other at arm’s length. Related persons include individuals connected by blood relationship, marriage, common-law partnership, or adoption (legal or in fact). A corporation and another person or two corporations may also be related persons.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S1-F5-C1, Related Persons and Dealing at Arm's Length.

RRIF carrier – An entity (such as an insurance company, a trust company, or a bank) that is authorized to open a RRIF on your behalf.

RRSP contribution – the amount you pay, in cash or in kind, at the time you contribute to an RRSP. In kind contributions consist of the FMV of the property.

RRSP deductionthe amount you indicate on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return. Your RRSP deduction claim is limited by the amount of your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions previously made and your RRSP deduction limit.

RRSP deduction limit – the maximum amount you can deduct from contributions you made to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP and to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP for a year (excluding transfers to your RRSPs of certain types of qualifying income). The calculation is based, in part, on your earned income in the previous year. Pension adjustments (PAs), past service pension adjustments (PSPAs), pension adjustment reversals (PARs), prescribed amount for connected persons, and your unused RRSP deduction room at the end of the previous year are also used to calculate the limit.

For information on the prescribed amount for connected persons, refer to Chapter 13 of Guide T4084, Pension Adjustment Guide.

RRSP issuer – An entity (such as a bank, credit union, trust, or insurance company) that is authorized to open an RRSP on your behalf.

RRSP limit – the maximum amount of new RRSP deduction room that you can create for a year and is one of the amounts used to determine your RRSP deduction limit for that year.

For more information, refer to Step 3 of Chart 3.

RRSP excess contributions – generally, the amount of your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions that is more than your RRSP deduction limit for the year plus $2,000. If you have RRSP excess contributions, you may have to pay a tax of 1% per month on those contributions.

For more information, refer to Tax on RRSP excess contributions.

Retiring allowance – this is an amount you receive on or after retirement from an office or employment in recognition of long service. It can include payment for unused sick leave and amounts you receive for loss of office or employment, whether as a payment of damages or a payment under an order or judgment of a competent tribunal.

For more information, refer to Chart 8.

Specified non-qualified investment income – any income (excluding the dividend gross-up) or a capital gain that is reasonably attributable, directly or indirectly, to an amount that is taxable for any RRSP or RRIF of the annuitant (for example, subsequent generation income earned on non-qualified investment income or on income from a business carried on by an RRSP or RRIF).

Specified pension plan (SPP) – a pension plan or similar arrangement that has been prescribed under the Income Tax Regulations as a "specified pension plan" for purposes of the Income Tax Act. Many of the rules related to RRSPs also apply to SPPs.

Specified retirement arrangement (SRA) – a pension plan that the CRA does not register for income tax purposes and that is either not funded or only partly funded.

Spousal or common-law partner RRIF – a RRIF that received amounts or transfers of property from your spousal or common-law partner RRSP; or any of your other spousal or common-law partner RRIFs.

Spousal or commonlaw partner RRSP – an RRSP that you establish to pay yourself income at maturity that you or your spouse or common-law partner contributes to. Also, an RRSP that received amounts or transfers from any of your other spousal or common-law partner RRSPs or from your spousal or common law partner RRIF.

Spouse – a person to whom you are legally married.

Swap transaction – any transfer of property between the RRSP or RRIF and its annuitant (or non-arm's length person). Exceptions are provided for contributions to and distributions from the plan, purchase and sale transactions between an individual's two plans with the same tax attributes (for example, RRSP to RRSP or RRIF) and transactions relating to insured mortgages.

For more information on swap transactions and applicable transitional rules, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C3, Advantages – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Specified non-qualified investment income – any income (excluding the dividend gross-up) or a capital gain that is reasonably attributable, directly or indirectly, to an amount that is taxable for any RRSP or RRIF of the annuitant (for example, subsequent generation income earned on non-qualified investment income or on income from a business carried on by an RRSP or RRIF).

Specified pension plan (SPP) – a pension plan or similar arrangement that has been prescribed under the Income Tax Regulations as a "specified pension plan" for purposes of the Income Tax Act. Many of the rules related to RRSPs also apply to SPPs.

Specified retirement arrangement (SRA) – a pension plan that we do not register for income tax purposes and that is either not funded or only partly funded.

Spousal or common‑law partner RRIF – a RRIF that received amounts or transfers of property from your spousal or common-law partner RRSP; or any of your other spousal or common-law partner RRIFs.

Spousal or commonlaw partner RRSP – an RRSP that you establish to pay yourself income at maturity that you or your spouse or common-law partner contributes to. Also, an RRSP that received amounts or transfers from any of your other spousal or common-law partner RRSPs or from your spousal or common law partner RRIF.

Spouse – a person to whom you are legally married.

Swap transaction – any transfer of property between the RRSP or RRIF and its annuitant (or non-arm's length person). Exceptions are provided for contributions to and distributions from the plan, purchase and sale transactions between an individual's two plans with the same tax attributes (for example, RRSP to RRSP or RRIF) and transactions relating to insured mortgages.

For more information on swap transactions and applicable transitional rules, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C3, Advantages – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Transitional prohibited investment benefit – this expression is relevant only if an individual held one or more prohibited investments in their RRSP or RRIF on March 23, 2011, and continues to hold the investments in their RRSP or RRIF in the tax year. An individual’s transitional prohibited investment benefit for a tax year is the total of any income earned (excluding the dividend gross-up) and capital gains realized in the tax year on these investments, less any capital losses realized on these investments in the tax year. For this purpose, the amount of a capital gain realized is the positive difference between the FMV of the property when it is disposed of by the RRSP or RRIF, or when it ceases to be a prohibited investment (less reasonable costs of disposition, if any) and the FMV of the property on March 22, 2011. The amount of a capital loss is the negative difference.

Unmatured RRSP – generally, an RRSP that has not yet started to pay you retirement income.

Unrelated persons – may not be dealing with each other at arm’s length at a particular time. Each case will depend upon its own facts. The following criteria will generally be used to determine if the parties to a transaction are not dealing at arm’s length:

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S1-F5-C1, Related Persons and Dealing at Arm's Length.

Unused RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions – the amount of your RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions that you could not deduct or have chosen not to deduct, and that you did not designate as an HBP or LLP repayment for any year. Use Schedule 7, RRSP, PRPP and SPP Contributions and Transfers and HBP and LLP Activities, to keep track of these contributions. This amount is carried forward to the following year and you can use it as a deduction up to your RRSP deduction limit for that year.

Unused RRSP deduction room at the end of the year – generally, your RRSP deduction limit for the year minus the amount you deducted for RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions for that year.

If you rendered services as an employee in the United States in the year, the amount you contributed in the year to a qualifying retirement plan in the United States and deducted in your income tax and benefit return will reduce your unused RRSP deduction room. For more information, refer to Other deductions.

Chapter 1 – RPP contributions

This chapter has information about making contributions to your registered pension plan (RPP). Particularly, it will help you calculate the amount you can deduct for RPP contributions if you:

Current service is a period of service in the year, which is credited under your RPP by your employer. Current service contributions are amounts you contribute for that period of service.

Generally, past service refers to a period of service with an employer in an earlier year that is later credited under the defined benefit provision of your RPP. Past service contributions are amounts you contribute for that period of service. They may also include contributions you make to upgrade benefits for pensionable service you accrued in the past.

You usually make your past service contributions in a lump-sum or by instalments. Your RPP may allow you to directly transfer amounts from other registered plans to pay for the cost of the past service benefits. For more information, refer to Chapter 6 – Transfers to registered plans or funds and annuities.

For more information on RPP contributions, refer to archived Interpretation Bulletin IT-167R6, Registered Pension Funds or Plans – Employee's Contributions.

Fixing contribution errors in money purchase registered pension plans (2021 and subsequent years)

Effective January 1, 2021, plan administrators of money purchase registered pension plans (MP RPPs) are able to correct for both under-contributions and over-contributions. They would be permitted to:

This measure would apply in respect of additional contributions made and amounts of over-contributions refunded in the 2021 and subsequent taxation years.

Note

To get additional information about RPPs, go to Registered Pension Plans (RPPs).

Current service and past service contributions for 1990 or later years

On line 20700 of your income tax and benefit return, you can deduct the amount shown in box 20 of your 2024 T4 slip (if there is no amount in box 74 or 75 in the "Other information" area at the bottom of the slip) or on your union dues receipt. This amount includes:

You can only deduct these contributions on your 2024 income tax and benefit return. You cannot deduct them for any other year.

An amount in box 74 or 75 in the "Other information" area of your T4 slip indicates that part or the entire amount in box 20 is for past service before 1990. For more information, refer to Past service contributions for 1989 or earlier years. You can view your T4 and other tax information slips online by going to My Account for Individuals.

Note

Pension benefits you earn on a past service basis for 1990 or later years may cause a PSPA. For more information, refer to Past service pension adjustments (PSPAs).

Past service contributions for 1989 or earlier years

Calculate the amount you can deduct for past service contributions to an RPP for 1989 or earlier years based on whether the contributions were for service while you were a contributor or for service while you were not a contributor. Chart 1 will help you to determine the type of past service contributions you made for 1989 or earlier years.

Past service contributions you made for 1989 or earlier years appear in boxes 20, 74, and 75 of your 2024 T4 slip, in boxes 032, 126, and 162 of your 2024 T4A slip, or on a receipt that your plan administrator issued. You can view your T4, T4A, and other tax information slips online by going to My Account for Individuals.

In some cases, you may be able to deduct for 2024 only part of the past service contributions you made. If this applies, you can carry forward the amount you cannot deduct to 2025 or later years. Future versions of this guide will help you calculate the amount you can deduct for 2025 or later years.

If, for 2024, you deduct a carry-forward of past service contributions from an earlier year, attach a statement to your income tax and benefit return giving a breakdown of the amount of contributions you claimed for service while you were a contributor and for service while you were not a contributor.

Fill out Chart 2 to calculate the amount of past service contributions you made for 1989 or earlier years that you can deduct for 2024.

Note

You can deduct a maximum of $3,500 for 2024 for past service contributions made for 1989 or earlier years for service while not a contributor to an RPP. The total amount you can deduct for all years is limited to $3,500 multiplied by the number of years or part years of service you bought back.

Interest on past service contributions

If you elected after November 12, 1981, to make past service contributions and you make them in instalments, the annual instalment interest you pay is a past service contribution. Include this amount when you calculate how much you can deduct for past service contributions for 2024 on line 20700 of your income tax and benefit return.

Other deductions

Pension repayments – If an individual repays to an RPP an overpayment of an amount received from the RPP that was included in their income for the year, or a preceding year, the individual can claim a deduction equal to the overpayment amount. The repayment must be for an amount that may reasonably be considered to have been paid from the RPP in error and not as an entitlement to benefits under the RPP. The individual cannot claim a deduction for the repayment if they are already claiming a deduction for this amount as a contribution to the RPP.

In addition, the Income Tax Act allows you to deduct repayments you made to your RPP in certain circumstances based on the two following acts:

For more information, call 1-800-959-8281.

Notes

Generally, you cannot deduct contributions you made to pension plans in other countries. However, Canada has entered into income tax conventions or agreements, commonly known as tax treaties, with many countries that allow a deduction on your Canadian income tax and benefit return for some of those contributions.

If you have contributed to a pension plan in another country, call the International Enquiries for Individuals and Trusts at one of the following numbers: 1-800-959-8281 (from Canada and the United States), or 613-940-8495 (from outside Canada and the United States). The CRA only accepts collect calls made through telephone operators. After your call is accepted by an automated response, you may hear a beep and notice a normal connection delay. This service operates in Eastern Standard Time and is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.

Canada–United States commuters – A resident of Canada, who works in the United States (commonly referred to as a "commuter"), and is a member of a qualifying retirement plan in the United States, can deduct their contributions to that plan on their Canadian income tax and benefit return, as long they meet certain conditions and respect certain limits.

The maximum amount that you can deduct for a year is the contributions you made in the year that are attributable to the work you performed in the year. This maximum is further limited to your RRSP deduction limit for the year after reducing that limit by any RRSP contributions that you deducted for the year.

The qualifying retirement plan contributions you deduct for the year also reduce your unused RRSP deduction room at the end of the year that is carried forward and included in your following year's RRSP deduction limit. You can view your RRSP information online by going to My Account for Individuals.

Depending on your situation, you will have to fill out either:

 These forms are available at Forms and publications.


Chart 1 – Buying back service or upgrading past service benefits for 1989 or earlier years - To determine if your RPP past service contribution is for service while you were a contributor or for service while you were not a contributor

Use this chart to determine the type of period your contribution relates to. You can then use Chart 2 to calculate the amount you can deduct for that type of contribution.

Chart 1

Step 1

Does your past service contribution relate to any year in which you were contributing to any RPP?

If yes, go to Step 2.

If no, your past service contribution is for service while not a contributor. Skip steps 2 and 3 below and fill out Area B of Chart 2 to calculate the amount you can deduct for this contribution.

Example – Gilbert joined TTM Company’s RPP on February 4, 2024. This RPP allowed Gilbert to buy back 12 years of past service with CCD Company, a previous employer. During those 12 years (1977 to 1988), Gilbert contributed to CCD Company’s RPP. Gilbert answers yes to this question because the past service contribution that he made in 2024 relates to a period of service while he contributed to CCD Company’s RPP.

Example – André became a member of XTJ Company’s RPP in January 1990. He started working for XTJ in June 1989, but did not contribute to any RPP in 1989. In 2024, XTJ’s RPP allows André to buy back your 1989 service with the company for $2,500. André answer no to this question because he did not contribute to any RPP in 1989. André's $2,500 contribution is for service while not a contributor.

Step 2

Did you make the past service contribution to the same RPP (and for the same year) that you contributed to during 1989 or an earlier year?

If yes, your past service contribution is for service while a contributor. Skip Step 3 below and fill out Area C of Chart 2 to calculate the amount you can deduct for this contribution.

If no, go to Step 3.

Example – Julie has been employed with YYW Ltd. since 1980 and has contributed to her employer’s RPP ever since. In 2024, Julie makes a past service contribution of $8,000 to upgrade past service benefits that were previously credited under the RPP from 1980 to 1988. Julie answers yes to this question because she made the past service contribution to the same RPP that she contributed to from 1980 to 1988. Julie’s $8,000 contribution is for service while a contributor.

Example – Véronique changed employers in May 1987 and became a member of her new employer’s RPP. She was a member of a different RPP from May 1980 until May 1987. Her new employer’s RPP allowed her to buy back the past service with her previous employer. Véronique bought this service in July 1987. She answers no to this question because she did not make the past service contribution to the same RPP that she contributed to from May 1980 to May 1987.

Step 3

Does one of the following statements apply to you?

  • You made the past service contribution before March 28, 1988.
  • You made the past service contribution under the terms of a written agreement entered into before March 28, 1988.

If you answer yes to one of the above statements, your past service contribution is for service while not a contributor. Fill out Area B of Chart 2 to calculate the amount you can deduct for this contribution.

If you answer no to both of the above statements, your past service contribution is for service while a contributor. Fill out Area C of Chart 2 to calculate the amount you can deduct for this contribution.

Example – Pauline joined DEF Company’s RPP on January 15, 1988. This RPP allowed Pauline to buy back her six years of past service with ABC Company, her previous employer. During those six years, Pauline contributed to ABC Company’s RPP. The ABC Company’s RPP had a portability arrangement. Pauline entered into a written agreement on March 1, 1988, to buy back those six years of past service. Pauline has to contribute $400 each year for 35 years to pay for this service. Pauline answers yes, since one of the statements applies to Pauline (she made the past service contribution under the terms of a written agreement she entered into before March 28, 1988). Pauline’s $400 yearly contribution is for service while not a contributor.

Example – Roland is a member of his current employer’s RPP. Roland entered into an agreement on April 12, 1990, to buy back (for $12,000) past service benefits for a period of service in 1988 and 1989 with another employer when he contributed to a different RPP. Roland answers no, since neither statement applies to Roland (he did not make the past service contribution before March 28, 1988, and did not make the past service contribution under the terms of a written agreement entered into before March 28, 1988). Roland’s $12,000 contribution is for service while a contributor.

Calculating your 2024 deduction for your RPP contributions

Example

Éric has been working for his employer and has participated in the company’s RPP since 1997. Éric previously worked for his current employer from 1984 to 1994. The RPP would allow him to have that entire period of past service to be recognized as pensionable service if he chose to. In Éric’s plan, the past service is broken into periods before 1990, while he was a contributor and not a contributor, and for his service after 1989.

For the period of service from 1984 to 1986, Éric was not a contributor to an RPP, and the plan requires that he pay his and the employer’s share to fund the past service; this amount is $12,000.

For the period of service from 1987 to 1989, Éric was a contributor to the RPP, and the plan requires that he pay his share to fund the past service. This amount is $13,500.

Likewise, the period of service from 1990 to 1994, Éric was a contributor to the RPP, and the plan requires that he pay his share to fund the past service. This amount is $18,500. The total cost to Éric for his past service request will be $44,000.

The RPP would allow him to fund this past service with a cash payment or a transfer of funds or both, from another registered plan, like an RRSP.

In order to buy back his past service, Éric makes a cash payment of $44,000 in 2024. Éric will receive a T4A slip showing $44,000 in box 032 for the total past service contributions, $13,500 in box 126 for pre-1990 past service contributions while a contributor, and $12,000 in box 162 for pre-1990 past service contributions while not a contributor.

Éric is a member of the RPP and has current (2024) service contributions of $5,000. With his past service contributions, his total contribution for service that relates to 1990 or later years is $23,500 ($18,500 + $5,000).

Éric fills out Chart 2 to calculate the amount of contributions that he can deduct from income for 2024.

Area A calculates the amount of contributions for service that relates to 1990 or later years that is deductible for 2024. The amount on line 3 is entirely deductible for 2024. For Éric this amount is $23,500.

Area B calculates the amount of contributions for service that relates to 1989 or earlier years while not a contributor that is deductible for 2024. For Éric the amount that is deductible in 2024 is $3,500. Éric will be able to claim $3,500 in each year for 2025 and 2026. Éric will not be able to deduct the last $1,500 because the maximum total amount he can deduct for all years is limited to $3,500 multiplied by the number of years he bought back.

Area C calculates the amount of contributions for service that relates to 1989 or earlier years while a contributor that is deductible in 2024. For Éric, the amount that is deductible in 2024 is $0. Once Éric no longer claims any deductions under Areas A and B, he will be able to deduct $3,500 each year until his $13,500 contribution is fully deducted.

Area D summarizes the total amount from Areas A, B, and C and calculates the amount that can be deducted from income in 2024. summarizes the total amount from Areas A, B, and C and calculates the amount that can be deducted from income in 2024.

Chart 2 – Calculating your 2024 deduction for your RPP contributions

Chart 2 – Calculating your 2022 deduction for your RPP contributions
  Area A – Fill out this area if you made current service contributions or permitted corrective contributions in 2024, or if you made past service contributions in 2024 for service that relates to 1990 or later years. If you do not have to fill out this area, enter "0" on line 21.     Example from above  
1. Enter the total of all amounts from box 20 of your 2024 T4 slips, box 032 of your 2024 T4A slips, or from your receipts for union dues that represent RPP contributions

 

$

 

__________1

 

$49,000

 

1

2. Enter the amount from boxes 74 and 75 of the "Other information" area of your T4 slip and boxes 126 and 162 of your T4A slip that represents past service contributions made for service that relates to 1989 or earlier years while a contributor or while not a contributor

 

$

 

_________ 2

 

$25,500

 

2

3. Line 1 minus line 2. This is the amount of your current service and past service contributions for 1990 and later years that you deduct for 2024. Enter this amount on line 21 of Area D

 

$

 

_________ 3

 

$23,500

 

3

Chart 2B – Calculating your 2022 deduction for your RPP contributions
  Area B – Fill out this area if you made past service contributions for service that relates to 1989 or earlier years while not a contributor (for deceased individuals, ignore any reference to line 7).
    Example from above  
4. Enter the total amount you contributed in 2024 or earlier years for past service contributions while not a contributor

 

$

 

$_________4

 

$12,000

 

4

5. Enter the amount you deducted before 2024 for contributions you entered on line 4

 

 

$________ 5

 

$         0

 

5

6. Line 4 minus line 5 = $________ 6 $12,000
6
7. Annual deduction limit   $3,500    7 $  3,500
7
8. Number of years Footnote 2*   of service to which the contributions on line 4 relate by the annual deduction limit _______ x $3,500

 

 

$________ 8

3 x 3500

$10,500

 

8

9. Enter the amount from line 5 $________ 9 $         0 9
10. Line 8 minus line 9 = $________10 $10,500 10
11. Enter the amount from line 6, 7, or 10, whichever is less. This is the amount of your past service  contributions for 1989 and earlier years for service while not a contributor that you can deduct for 2024. Enter the amount you deduct for 2024 on line 22 of Area D. Footnote 2**  

 

 

 

$________11

 

 

 

$ 3,500

 

 

 

11

Chart 2C – Calculating your 2022 deduction for your RPP contributions
  Area C – Fill out this area if you made past service contributions for service that relates to 1989 or earlier years while a contributor (for deceased individuals, ignore any reference to lines 15 to 19).
          Example from above  
12. Enter the total amount you contributed in 2024 or earlier years for past service contributions while a contributor  

 

 

 

 

$_________12

 

 

$13,500

 

12

13. Enter the amount you deducted before 2024 for contributions you entered on line 12  

 

 

 

$________ 13

 

 

$         0

 

13

14. Line 12 minus line 13     = $________  ► $________14   $13,500 14
15. Annual deduction limit       $3,500    15   $  3,500 15
16. Enter the amount from line 3 in Area A that you deduct for 2024   $________16       $23,500 16
17. Enter the amount from line 11 in Area B that you deduct for 2024 + $________17       $  3,500 17
18. Line 16 plus line 17 = $________► $________18   $27,000 18
19. Line 15 minus line 18 (if negative, enter "0"       $________  ► $________19 $         0 19

20.

 

Enter the amount from line 14 or 19, whichever is less. This is the amount of your past service contributions for 1989 and earlier years for service while a contributor that you can deduct for 2024. Enter the amount you deduct for 2024 on line 23 of Area D          

 

 

$________20

 

 

$         0

 

 

20

Chart 2D – Calculating your 2022 deduction for your RPP contributions
  Area D – Fill out this area to calculate the total amount you can deduct on line 20700 of your 2024 income tax and benefit return.
    Example from above  
21. Enter the amount from line 3 in Area A that you deduct for 2024 (if you did not fill out Area A, enter "0") 

 

 

 

$_________21

 

$23,500

 

21

22. Enter the part of the amount from line 11 in Area B that you deduct for 2024

 

+

 

$________ 22

 

$  3,500

 

22

23. Enter the part of the amount from line 20 in Area C that you deduct for 2024 + $________ 23 $         0
23
24. Add lines 21 to 23. Enter this amount on line 20700 of your 2024 income tax and benefit return =
$________ 24 $27,000
24

Chapter 2 – RRSP contributions

This chapter has general information on contributing to your RRSPs or your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSPs, as well as information on calculating your 2024 RRSP deduction limit.

The rules the CRA explains in this chapter apply to all RRSPs and, unless otherwise stated, SPPs and PRPPs.

March 3, 2025, is the deadline for contributing to an RRSP for the 2024 tax year.

Canada Savings Bonds – You can transfer your holdings of past series compound-interest Canada Savings Bonds to your RRSPs or your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSPs. The amount you transfer is considered a contribution to the RRSP. For more information, contact your RRSP issuer.

Self-directed RRSPs – These RRSPs allow you to control the assets and make the investment decisions yourself. This is not applicable for PRPPs and SPPs. Your financial institution can tell you if it offers self-directed RRSPs. The issuer (such as a bank, credit union, trust, or insurance company) can take care of the administrative details, including getting the plan registered, receiving the amounts you contribute, and trading securities. Securities cannot be held in your own name.

Qualified Investments – You should pay particular attention to the type of investments you choose for your plan. If you buy non-qualified investments in your RRSP or RRIF, or if qualified investments held in your RRSP or RRIF become non-qualified, there are tax implications.

The rules include a tax on the annuitant of an RRSP or a RRIF that acquires a prohibited investment. For more information on anti-avoidance rules, refer to Chapter 4 – Anti-avoidance rules for RRSPs and RRIFs and Income Tax Folio S3–F10–C1, Qualified Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs, or contact your RRSP issuer.

How to claim your RRSP deduction

On line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return, you can deduct RRSP contributions you made up to the limits the CRA explains in the following sections.

Your RRSP issuer will give you a receipt for the amounts you contributed. If you contributed to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP, the receipt should show your name as the contributor and your spouse's or common-law partner's name as the annuitant. Attach the receipt(s) with your income tax and benefit return to support the amount you deducted. If you are using electronic filing (EFILE, NETFILE), show your receipts to your income tax service provider and keep them in case the CRA asks to see them.

If you are using the NETFILE service, also keep your receipts in case the CRA asks to see them. If you do not get your receipts before the filing deadline, refer to Tax slips for more information.

If you are deducting an amount for 2024 in respect of contributions that you made before March 1, 2024, but had not previously deducted, you should have filled out and sent a Schedule 7, RRSP, PRPP and SPP Contributions and Transfers and HBP and LLP Activities, for these contributions, for each particular year. If you did not, you should fill out and send a copy of the appropriate Schedule 7 for each year, along with the appropriate RRSP receipts, to your tax centre. Send these separate from your 2024 income tax and benefit return.

Age limit for contributing to an RRSP

The year you turn 71 is the last year in which you can make a contribution to your RRSP.

You can contribute to an RRSP under which your spouse or common-law partner is the annuitant until the end of the year your spouse or common-law partner turns 71.

Contributing to your RRSPs

This section will help you determine how much of your RRSP contributions you can deduct on line 20800 of your 2024 income tax and benefit return.

How much can you deduct

The amount of RRSP contributions that you can deduct for 2024 is based on your 2024 RRSP deduction limit, which appears on your latest notice of assessment or notice of reassessment, or on Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024.

You can also deduct amounts for certain income you transfer to your RRSP. Your RRSP deduction limit is not reduced by these amounts. For more information on transfers, refer to Chapter 6 – Transfers to registered plans or funds and annuities.

Any income you earn in your RRSP is usually exempt for the time the funds remain in the plan.

However, in respect of your RRSP, you cannot:

If the CRA reassesses a previous years’ income tax and benefit return, your revised 2024 RRSP deduction limit will appear on the notice of reassessment or, in some cases, on Form T1028. The CRA will also send you the Form T1028 with a new RRSP deduction limit if your RRSP deduction limit has changed for reasons other than a reassessment of a previous year’s income tax and benefit return.

If you do not have a copy of your notice of assessment or reassessment nor a Form T1028, you can find out the amount of your RRSP deduction limit by:

Note

If you are a Canadian who works in the United States, refer to Other deductions.

Calculating your 2024 RRSP deduction limit

Your 2024 RRSP deduction limit is shown on your latest notice of assessment or notice of reassessment. The CRA determines your 2024 RRSP deduction limit from information on your 2023 and previous years’ income tax and benefit returns, and from information the CRA keeps on record. If any of that information changes, your RRSP deduction limit may also change. If the RRSP deduction limit and available contribution room statement does not include your latest notice of assessment or reassessment or if you have not received a Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for YYYY, you can find out the amount of your 2024 RRSP deduction limit by:

Contributions you can deduct for 2024

For 2024, you can deduct contributions you made to your or your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP from January 1, 1991, to March 3, 2025.

You can also deduct contributions you made to your PRPP from January 1, 2013, to March 3, 2025 (do not include your employer's contributions). You can deduct these contributions if you did not deduct them for any other year, and if they are not more than your RRSP deduction limit for 2024. Even if you can no longer contribute to your RRSP in 2024 because of your age, you can deduct your unused RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions up to your RRSP deduction limit.

The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) and the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) – If you participate in the HBP or LLP, you may not be able to deduct, for any year, all or part of the contributions you made to your RRSP during the 89-day period just before you withdrew an amount under either of these plans. To determine the part of the contributions you made to your RRSP that you cannot deduct, go to The Home buyers' Plan (HBP) or refer to Guide RC4112, Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP), whichever applies.

Contributing to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP, or both

Generally, the total amount you can deduct on line 20800 of your 2024 income tax and benefit return for contributions you make to your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP or SPP and to your own RRSP, PRPP, or SPP cannot be more than your 2024 RRSP deduction limit.

Example

Michel’s 2024 RRSP deduction limit was $10,000. He contributed $4,000 to his RRSP and $6,000 to his common‑law partner’s RRSP. Michel chose to deduct the entire $4,000 of his personal RRSP contributions, but only $5,500 of the $6,000 contribution to his common‑law partner’s RRSP, for a total deduction of $9,500 on line 20800 of his 2024 income tax and benefit return. Michel used Schedule 7, RRSP, PRPP and SPP Contributions and Transfers and HBP and LLP Activities, to keep track of his RRSP contributions. He may be able to deduct the remaining $500 ($10,000 − $9,500) on a future year’s income tax and benefit return. To find out what other options are available, refer to Unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions.

If you cannot contribute to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP because of your age, you can still contribute to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP until the end of the year they turn 71.

Contributions made after death – No contributions can be made to a deceased individual's RRSP, PRPP, or SPP after their date of death. However, the deceased individual's legal representative can make contributions to the surviving spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP in the year of death or during the first 60 days after the end of that year. Contributions made to a spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP can be claimed on the deceased individual's income tax and benefit return up to that individual's RRSP deduction limit for the year of death.

Example

Jacques died in August 2024. Jacques’s 2024 RRSP deduction limit is $7,000. Before he died, Jacques did not contribute to either his RRSP or his spouse’s RRSP for 2024. His spouse Claire is 66 years of age in 2024. On Jacques’s behalf, his legal representative can contribute up to $7,000 to Claire’s RRSP for 2024. The legal representative can then claim an RRSP deduction of up to $7,000 on line 20800 of Jacques’s 2024 final income tax and benefit return.

Note

If you made contributions to your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSPs or SPP in 2022, 2023, or 2024, and your spouse or common-law partner withdrew amounts from their spousal or common-law partner RRSPs or SPP, you may have to include all or part of those withdrawn amounts in your 2024 income. For more information, refer to Amounts paid from or into a spousal or common-law partner RRSP, RRIF, or SPP.

The HBP and the LLP – If your spouse or common-law partner participates in the HBP or LLP, you may not be able to deduct, for any year, all or part of the contributions you made to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP during the 89-day period just before your spouse or common-law partner withdrew an amount under either of these plans. To determine the part of the contributions you made to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP that you cannot deduct, go to The Home buyers' Plan (HBP) or refer to Guide RC4112, Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP), whichever applies.

If you have a payment arrangement contract with a financial institution to make contributions to your own RRSP or to your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP, you can use Form T1213, Request to Reduce Tax Deductions at Source, to request authorization for your employer to reduce your tax deductions at source.

Keeping track of your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions – Schedule 7

Use Schedule 7, RRSP, PRPP and SPP Contributions and Transfers and HBP and LLP Activities, to keep track of your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions.

If you made contributions to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP, or your spouse’s or common‑law partner’s RRSP or SPP from March 1, 2024, to March 3, 2025, and you are not deducting the total contributions on your 2024 income tax and benefit return, attach a completed Schedule 7 to your 2024 income tax and benefit return. If you have already filed your income tax and benefit return, fill out Schedule 7 and send it to your tax centre with your RRSP, PRPP or SPP receipts and a note that includes both your name and social insurance number.

Note

Only your PRPP contributions are deductible on your income tax and benefit return. You cannot deduct any contributions made by your employer. Employer contributions must be reported separately on line 20810 of the income tax and benefit return.

You may not have to fill out Schedule 7. To find out, read the information at the top of the schedule. If you do have to fill it out, you will find information below about lines 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 18, and 24 to 28.

Line 1 – Unused RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions

These are amounts you contributed to your own RRSP, PRPP, or SPP, or to an RRSP or SPP for your spouse or common‑law partner after 1990, but did not deduct on line 20800 (line 208 for 2018 and prior tax years), of any previous income tax and benefit return, or designate as an HBP or LLP repayment.

The total of these amounts is identified on the “Unused RRSP contributions previously reported and available to deduct for 2024” line on your 2024 RRSP deduction limit and available contribution room statement. These amounts are shown on:

If you do not have your notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028, you can find out if you have unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions by:

Notes

If you have unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions made from March 2, 2023, to February 29, 2024, you should have sent a completed Schedule 7 with your 2023 income tax and benefit return. If you did not, you should submit your receipts with a completed 2023 Schedule 7. Send these separate from your income tax and benefit return for 2024. Do not include them with your income tax and benefit return for 2024.

If you have unused contributions you made from January 1, 1991, to March 1, 2023, but did not report this on a Schedule 7 for 2022 or earlier, contact us.

By doing so, you will avoid having your deduction reduced or disallowed for contributions made in the first 60 days of the year or in an earlier year. If you have not already filed your receipts, submit them with your Schedule 7. If you did not receive a copy of Schedule 7 with your income tax package, go to Forms and Publications, or call 1-800-959-8281.

You may have to pay a tax if you have RRSP excess contributions. For more information, refer to Tax on RRSP excess contributions.

For information on unused PRPP contributions, refer to Contributions to a PRPP.

Lines 2 and 3 – Total RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions

This total includes all amounts you:

Include on these lines all contributions you made from March 1, 2024, to March 3, 2025, even if you are not deducting or designating them on your income tax and benefit return for 2024. Otherwise, the CRA may reduce or disallow your claim for these contributions on your income tax and benefit return for a future year.

Tax tip

If your taxable income is expected to increase in future years, it may be more beneficial for you to claim only part of your contributions for the 2024 tax year.

You do not have to claim the full amount of your deductible RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions for 2024 (not including transfers). The contributions you do not claim for 2024 may be carried forward and claimed for future years when you may be subject to a higher tax rate.

In all cases, you must record the total contributions you made on line 2 or 3 and line 24500 of your 2024 Schedule 7.

Do not include the following amounts:

Note

You cannot withdraw funds from an SPP or a PRPP under the LLP or the HBP. However, SPP and PRPP contributions can be designated as an LLP or an HBP repayment.

Lines 7 and 8 – Contributions designated as a repayment under the HBP and the LLP

Temporary repayment relief for HBP

In 2024, a temporary repayment relief was introduced to defer the start of the 15-year repayment period by an additional three years for participants making a first withdrawal between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2025. Accordingly, the 15-year repayment period would start the fifth year following the year in which a first withdrawal was made.

For example:

Where the repayment relief does not apply, the current rule applies. Therefore, if you made your first withdrawal before January 1, 2022, your repayment period started the second year after the year you made your first withdrawal from your RRSPs under the HBP. For example, if you made your first withdrawal in 2020, your first year of repayment was 2022.

If you withdrew funds from your RRSP under the LLP before 2023, you may have to make a repayment for 2024. Your 2024 minimum required repayment is shown on your latest notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028.

If the temporary repayment relief for HBP does not apply to you, to make a repayment for 2024, contribute to your own RRSP, PRPP, or SPP from January 1, 2024, to March 3, 2025, and designate your contribution as a repayment on line 7 or 8 of Schedule 7. You cannot designate contributions that you make to your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP or SPP. Do not include an amount you deducted or designated as a repayment on your 2023 income tax and benefit return or that was refunded to you. Do not send your repayment to the CRA. You cannot deduct any RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contribution you designate as an HBP or an LLP repayment on Schedule 7. To view your HBP or LLP information, go to My Account for Individuals.

Note

If you repay less than the minimum required repayment for 2024, you have to report the difference as income on line 12900 of your income tax and benefit return.

Line 15 – Transfers

You may have reported income on line 11500, 12900, or 13000 of your income tax and benefit return for 2024. If you contributed certain types of this income to your own RRSP on or before March 3, 2025, you could deduct this contribution, called a transfer, in addition to any RRSP contribution you make based on your RRSP deduction limit for 2024.

For example, if you received a retiring allowance or severance pay in 2024, you would report it on line 13000 of your income tax and benefit return. You can contribute to your RRSP up to the eligible part of that income (box 66 of your T4 slips or box 47 of your T3 slips) and deduct it as a transfer. Include the amounts you transfer on lines 2 or 3, 24640 and 15 of Schedule 7.

For more information about amounts you can transfer, refer to Chapter 6 – Transfers to registered plans or funds and annuities.

Line 18 – RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions you are deducting for 2024

Include on this line amounts that you contributed to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP, or to your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP or SPP that you will be deducting on your 2024 income tax and benefit return. This amount cannot be more than line 17.

You can carry forward indefinitely any part of your RRSP deduction room accumulated after 1990 that you do not use.

Your RRSP deduction limit for 2024 is shown on your latest notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024.

If you do not have your notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028, you can find out your RRSP deduction limit for 2024 by:

If you would like to calculate your RRSP deduction limit for 2024, use Chart 3.

Note

You may not have reported income you received in a previous year on an income tax and benefit return for that year. If reported, that income may have provided you with additional room for which you could contribute to an RRSP, PRPP, or SPP in subsequent years. To ensure your RRSP deduction limit is up to date and maximized, file an income tax and benefit return for all years you have not filed and report your income.

Lines 24 to 27 – 2024 withdrawals under the HBP and the LLP

On line 24, enter the total of your HBP withdrawals for 2024 from box 27 of your T4RSP slips. Tick the box at line 25 if the address of the home you acquired with these withdrawals is the same as the address on page 1 of your income tax and benefit return.

On line 26, enter the total of your LLP withdrawals for 2024 from box 25 of your T4RSP slips. Tick the box at line 27 to designate that your spouse or common-law partner was the student for whom the funds were withdrawn. If you do not tick the box, you will be considered to be the student for LLP purposes. You can change the person you designate as the student only on the income tax and benefit return for the year you make your first withdrawal. Refer to Guide RC4112, Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) for more information about:

Line 28 – Contributions to an amateur athlete trust

On line 28, enter the qualifying performance income contributed to an amateur athletic trust in 2024.

Chart 3 – Calculation of your 2024 RRSP deduction limit

The line numbers in brackets refer to the line numbers on your 2023 income tax and benefit return.

Step 1 – Calculating your unused RRSP deduction room at the end of 2023

Chart 3
1. Enter your RRSP deduction limit for 2023Footnote 3a   $ _________ 1  
2. Enter the total RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions, that you deducted on line 20800. Do not include amounts you deducted for transfers of payments or benefits to an RRSP, or the excess amount you withdrew from your RRSP in connection with the certification of a provisional PSPA that you recontributed to your RRSP in 2023

 

 

$

 

_________

 

2

3. Enter the total 2023 employer PRPP contributions reported on line 20810Footnote 3a $ _________ 3
4. Line 1 minus line 2 and line 3. This is your unused RRSP deduction room at the end of 2023. This amount can be negative. Enter this amount on line 42 = $ _________ 4

 Step 2 – Calculating your 2023 earned income (include each amount only once in this step) Footnote 3b  

Chart 3b

5.

 

Total of line 10100 and 10400 on your income tax and benefit return          
$

_________

 5  
      
6. Royalties for a work or invention that you authored or invented (line 10400)  
$

_________

6
             
7. Net research grants you received (line 10400) + $ _________ 7              
8. Supplementary unemployment benefit plan payments that you received (line 10400) + $ _________ 8              
9. Wage Earner Protection Program payments you received (line 10400) + $ _________ 9              
10. Add lines 6 to 9 = $ _________ $ _________ 10      
11. Line 5 minus line 10         = $ _________ 11      
12. Annual union, professional, or like dues (line 21200) that relate to the employment earnings you reported on line 5 above  

$


_________


12
             
13. Employment expenses (line 22900) that relate to the employment earnings you reported on line 5 above
+

$

_________


13
             
14. Line 12 plus line 13 = $ _________ $ _________ 14      
15. Line 11 minus line 14 (if negative, enter "0")         = $ _________ $ _________ 15
Chart 3c
16. Amount from line 10 above + $ _________ 16
17. Net income from a business (excluding distributions from an amateur athletic trust) you carried on alone or as an active partner (lines 13500 to 14300). Enter losses on line 24

 

+

 

$

 

_________

 

17

18. Postdoctoral fellowship income (not otherwise reported as self‑employment income on line 17) Footnote 3c + $ _________ 18
19. Disability payments you received from the Canada Pension Plan or Quebec Pension Plan (line 11410) + $ _________ 19
20. Net rental income from real property (line 12600). Enter losses on line 26 + $ _________ 20
21. Total taxable support payments you received in 2023. Also, the support payments you previously paid and deducted for the year in which you paid them but that were later repaid to you and that you included as income for 2023 (line 12800)

 

+

 

$

 

_________

21
22. Enter the qualifying performance income contributed to an amateur athletic trust in 2023 + $ _________ 22
23. Add lines 15 to 22 = $ _________ 23
24. Current‑year loss from a business you carried on alone or as an active partner (lines 13500 to 14300)   $ _________ 24
25. Amount included on line 17 above that represents the taxable portion of gains on the disposition of eligible capital property + $ _________ 25
26. Current‑year rental loss from real property (line 12600) + $ _________ 26
27. Enter the total deductible support payments you made in 2023, and the support payments you received and included as income for the year in which you received them that you later repaid in 2023 or the previous two years and deducted for 2023 (line 22000)

 

 

+

 

 

$

 

 

_________

 

 

27

28. Add lines 24 to 27 = $ _________ 28
29. Line 23 minus line 28. This amount is your 2023 earned income = $ _________ 29

Step 3 – RRSP limit for 2024

Chart 3d
30. Enter the amount from line 29                                       $  ___________ x 18% ► = $ _________ 30 
31. RRSP dollar limit for 2024 $
31,560    31
32. Enter the amount from line 30 or 31, whichever is less                           $ _________ 32

Step 4 – Your 2023 pension adjustment (PA)

Chart 3e
33. Enter your 2023 PA (the total from box 52 of your 2023 T4 slips and
box 034 of your 2023 T4A slipsFootnote 3d
$ _________ 33
34. Line 32 minus line 33 (if negative, enter "0") = $
_________ 34

Step 5 – Your 2024 total pension adjustment reversal (PAR)

Chart 3f
35. Enter your PARs and PACs (the total from box 2 of your 2024 T10 slips)                       + $ _________ 35  
36. Line 34 plus line 35 (enter this amount on line 43) =
$
_________ 36

Step 6 – Your 2024 net past service pension adjustment (PSPA)

Chart 3g
37. Enter your exempt PSPAs and PCCs for 2023 (the total from box 2 of your 2023 T215 slips)   $ _________ 37  
38. Enter your certified PSPAs for 2024 (line A in Part 3 of Form T1004, Applying for the Certification of a Provisional PSPA) +
$
_________
38
39. Line 37 plus line 38 = $ _________ 39
40. Enter your qualifying withdrawals for 2024 (Part 3 of Form T1006, Designating an RRSP,
a PRPP or an SPP Withdrawal as a Qualifying Withdrawal)

 

 

$

 

_________

 

40

41. Line 39 minus line 40. This amount is your 2024 net PSPA
(this amount can be negative; enter this amount on line 45)
= $ _________

41

Step 7 – Your 2024 RRSP deduction limit for 2024

Chart 3h
42. Enter your 2023 unused RRSP deduction room from line 4 in Step 1   $ _________ 42  
43. Enter the amount from line 36 +
$
_________
43
44. Line 42 plus line 43 = $ _________ 44
45. Enter your 2024 net PSPA from line 41 $
_________
45
46. Line 44 minus line 45. This amount is your 2024 RRSP deduction limit (if negative, enter "0") = $ _________

46

Step 8 – Your 2024 unused RRSP deduction room

Chart 3i
47. Enter the amount from line 44   $ _________ 47  
48. Enter the amount from line 45 (this amount can be negative) $
_________
48
49. Line 47 minus line 48 (this amount can be negative) = $ _________ 49
50. Enter the amount of RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions that you deducted on line 20800 of your 2024 return, including employer PRPP contributions (cannot be more than the amount on line 46). Do not include amounts that you deduct for transfers of payments or benefits to an RRSP; nor for the excess amount you withdrew from your RRSP in connection with the certification of a provisional PSPA that you re‑contributed to your RRSP in 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

_________

 

 

 

 

50

51. Line 49 minus line 50. This amount is your 2024 unused RRSP deduction room that you can carry forward to 2025 (this amount can be negative) = $ _________

51

Unused RRSP, PRPP or SPP contributions

This section applies to you if you did not use all of your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions as a deduction in the year you made them. It does not apply to contributions that were designated as repayments under the HBP or the LLP, or contributions that were used to cancel an LLP or HBP withdrawal. Your unused RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions from previous years will be on your RRSP deduction limit and available contribution room statement shown on your latest notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024. To report new unused contributions, you have to file Schedule 7, RRSP, PRPP and SPP Contributions and Transfers and HBP and LLP Activities, with your income tax and benefit return. For more information, refer to Keeping track of your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions – Schedule 7.

If you did not deduct all of the contributions you made to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP, or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP in 1991 and later years (or your spouse’s or common law partner’s SPP in 2010 and later years), you have two options: you can leave the unused contributions in the plan or you can withdraw them.

Withdrawing the unused contributions

If you withdraw the unused contributions, you have to include them as income on your income tax and benefit return. However, you may be able to deduct an amount equal to the withdrawn contributions that you include in your income, if you or your spouse or common‑law partner received the unused contributions from an RRSP, a PRPP, an SPP, or a RRIF:

You can deduct the amount if you meet all of the following conditions:

In addition, it has to be reasonable for the CRA to consider that at least one of the following applies:

Withdrawal made using Form T3012A – Tax Deduction Waiver on the Refund of your Unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP Contributions from your RRSP, PRPP or SPP – If you meet all of the previous conditions and have not already withdrawn the unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions, you can withdraw them from your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP and not have tax withheld. To do this, fill out Form T3012A – Tax Deduction Waiver on the Refund of your Unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP Contributions from your RRSP. This form cannot be used to withdraw unused RRSP contributions that were transferred to a RRIF. For more information, refer to Withdrawal made without Form T3012A.

If the unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions are withdrawn from your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP based on a Form T3012A that the CRA approved, do all the following:

For more information, refer to Calculating the income you and your spouse or common-law partner have to report

Withdrawal made without Form T3012A. If you withdraw unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions from a RRIF, RRSP, PRPP, or SPP without Form T3012A, the issuer of the plan has to withhold tax. The amount you withdraw should be reported on your income tax and benefit return as follows:

T3012A
Withdrawal from Information slip received Report the amount on line
RRSP T4RSP box 22 12900
RRIF T4RIF box 16

11500 (if you are 65 years or older on December 31, 2024)

11500 (regardless of your age, you received the amount on the death of your spouse or common-law partner)

13000 (in all other cases)

PRPP T4A box 194

11500 (if you are 65 years or older on December 31, 2024)

13000 (in all other cases)

SPP T4A box 18

11500 (if you are 65 years or older on December 31, 2024)

11500 (regardless of your age, you received the amount on the death of your spouse or common-law partner)

13000 (in all other cases)

In all cases, claim the tax the issuer withheld on line 43700 of your income tax and benefit return.

Fill out Form T746, Calculating Your Deduction for Refund of Unused RRSP, PRPP, and SPP Contributions, to calculate the amount you can deduct for the withdrawal. For more information about claiming the deduction for the withdrawal of unused RRSP contributions, refer to line 23200.

Tax on RRSP excess contributions

Generally, you have RRSP excess contributions if your unused RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions from prior years and your current calendar year contributions are more than your RRSP deduction limit shown on your latest notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024, plus $2,000.

Also, you can only qualify for the additional $2,000 amount if you were 18 or older at any time in 2023.

Generally, you have to pay a tax of 1% per month on your unused contributions that exceed your RRSP deduction limit by more than $2,000. Your notice of assessment or notice of reassessment will indicate that you may have to pay a 1% tax on RRSP excess contributions if your unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions exceed your RRSP deduction limit. For information about contributing to a PRPP, refer to Contributions to a PRPP. You can view your RRSP information online by going to My Account for Individuals.

Note

You may not have to pay the 1% tax on all of your excess contributions, if one of the following situations applies:

  • you withdrew the excess amounts before the end of the month when the excess contribution was made
  • your contributions were qualifying group plan amounts
  • the contributions were made before February 27, 1995

Follow the six-step process described in Chart 4 to determine if you have to fill out a T1-OVP, 2024 Individual Tax Return for RRSP, PRPP and SPP Excess Contributions, to calculate the amount subject to tax and the tax payable.

If you determine that you have to pay this 1% tax, you have to send your completed T1-OVP return and pay the tax no later than 90 days after the end of the year in which you had the excess contributions.

When you file your return, send documents that identify the exact months of all RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions and RRSP, PRPP, SPP or RRIF withdrawals you made in 2024. Please note RRSP receipts, T4RSP and T4RIF slips do not contain this information.

If the supporting documents received do not show the exact months of the contributions or withdrawals, the CRA may assess the T1-OVP return based on their records. This means that the CRA would include contributions from the first 60 days of the year in January and include the contributions from the rest of the year in March. As well, the CRA would include the withdrawal(s) in December.

If you would like the CRA to complete the return(s) for you, send the CRA written authorization and the supporting documents mentioned above for the year(s) in question.

PenaltyIf you owe tax in a year and do not file your T1-OVP return within 90 days after the end of that year, the CRA will charge you a late-filing penalty. The penalty is 5% of your balance owing, plus 1% of your balance owing for each month that your T1-OVP return is late, to a maximum of 12 months. Your late-filing penalty may be higher if the CRA charged you a late‑filing penalty on your T1-OVP return for any of the three previous years.

Attach your payment to your completed T1-OVP return and submit it to your tax centre. If you do not pay your tax by the deadline, you may also have to pay arrears interest on any unpaid amount.

Interest – If you have a balance owing in a year, the CRA charges compound daily interest starting on the 91st day of the following year on any unpaid amounts owing for that year. This includes any balance owing if the CRA reassesses your T1-OVP return. In addition, the CRA will charge you interest on the penalties indicated in the previous section, starting on that 91st day.

Voluntary disclosure – You may have had to file a previous year T1-OVP return, but you have not sent it, or you sent the CRA an incorrect T1-OVP return. If so, you can voluntarily file or correct that T1-OVP return under the Voluntary Disclosures Program and pay only the taxes owing (plus interest) without penalty.

Note

This program does not apply to any T1-OVP return for which the CRA has started a review.

For more information, and to know if your disclosure qualifies for this program, refer to Information Circular IC00-1R6, Voluntary Disclosures Program.

Be sure to indicate clearly, on any disclosure you make, that you are submitting information under the Voluntary Disclosures Program.

Which return you have to use

Notes

When you file your return, send documents that identify the exact months of all RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions and RRSP, PRPP, SPP or RRIF withdrawals you made in 2024. Please note RRSP receipts, T4RSP and T4RIF slips do not contain this information.

If the supporting documents received do not show the exact months of the contributions or withdrawals, the CRA may assess the T1-OVP return based on their records. This means that the CRA would include contributions from the first 60 days of the year in January and include the contributions from the rest of the year in March. As well, the CRA would include the withdrawal(s) in December.

Notes

When you file your return, include a copy of the contract or collective agreement from your employer or union stating that group contributions are mandatory and a statement confirming the amounts and dates of mandatory contributions and withdrawals for the year.

Also include documents showing the exact months of all RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions and RRSP, PRPP, SPP, or RRIF withdrawals you made in 2024. Please note RRSP receipts, T4RSP and T4RIF slips do not contain this information. 

If the supporting documents received do not show the exact months of the contributions or withdrawals, the CRA may assess the T1-OVP return based on their records. This means that the CRA would include contributions from the first 60 days of the year in January and include the contributions from the rest of the year in March. As well, the CRA would include the withdrawal(s) in December.

Waiver or cancellation of the RRSP excess contribution tax – If you determined that you must pay a tax on your RRSP excess contributions, you may ask in writing that the CRA waives or cancels the tax if both of the following conditions are met:

Note

A waiver refers to the tax that is otherwise payable by a taxpayer for which relief is granted by the CRA before this amount is assessed or charged to the taxpayer. A cancellation refers to the amount of tax that was assessed or charged to the taxpayer for which relief is granted by the CRA.

To consider your request, the CRA will need you to fill out Form RC2503, Request for Waiver or Cancellation of Part X.1 Tax - RRSP, PRPP and SPP Excess Contribution Tax. Your form should explain:

Send your completed request and supporting documents that identify the exact months of all your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions and RRSP, PRPP, SPP or RRIF withdrawals for the years involved, as well as any documents that would support the explanation of the reasonable error that caused the excess contribution to the tax center as shown on your notice of assessment or reassessment. Please note that the CRA does not accept the official RRSP receipts or the T4RSP or T4RIF slips for this purpose as they do not contain the exact months of all your contributions or withdrawals.

Note

If the CRA does not waive or cancel the tax, and the supporting documents received do not show the exact months of the contributions or withdrawals, the CRA may assess the T1-OVP return(s) based on their records. This means that the CRA would include contributions from the first 60 days of the year in January and include the contributions from the rest of the year in March. As well, the CRA would include the withdrawal(s) in December.

Form RC2503 can be found at Forms and publications.

For more information on cancellation or waiver of late-filing penalties and interest, refer to Information Circular IC07-1R1, Taxpayer Relief Provisions.

Chart 4 – Do you have to fill out a 2024 T1-OVP return

 

Chart 4
Situation Action
Step 1– Do any of these situations apply to you?
  • You contributed amounts to your PRPP, RRSP, or SPP, or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP or SPP from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2024, that you did not and will not deduct on line 20800 (line 208 for 2018 and prior tax years) of your 2024 income tax and benefit return.
  • A gift was made to your RRSP from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2024. A gift is any amount that someone other than you or your spouse or common-law partner contributed to your RRSP.

 

 

If one of these situations applies to you, go to Step 2.

 

If neither of these situations apply to you, you do not have to fill out a 2024 T1-OVP return.

Step 2 – Is your 2024 RRSP deduction limit from your latest notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024, more than the total of your unused RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions (including gifts) made from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2023, plus the total PRPP, RRSP, or SPP contributions (including gifts and employer PRPP contributions) made during 2024?

 

If no, go to Step 3

 

If yes, you do not have to fill out a 2024 T1-OVP return.

Step 3 – Were you younger than 19 at any time in 2024?

 

If no, go to Step 4.

 

If yes, you may be subject to tax on your unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions. Fill out a 2024 T1‑OVP‑S return to determine the amount of this tax. When you file your return, send documents that identify the exact months of all RRSP, PRPP and SPP contributions and RRSP, PRPP, SPP or RRIF withdrawals you made in 2024. Please note RRSP receipts, T4RSP and T4RIF slips do not contain this information.

If the supporting documents received do not show the exact months of the contributions or withdrawals, the CRA may assess the T1-OVP return based on their records. This means that the CRA would include contributions from the first 60 days of the year in January and include the contributions from the rest of the year in March. As well, the CRA would include the withdrawal(s) in December.

Step 4 – Are your unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions (including gifts) made from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2024, less than the total of your 2024 RRSP deduction limit from your latest notice of assessment or notice of reassessment, or Form T1028 plus $2,000?

 

If no, go to Step 5.

 

If yes, you do not have to fill out a 2024 T1-OVP return.

Step 5 – Do any of these situations apply to you?
  • At the end of 2024, all of your unused RRSP contributions (including gifts) were made before February 27, 1995.
  • All of your unused RRSP contributions (including gifts) were made from January 1, 1991, to February 26, 1995, and their total was $8,000 or less.
  • You did not contribute to an RRSP, a PRPP, or an SPP from February 27, 1995, to December 31, 2024.

 

 

If all of these situations apply to you, you do not have to fill out a 2024 T1‑OVP return.

 

If one of these situations does not apply to you, go to Step 6.

Step 6 – Were all the unused contributions at the end of 2024 mandatory contributions made in 2024 as a result of your participation in a qualifying group plan?

 

 

 

If yes, you do not have to fill out a 2024 T1‑OVP return. Footnote 4* 

If no, you may be subject to tax on your unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions. Fill out a T1-OVP, 2024 Individual Tax Return for RRSP, PRPP and SPP Excess Contributions to determine the amount of this tax.

When you file your return, send documents that identify the exact months of all RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions and RRSP, PRPP, SPP, or RRIF withdrawals you made in 2024. Please note RRSP receipts, T4RSP and T4RIF slips do not contain this information. If the supporting documents received do not show the exact months of the contributions or withdrawals, the CRA may assess the T1-OVP return based on their records. This means that the CRA would include contributions from the first 60 days of the year in January and include the contributions from the rest of the year in March. As well, the CRA would include the withdrawal(s) in December.

 

Chapter 3 – RRIF contributions

This chapter provides general information about RRIFs and lists the types of property you can contribute to your RRIF. Usually, you can only contribute to your RRIF by directly transferring certain amounts you receive or are considered to have received.

Property from an RRSPPRPP, or SPP

You can contribute to your RRIF by having property transferred directly from:

In addition, you can contribute to your RRIF any amounts that are not more than the eligible part of the designated amount, you receive or are considered to have received from a deceased annuitant's or member's RRSP, PRPP, or SPP in the following situations:

For more information, refer to Information Sheet RC4177, Death of an RRSP Annuitant, or Form T2019, Death of an RRSP Annuitant – Refund of Premiums.

RPP amounts

You can contribute to your RRIF by directly transferring a lump-sum amount from an RPP under which:

Note

In some cases, the Income Tax Act limits how much can be transferred without tax consequences. For more information, refer to Direct transfer of an RPP lump-sum amount .

DPSP amounts

You will be able to contribute to your RRIF by directly transferring a lump-sum amount from:

For exceptions to the direct transfer requirement and other rules, refer to archived Interpretation Bulletin IT-528, Transfers of Funds Between Registered Plans.

Property from another RRIF

You can contribute to your RRIF by directly transferring property from:

In addition, you can contribute to your RRIF any amount up to the eligible amount of the designated benefit you receive or are considered to have received from the deceased annuitant's RRIF in either of the following situations:

For more information, refer to Information Sheet RC4178, Death of a RRIF Annuitant, PRPP Member, or ALDA Annuitant, or Form T1090, Joint Designation on the Death of a RRIF Annuitant, PRPP Member, or ALDA Annuitant.

Specified pension plan (SPP) amounts

If you are a member of an SPP, you can contribute to your RRIF by directly transferring a lump-sum amount from an SPP.

You can also transfer a lump-sum amount from an SPP if you are entitled to it because your current or former spouse or common-law partner was a member of an SPP, and one of the following situations applies:

For more information on transfers, refer to Chapter 6 – Transfers to registered plans or funds and annuities.

Property from an FHSA

If you are an FHSA holder, you can contribute to your RRIF by directly transferring property from your FHSAs.

You can also transfer property from an FHSA if you are entitled to it because your current or former spouse or common-law partner was an FHSA holder, and one of the following situations applies:

For more information on transfers, go to Chapter 6 – Transfers to registered plans or funds and annuities.

For more information on FHSAs, go to First Home Savings Account (FHSA).

Chapter 4 – Anti-avoidance rules for RRSPs and RRIFs

The anti-avoidance rules provide for a special tax on certain advantages that unduly exploit the tax attributes of an RRSP and RRIF as well as special taxes on prohibited investments and on non-qualified investments.

Tax payable on prohibited investments

If the RRSP or RRIF trust acquires a prohibited investment or if previously acquired property becomes prohibited, the annuitant will be subject to a special tax equal to 50% of the fair market value (FMV) of the investment, and the annuitant must file Form RC339, Individual Return for Certain Taxes for RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs or RDSPs, with a payment for any balance due, no later than June 30 following the end of the calendar year.

The tax is refundable in certain circumstances. For more information, refer to Refund of taxes paid on non-qualified or prohibited investments.

When the prohibited investment ceases to be a prohibited investment while it is held by the RRSP or RRIF trust, the trust is considered to have disposed of the property at its FMV right before that time and to have re-acquired the property for the same amount at the same time.

The annuitant is also liable for the 100% advantage tax on income earned and capital gains realized on prohibited investments.

The 100% advantage tax applies to income earned, and the portion of any realized capital gain that accrued, regardless of when the prohibited investment generating the income or gain was acquired.

Note

If an investment is both a non-qualified investment and a prohibited investment, it is treated as a prohibited investment only.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C2, Prohibited Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Tax payable on non-qualified investments

If the RRSP or RRIF trust acquired a non-qualified investment, or if a previously acquired property becomes a non-qualified investment, the investment will be subject to a special tax. The tax is equal to 50% of the FMV of the property at the time that it was acquired or that it became non-qualified, and the annuitant must file Form RC339, Individual Return for Certain Taxes for RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs or RDSPs, with a payment for any balance due, no later than June 30 following the end of the calendar year.

Notes

Any increase in the value of a non-qualified investment at the time of disposition is not reported on the Form RC339, Individual Return for Certain Taxes for RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs or RDSPs. Income earned and capital gains realized by an RRSP or RRIF trust on non-qualified investments will continue to be taxable to the trust, regardless of when the investment was acquired. The trust must file a T3RET, T3 Trust Income Tax and Information Return and is liable to pay any tax owing.

Any charges or fees that the financial institution has passed on to the annuitant as a result of the T3 Return having been filed is a matter between the annuitant and the financial institution.

If an investment is both a non-qualified investment and a prohibited investment, it is treated as a prohibited investment only and the trust is not subject to tax on the investment earnings.

The tax payable on non qualified investments is refundable in certain circumstances. For more information, refer to Refund of taxes paid on non-qualified or prohibited investments.

The annuitant is also liable for the 100% advantage tax on specified non-qualified investment income if this income is not withdrawn promptly.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C2, Prohibited Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs and TFSAs. For more information on acceptable investments, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C1, Qualified Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs.

Refund of taxes paid on non-qualified or prohibited investments

You may be entitled to a refund of the 50% tax on non-qualified or prohibited investments if the investment was disposed of, or ceased to be a non-qualified or prohibited investment, before the end of the calendar year after the year in which the tax arose (or such later time as is permitted by the Minister of National Revenue).

However, no refund will be issued if it is reasonable to expect that you knew, or should have known, that the investment was or would become a non-qualified or a prohibited investment.

The refund applies to the 50% tax on non-qualified or prohibited investments, but not to the 100% tax on advantages.

Note

If the 50% tax on non-qualified or prohibited investments and the entitlement to the refund of that tax arose in the same calendar year, then a remittance of the tax is not required. For example, no remittance of tax would be required if an RRSP or RRIF trust acquired and disposed of a non-qualified investment in the same calendar year.

How to claim a refund

To claim a refund, you must:

The documents must contain all the following:

Obligations of the RRSP issuer or RRIF carrier

The issuer of an RRSP or carrier of a RRIF must exercise the care, diligence, and skill of a reasonably prudent person to minimize the possibility that a trust governed by the plan holds a non-qualified investment.

If the issuer or carrier fails to comply with this obligation, the issuer or carrier is liable to a penalty under the Income Tax Act.

The issuer or carrier is also required to notify the annuitant of the RRSP or RRIF, in prescribed form and manner before March of a calendar year, if, at any time in the preceding year, the RRSP or RRIF trust acquired or disposed of a non-qualified investment, or if an investment became or ceased to be a non-qualified investment.

Tax payable on an advantage

If the annuitant or a person not dealing at arm's length with the annuitant (including the annuitant's RRSP or RRIF) was provided with an advantage in relation to their RRSP or RRIF during the year, a 100% tax is payable, which is:

For taxes payable on an advantage, you must file using Form RC339, Individual Return for Certain Taxes for RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs or RDSPs, with a payment for any balance due, no later than June 30 following the end of the calendar year.

Note

When the advantage is extended by the issuer or carrier of an RRSP or RRIF, the issuer or carrier, and not the annuitant, is liable for the tax. The issuer or carrier must file Form RC298, Advantage Tax Return for RRSP, TFSA, FHSA or RDSP Issuers, RESP Promoters or RRIF carriers, with a payment for any balance due, no later than June 30 following the end of the calendar year.

For more information, refer to Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C3, Advantages – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, and TFSAs.

Waiver or cancellation of tax

The CRA may waive or cancel all or part of the taxes if the CRA determines it is fair to do so after reviewing all factors, including whether:

Note

A waiver refers to the tax that is otherwise payable by a taxpayer for which relief is granted by the CRA before this amount is assessed or charged to the taxpayer. A cancellation refers to the amount of tax that was assessed or charged to the taxpayer for which relief is granted by the CRA.

The waiver is limited to tax paid under the anti-avoidance rules and not taxes paid under any other part of the Income Tax Act.

To consider your request, the CRA needs a letter that explains why the tax liability arose, and why it would be fair to cancel or waive all or part of the tax. Send your letter to one of the following addresses:

If your residential address is in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and in the following cities in the province of Quebec; Montréal, Québec City, Laval, Sherbrooke, Gatineau, and Longueuil, send your request to:

Canada Revenue Agency
Sudbury Tax Centre
Pension Workflow Team
Post Office Box 20000, Station A
Sudbury, ON  P3A 5C1

If your residential address is in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the remaining areas in the province of Quebec not listed under the Sudbury Tax Centre, send your request to:

Canada Revenue Agency
Winnipeg Tax Centre
Pension Workflow Team
Post Office Box 14000, Station Main
Winnipeg, MB  R3C 3M2

Chapter 5 – Amounts from an RRSP or a RRIF

If you have an RRSP or a RRIF, you probably have a certain amount of flexibility on the types of payments you can get from these plans.

Generally, an RRSP must mature by the last day of the year in which you turn 71. On maturity, the funds must be withdrawn, transferred to a RRIF, or used to purchase an annuity. There are no immediate tax implications when amounts are transferred to a RRIF or used to purchase an annuity. However, if you withdraw funds from your RRSP, tax will be withheld, and the amount withdrawn has to be included in your income for the year it is withdrawn.

Note

SPPs do not have the same rules as an RRSP in regard to maturing. Contact your SPP administrator for more information on amounts from an SPP. For information about PRPPs, refer to Chapter 8 – Pooled registered pension plan (PRPP).

Sometimes there can be an increase in the FMV of an RRSP, PRPP, or RRIF between the date of death and the date of final distribution to the beneficiary or estate. Generally, this amount has to be included in the income of the beneficiary or the estate for the year it is received. A T4RSP slip or T4RIF slip may be issued for this amount.

Sometimes, the FMV of the property of an unmatured RRSPPRPP, or RRIF can decrease between the date of death and the date of final distribution to the beneficiary or the estate. If the total of all the amounts paid from an unmatured RRSP, PRPP, or RRIF is less than the FMV of the unmatured RRSP, PRPP, or RRIF at the time of the annuitant's death, a deduction may be claimed on the final income tax and benefit return of the annuitant.

The deductible amount will generally be calculated as the difference between:

This rule applies where the final distribution from the unmatured RRSP or the RRIF occurs after 2008. For more information, refer to Chart 6 and Chart 7.

Note

The deduction will generally not be available if the unmatured RRSP or the RRIF held a non-qualified investment after the annuitant died, or if the final distribution is made after the end of the year that follows the year in which the annuitant died. However, the CRA may waive these conditions to allow the deduction for a deceased annuitant on a case-by-case basis. Form RC249, Post-Death Decline in the Value of a RRIF, an Unmatured RRSP and Post-Death Increase or Decline in the Value of a PRPP, must accompany any request by the legal representative for an adjustment to the deceased annuitant's final income tax and benefit return.

Example 1

Jacques died on August 12, 2024. When he died, the FMV of his unmatured RRSP was $185,000. The RRSP contract named Jacques’s estate as the sole beneficiary. A 2024 T4RSP slip was issued in Jacques’s name to report the $185,000 FMV of the RRSP in box 34, Amounts deemed received on death. This amount was included in income on line 12900 of Jacques’s 2024 final income tax and benefit return.

The RRSP property was distributed to Jacques’s estate on March 15, 2025. The FMV of that property was $150,000. The financial institution filled out Form RC249, Post‑Death Decline in the Value of a RRIF, an Unmatured RRSP and Post-Death Increase or Decline in the Value of a PRPP.

The $35,000 difference between the $185,000 included in Jacques’s 2024 income, and the $150,000 that the estate received can be deducted on Jacques’s 2024 income tax and benefit return. This is because the RRSP did not hold any non‑qualified investment at any time after death, and the RRSP was fully distributed by the end of the year following the year of death. Jacques’s legal representative should write and ask for an adjustment to the 2024 income tax and benefit return to allow the $35,000 post‑death loss to be deducted on line 23200. The completed Form RC249 must be sent with the request.

Example 2

Martin died on September 10, 2023. When he died the FMV of his unmatured RRSP was $185,000. The RRSP contract named Martin’s spouse Élaine as the sole beneficiary. In February 2024, Élaine asked the financial institution to directly transfer all of the RRSP property to her RRSP. On February 15, 2024, when the RRSP was fully transferred, its FMV was $150,000.

As the transfer was completed by the end of the year following the year of death, no 2023 T4RSP slip was issued in Martin’s name to report the $185,000.

A 2024 T4RSP slip was issued to Élaine to report the $150,000 in box 18, Refund of premiums. Élaine also received an RRSP receipt for the $150,000 transferred (contributed) to her RRSP.

The $185,000 FMV of the RRSP at the time of death was not included in income on Martin’s 2023 final income tax and benefit return. Élaine includes on line 12900 of her 2024 income tax and benefit return, the $150,000 reported as income on her 2024 T4RSP slip. She fills out Schedule 7 and deducts the $150,000 transfer (contribution) on line 20800.

No deduction can be claimed on the Martin’s 2023 final income tax and benefit return for the $35,000 post death loss as the $185,000 was not included in his 2023 income.

Yearly minimum amount from a RRIF

Starting in the year after the year you establish a RRIF, you have to be paid a yearly minimum amount. The payout period under your RRIF is for your entire life. Your carrier calculates the minimum amount based on your age at the beginning of each year. However, you can elect to have the payment based on your spouse’s or common-law partner's age.

You can withdraw more, but not less than the minimum.

The following charts contain information on amounts you can receive or that the CRA considers you to receive from your RRSP or RRIF, or from a deceased individual's RRSP or RRIF. This chapter also provides information on spousal or common-law partner RRSPs and RRIFs.

Chart 5 – Amounts from your RRSP, PRPP, RRIF, or SPP

  • Report your RRSP income on line 12900 and any tax deducted (box 30 of the T4RSP slip) on line 43700 of your income tax and benefit return.
  • If you were 65 or older on December 31, 2024, report your RRIF or PRPP income on line 11500 of your income tax and benefit return. In all other cases, report your RRIF and PRPP income (if received before turning 65 years of age) on line 13000. For more information, refer to line 11500. In all cases, claim any income tax deducted on line 43700 of your income tax and benefit return.
  • Report your SPP income on line 11500 of your income tax and benefit return.

Note

SPP and PRPP amounts are reported on a T4A slip and not a T4RSP slip. For more information, refer to PRPP payments or contact your SPP administrator.

Chart 5
Description of amount Information slip and box number Will tax be withheld?
Withdrawal from an RRSP – You can withdraw amounts from your RRSP before it starts to pay you retirement income. If your spouse or common‑law partner contributed to your RRSP, refer to note Footnote 5*  below. You can withdraw unused contributions you made to an RRSP based on an approved Form T3012A, Tax Deduction Waiver on the Refund of Your Unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP Contributions from your RRSP, PRPP or SPP. If you transferred the unused contributions to your RRIF, refer to note Footnote 5**  below.

T4RSP
box 22

 

T4RSP 
box 20

Yes

 

 

No

Annuity payments from an RRSP – When an RRSP matures, you can draw an annuity from that RRSP. You have to include the payments in your income. If you receive the annuity payments because your spouse or common‑law partner died, the payments qualify for the pension income amount. In addition to receiving retirement income out of your RRSP, you can also choose to transfer the property to a RRIF or to buy yourself an eligible annuity. The value of all the property the plan holds is included in your income unless you draw an annuity from the matured RRSP, use the RRSP to buy yourself an eligible annuity, or transfer the funds to a RRIF. For more information about the pension income amount, refer to line 31400.

 

 

 

T4RSP 
box 16

 

 

 

No

Commutation payments from an RRSP – A commutation payment is a fixed or single lump‑sum payment from your RRSP annuity that is equal to the current value of all or part of your future annuity payments from the plan. If your spouse or common‑law partner contributed to your RRSP, refer to note Footnote 5*  below.

 

T4RSP
box 22

 

Yes

Minimum amount from a RRIF – Starting in the year after the year you establish a RRIF, you have to be paid a yearly minimum amount. The payout period under your RRIF is for your entire life. Your RRIF carrier calculates the minimum amount based on your age at the beginning of each year. However, you can elect to have the payment based on your spouse’s or common‑law partner’s age. You must select this option when filling out the original RRIF application form. Once you make this election, you cannot change it. For more information, contact your RRIF carrier and refer to Yearly minimum amount from a RRIF.

 

 

T4RIF 
Box 16

 

 

No

Excess amount from a RRIF – In any year, you can be paid more than the minimum amount for that year. Amounts paid to you from a RRIF in a year that are more than the minimum amount for that year are called "excess amounts." Check with your carrier to make sure that your RRIF allows such payments. Under certain circumstances, you can directly transfer the excess amount from a RRIF. For more information, refer to Excess amount from a RRIF under 60(l)(v) in Chart 9. The excess amount shown in box 24 of your T4RIF slip is for information purposes only. Only include the amount shown in box 16 of your slip on your income tax and benefit return. If you received the excess amount from your spousal or common‑law partner RRIF, refer to note Footnote 5* .

 

 

 

T4RIF
box 16

 

 

 

Yes

Amounts deemed received on deregistration of an RRSP or a RRIF – If in 2024 your RRSP or RRIF was changed and it no longer satisfies the rules under which it was registered, it is no longer an RRSP or a RRIF. It is now an amended plan or fund. In such a case, the CRA considers you to have received, in 2024, an amount that equals the FMV of all the property the plan or fund held at the time it ceased being an RRSP or a RRIF. If the deregistration was from your spousal or common‑law partner RRSP or RRIF, refer to note Footnote 5* .

 

T4RSP
box 26

 

T4RIF
box 20

 

 


 Refer to note 

Footnote 5*** 

 

Other income and deductions from an RRSP or a RRIF – You may have to include other RRSP or RRIF amounts in your income, or you may be able to deduct other amounts for 2024. This applies if, in 2024, your RRSP or RRIF trust acquires or disposes of a non‑qualified investment. It also applies if trust property was used as security for a loan, sold for an amount less than its FMV, or the trust acquired property for an amount more than its FMV. If the amount in box 28 of your T4RSP slip or in box 22 of your T4RIF slip appears in brackets (negative amount,) claim it on line 23200 of your income tax and benefit return.

 

T4RSP
box 28

 

T4RIF
box 22

 

No

 

 

No

Chart 6 – Amounts from a deceased annuitant’s RRSP

Chart 6
Description of amount T4RSP box number Slip issued in the name of, and to be reported by

Payments from a matured RRSP

If the surviving spouse or common‑law partner is:

  • the beneficiary of the RRSP, as specified in the RRSP contract or in the will, the remaining annuity payments under the RRSP become payable to the annuitant’s surviving spouse or common‑law partner and they will begin to receive the annuity payments.
  • the beneficiary of the estate, the spouse or common‑law partner and legal representative can jointly elect in writing to treat amounts the RRSP paid to the estate as being paid to the spouse or common‑law partner. The surviving spouse or common‑law partner must attach a copy of the written election to their income tax and benefit return. The election has to specify that the surviving spouse or common‑law partner is electing to become the annuitant of the RRSP. If such an election is made, no T4RSP slip will be issued in the name of the estate even if the estate received the amounts.

For all other beneficiaries – Annuity payments from an RRSP registered after June 29, 1978, that are to be paid to a beneficiary other than the RRSP annuitant’s surviving spouse or common‑law partner, have to be commuted. This commutation payment is not taxable in the beneficiary’s hands. The FMV of the property the RRSP held at the time of the annuitant’s death is included in the deceased annuitant’s income for the year of death.

The amount reported on the deceased annuitant’s final Income Tax and Benefit Return may be reduced if, at the time of death, you were a financially dependent child or grandchild of the annuitant and an amount is paid from the RRSP to you or to the estate of which you are a beneficiary. For more information, refer to Information Sheet RC4177, Death of an RRSP Annuitant, and Form T2019, Death of an RRSP Annuitant – Refund of Premiums.

Income earned in the RRSP after the annuitant dies that the beneficiary receives.

Income earned in the RRSP after the annuitant dies that the estate receives.

Property from an unmatured RRSP

Transfer to the surviving spouse or common‑law partner (named as beneficiary in the RRSP contract) – If, by the end of the year following the year of death of the annuitant, all of the property the RRSP held is paid to you as the deceased annuitant’s spouse or common‑law partner (as specified in the RRSP contract), and that property is directly transferred to your RRSP, claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred to your RRSP on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return. If the amount is directly transferred to your RRIF or directly transferred to an issuer to buy yourself an eligible annuity, claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200 of your income tax and benefit return.

For all other situations – The FMV of the property the RRSP held at the time of death is included in the deceased annuitant’s income for the year of death.

The amount reported on the deceased annuitant’s final Income Tax and Benefit Return may be reduced if one of the following conditions applies:

 

 

box 16






box 16







box 34











box 28

box 28

 

box 18









box 34




box 18 or 
box 28

box 28




n/a




box 28
box 28

 

 

Surviving spouse or common‑law partner




Surviving spouse or common‑law partner





Deceased annuitant











Beneficiary

Estate

 

Surviving spouse or common‑law partner







Deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return

Surviving spouse or common‑law partner or estate

Child/grandchild or estate



Deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return

Beneficiary
Estate

Chart 7 – Amounts from a deceased annuitant's RRIF

Chart 7
Description of amount T4RIF box number Slip issued in the name of, and to be reported by

Spouse or common‑law partner is designated as the new annuitant – If the RRIF annuitant made a written election in the RRIF contract or in the will to have the RRIF amounts continue to the spouse or common‑law partner after death, the surviving spouse or common‑law partner becomes the annuitant after death and will begin to get the RRIF amounts as the new annuitant.

The spouse or common‑law partner can become the annuitant of the RRIF after the deceased annuitant’s death, even if the deceased annuitant did not make this election in the RRIF contract or in the will. This is the case if the legal representative consents to the spouse or common‑law partner becoming the annuitant, and if the RRIF carrier agrees to continue paying the amounts under the deceased annuitant’s RRIF to the surviving spouse or common‑law partner.

Spouse or common‑law partner is designated as beneficiary of the RRIF – If, by the end of the year following the year of death of the annuitant, all of the property the RRIF held is paid to you (as specified in the RRIF contract) as the deceased annuitant’s spouse or common‑law partner, and the eligible amount is directly transferred to your RRSP, claim a deduction equal to the transferred amount on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return. If the amount is directly transferred to your RRIF or directly transferred to an issuer to buy an eligible annuity, claim a deduction equal to the transferred amount on line 23200 of your income tax and benefit return. The eligible amount is shown in box 24 of your T4RIF slip, and this is the maximum amount that can be directly transferred.

For all other situations – On line 13000 of the deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return, include the FMV of the property the RRIF held at the time of death. 

The amount reported on the deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return may be reduced if one of the following conditions applies:

  • You were the spouse or common‑law partner of the annuitant at the time of death and an amount is paid from the RRIF to you or to the estate of which you are a beneficiary
  • Income earned in the RRIF after the annuitant dies that the beneficiary receives.
  • Income earned in the RRIF after the annuitant dies that the estate receives.

box 16











box 16 and
box 24







box 18



 

box 16
or
box 22


box 22

 

 


box 22



n/a




box 22

box 22

Surviving spouse or common‑law partner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surviving spouse or common‑law partner

 

 

 

 

Deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return

 

 


Surviving spouse or common‑law partner or estate


Child, grandchild, or estate

 

 

Deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return


Deceased annuitant’s final income tax and benefit return

 

Beneficiary

Estate


Transfers to registered disability savings plans

A deceased individual's RRSP and PRPP proceeds can be rolled over to the RDSP of the deceased individual's financially dependent child or grandchild with an impairment in physical or mental functions. This also applies for RRIF proceeds, certain lump-sum amounts paid from RPPs, and certain amounts from SPPs.

Note

The total amount of RRSP, RRIF, RPP, SPP, and PRPP proceeds rolled over to an RDSP cannot exceed the beneficiary's available RDSP contribution room. The rolled over proceeds will reduce the beneficiary's RDSP contribution room, but will not be eligible for any Canada disability savings grants.

Eligible individual – An eligible individual is a child or grandchild of a deceased annuitant under an RRSP, a RRIF, or of a deceased member of an RPP, PRPP, or SPP, who was financially dependent on the deceased for support at the time of the deceased's death by reason of an impairment in physical or mental functions. The eligible individual must also be the beneficiary under the RDSP into which the eligible proceeds will be paid.

For more information on the RDSP, go to Registered disability savings plan (RDSP).

The following chart shows what you have to do when there is a rollover to an RDSP. Use Form RC4625, Rollover to a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Under Paragraph 60(m), or the form provided by your RDSP issuers to document the transaction.


RDSP Rollover

RDSP
Rollover from Deceased individual Eligible individual
(refer to definition above)
RRSP – Beneficiary named in the contract n/a The refund of premiums is shown in box 28 of a T4RSP slip. Enter this amount on line 12900 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the RDSP issuer to your income tax and benefit return.
RRSP – No beneficiary named in the contract          

The refund of premiums is shown in box 28 of a T4RSP slip. On the deceased annuitant's final income tax and benefit return, enter this amount on line 12900 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200.

Note
The deceased annuitant’s legal representative and qualifying survivor must have designated the amount the annuitant’s estate received from the RRSP to have been received by the qualifying survivor as a refund of premiums. Form T2019 must be attached to the deceased annuitant's final income tax and benefit return.

Enter the refund of premiums transferred to the RDSP on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the RDSP issuer to your income tax and benefit return.

When there is no beneficiary named in the contract, the dependent child or grandchild will not receive a T4RSP slip. However, forms T1-ADJ, RC4625, and T2019 will have to be filed to have the deceased annuitant's income tax and benefit return adjusted to allow an eligible deduction on line 23200.

When there is no beneficiary named in the contract, the recipient of the annuity will be unknown and so the income is recorded as "Other income" in box 28.

RRIF – Beneficiary named in the contract n/a The designated benefit is shown in box 22 of a T4RIF slip. Enter this amount on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the RDSP issuer to your income tax and benefit return.
RRIF – No beneficiary named in the contract

The designated benefit is shown in box 22 of a T4RIF slip. On the deceased annuitant's final income tax and benefit return, enter this amount on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200.

Note
The deceased annuitant’s legal representative and qualifying survivor must have designated the amount the annuitant’s estate received from the RRIF to have been received by the qualifying survivor as a designated benefit. Form T1090 must be attached to the deceased annuitant's final income tax and benefit return.

Enter the designated benefit transferred to the RDSP on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the RDSP issuer to your income tax and benefit return.

When there is no beneficiary named in the contract, the dependent child or grandchild will not receive a T4RIF slip.

However, forms T1-ADJ, RC4625, and T1090 will have to be filed to have the deceased annuitant's income tax and benefit return adjusted to allow an eligible deduction on line 23200.

RPP n/a The amount is shown in box 018 on T4A slip. Enter this amount on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the RDSP issuer to your income tax and benefit return.
SPP n/a The amount is shown in box 018 of a T4A slip. Enter this amount on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the RDSP issuer to your income tax and benefit return.
PRPP n/a The amount is shown in box 194 of a T4A slip. Enter this amount on line 13000 and claim a deduction equal to the amount transferred on line 23200. Attach Form RC4625 or a letter from the PRPP administrator to your income tax and benefit return.

Locked-in RRSP

A locked-in RRSP is a plan containing funds transferred from an RPP for a member of the RPP. Under the pension laws of certain provinces, locked-in RRSPs are sometimes called "locked-in retirement accounts (LIRAs)". This means that the member cannot receive the transferred funds. They either have to stay in the plan or be transferred to another locked-in RRSP to provide the member with a retirement income.

You cannot withdraw funds from a locked-in RRSP. The money has to stay in the RRSP and will be used to buy a life annuity at retirement age.

Note

There are some exceptions that might allow you to access the money in your LIRA before retirement. While the rules vary from province to province, generally they include:

  • the annuitant having a reduced life expectancy
  • the annuitant being unemployed or having a low income
  • the annuitant becoming a non-resident of Canada
  • having a LIRA balance below a certain amount

For more information, contact your plan administrator and then the jurisdiction (province) under which the LIRA is being held.

However, under the pension laws of certain provinces, pension funds or funds from a locked-in RRSP can be transferred to a locked-in RRIF. These locked-in RRIFs are sometimes called life income funds or locked-in retirement income funds.

Your employer or pension plan administrator can answer any questions you have about locked-in funds.

Note

Do not confuse locked-in RRSPs with fixed-term investments in an RRSP. A fixed-term investment, such as a guaranteed investment certificate, can have a locked-in interest rate for the term of the certificate.

LIRAs and locked-in RRIFs are taxed in the same manner as regular RRSPs and RRIFs.

Amounts paid from or into a spousal or common-law partner RRSP, RRIF, or SPP

This section applies to you if:

A spousal or common-law partner RRSP is any of your RRSPs:

A spousal or common-law partner RRIF is any of your RRIFs that received amounts or transfers of property from:

Calculating the income you and your spouse or common-law partner have to report

If you contributed to your spouse’s or common law partner’s RRSPs or your spouse’s account under an SPP in 2022, 2023, or 2024, you may have to include in your 2024 income all or part of:

To determine the amount to include in your income or your spouse’s or common‑law partner’s income, your spouse or common‑law partner (the annuitant) should fill out Form T2205, Amounts from a Spousal or Common‑law Partner RRSP, RRIF or SPP to Include in Income and follow the instructions on the form.

Tax tip

If you want to ensure that you do not have to include any amount in your income when your spouse or common-law partner withdraws funds from a spousal or common-law partner RRSP, or spousal or common-law partner RRIF, make sure you have not contributed to any of your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSPs in the year your spouse or common-law partner withdraws the funds, or in either of the two preceding years. Otherwise, you (the contributor) will probably have to include in your income the funds your spouse or common-law partner (the annuitant) withdraws.

Example

In May 2022, you started contributing to your spouse's RRSPs. You contributed the following amounts to those RRSPs:

Yearly contributions
Year Amount
2022     $2,000
2023     $2,000
2024 + $1,000
Total     $5,000

In 2024, Stéphanie withdrew $4,000 from her spousal or common‑law partner RRSPs. Before 2024, she had not withdrawn any amounts from her spousal or common‑law partner RRSPs.

Stéphanie determines that Marc has to include $4,000 in his income on line 12900 of his 2024 income tax and benefit return, since the amount Marc has to include as income is the lesser of:

  • amounts he contributed to all spousal or common‑law partner RRSPs in 2022, 2023, and 2024 ($5,000)
  • amount his spouse withdrew from her spousal or common‑law partner RRSPs in 2024 ($4,000)

Stéphanie does not include any amount in her income for this withdrawal.

Exceptions – The rule that requires you, the contributor, to include certain amounts from spousal or common-law partner RRSPs, spousal or common-law partner RRIFs, or a spouse's account under an SPP as income does not apply to the following situations:

In any such case, the annuitant spouse or common-law partner includes the payment in income for the year they receive it or is considered to have received it.

Tax deducted – In all cases, the tax deducted has to be claimed by the individual to whom the slip is issued. In most cases, the information slip issued for the withdrawal will be in the name of the annuitant. However, report the income according to the calculations completed in Parts 1 and 2 of Form T2205, Amounts from a Spousal or Common-law Partner RRSP, RRIF or SPP to Include in Income.

For more information, refer to archived Interpretation Bulletin IT-307, Spousal or Common-Law Partner Registered Retirement Savings Plans.

Chapter 6 – Transfers to registered plans or funds and annuities

You can transfer certain amounts to an RPP, an RRSP, a RRIF, a DPSP, an SPP, a PRPP, or an FHSA You can also use certain amounts from an RPP, an RRSP, a RRIF, an SPP or a PRPP to buy yourself an eligible annuity.

You have to transfer certain amounts directly. For other amounts, you can transfer them either directly or indirectly. This chapter provides information about the rules on these transfers.

The three charts in this chapter list the most common types of amounts that you can transfer and the types of plans or funds to which you can transfer them.

Chart 8 covers amounts that you can transfer either directly or indirectly. Chart 9 covers amounts that you have to transfer directly. Chart 10 covers amounts that you transfer because of the breakdown of your marriage or common-law partnership.

Note

If you are a non-resident of Canada, refer to Form NRTA1, Authorization for Non-Resident Tax Exemption, for more information on transfers.

Other transfers

Depending on the source of income, the following amounts can also be transferred to your RPP, SPP, PRPP, or RRSP:

For more information on these types of transfers, refer to archived Interpretation Bulletin IT-528, Transfers of Funds Between Registered Plans.


Chart 8 – Amounts that you can transfer directly or indirectly

Chart 8
Type of property Can be transferred to your: Instructions
  RPP RRSP RRIF Annuity PRPP SPP ALDA FHSA
Retiring allowance Yes Yes No No Yes Yes
Footnote 8*
No No
  • A retiring allowance is an amount you receive on or after retirement from an office or employment in recognition of long service. It includes payment for unused sick leave and amounts you receive for loss of office or employment, whether as a payment of damages or a payment under an order or judgment of a competent tribunal.
  • You can transfer only the eligible part of your retiring allowance to your own RPP, SPP, RRSP, or PRPP. The eligible part is $2,000 for each year or part-year of service before 1996 in which you were employed by the employer or a person related to that employer from whom you received the retiring allowance. You can also transfer an additional $1,500 for each year or part-year of service before 1989 in which you had earned no pension or DPSP benefit from employer contributions that were either vested in you at the time of payment or that were previously paid to you.
  • For 2024, the eligible portion of your retiring allowance will be reported in box 66 of your T4 slip and box 67 will show the part of your retiring allowance that is not eligible. On a T3 slip, the eligible part of a retiring allowance appears in box 47.
  • Report the retiring allowance shown in boxes 66 and 67 of your 2024 T4 slip, or in box 26 of your T3 slip on line 13000 of your income tax and benefit return. Claim a deduction for the amount you transfer to your RPP on line 20700 of your income tax and benefit return. Claim a deduction for the amount you transfer to your RRSP on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return. Write the amount of the transfer on line 24640 and in box 15 of Schedule 7.
  • You cannot transfer the eligible part of your retiring allowance to your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP. You may be able to contribute amounts you received from your retiring allowance to your own or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP, up to the limits explained in Chapter 2.
  • If you transfer the amount to your RPP, you may have a PA. For more information, contact your plan administrator.

    Note
    No tax is withheld if your employer directly transfers the eligible part of your retiring allowance.

Amounts paid from an RRSP, RRIF, ALDA upon death of the annuitant No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • If, at the time of death, you are the deceased annuitant’s spouse or common-law partner, or you are a financially dependent child or grandchild of the annuitant because of an impairment in physical or mental functions, you can transfer, on a tax-deferred basis, certain amounts paid from the deceased annuitant’s RRSP, RRIF or ALDA.
  • You can rollover RRSP or RRIF proceeds to a RDSP of a financially dependent infirm child or grandchild.
  • If you are the child or grandchild of the deceased annuitant, and are not financially dependent because of an impairment in physical or mental functions, you can only transfer the amounts to a term annuity. For more information on these transfers, refer to Information Sheets RC4177, Death of an RRSP Annuitant, and RC4178, Death of a RRIF Annuitant, PRPP Member, or ALDA Annuitant. No tax is withheld at source on these payments. For more information, refer to Chart 6 or Chart 7
Lump-sum paid from an RPP, SPP, or PRPP upon death of the member No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • If, at the time of death, you are a child or grandchild of the deceased member, and are financially dependent on the member because of an impairment in physical or mental functions, you can transfer, on a tax-deferred basis, certain amounts paid from the deceased member’s RPP, PRPP, or account under an SPP.
  • You can rollover the proceeds to your RDSP if you are an eligible individual.
  • If you are the child or grandchild of the deceased member, and are not financially dependent on the member because of an impairment in physical or mental functions, you can only transfer the amounts to a term annuity.

Chart 9 – Amounts that you have to transfer directly

Chart 9 – Amounts that you have to transfer directly
Type of property Can be transferred to your: Instructions Form
Footnote 9*
  RPP RRSP RRIF PRPP Annuity SPP ALDA FHSA    
Defined benefit RPP lump-sum Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
  • This includes a lump‑sum amount you are entitled to receive from your RPP or from your current or former spouse’s or common-law partner’s RPP because your current or former spouse or common-law partner has died.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
  • If you transfer an excess RPP lump‑sum amount, refer to Excess transfer of an RPP lump‑sum amount.
T2151
Money purchase RPP lump-sum Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
  • This includes a lump‑sum amount you are entitled to receive from your RPP or from your current or former spouse’s or common-law partner’s RPP because your current or former spouse or common-law partner has died.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2151

 

 

For ALDA only: T2157
DPSP lump‑sum Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
  • This includes a lump sum amount you are entitled to receive from your DPSP or from your current or former spouse’s or common-law partner’s DPSP because your current or former spouse or common-law partner has died.
  • You can also transfer this amount to another DPSP.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2151

 

 

For ALDA only: T2157
RRSP commutation payment No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • The commutation payment is shown in box 22 of your T4RSP slip. Report it on line 12900 of your income tax and benefit return.
  • If you transfer the amount to your RRSP, claim a deduction for the amount you transfer on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return. If you transfer the amount to your RRIF or to an issuer to buy an eligible annuity, claim a deduction for the amount you transfer on line 23200.
  • Attach receipts to your income tax and benefit return showing the amount transferred.
T2030
Property from an unmatured RRSP Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
  • This is an amount you are entitled to receive from an RRSP that has not yet started to pay you retirement income.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.

T2033

 

For ALDA only: T2157

 

For FHSA only:

RC720

Property from a RRIF (excess amount) Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
  • Do not claim a deduction for the excess amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.

T2033

For ALDA only: T2157

Excess amount from a RRIF under 60(l)(v) No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • The excess amount is shown in boxes 16 and 24 of your T4RIF slip unless it is directly transferred to another RRIF for you. Report the total amount shown in box 16 on your income tax and benefit return.
  • Refer to line 11500 for details on how to report this income.
  • If the excess amount is directly transferred to your RRSP, claim a deduction for the amount you transfer on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return. If the excess amount is directly transferred to an issuer to buy an eligible annuity, claim a deduction for the amount you transfer on line 23200.
  • The excess amount directly transferred to another of your RRIFs should not be reported on your T4RIF slip. Do not report the amount transferred as income on your income tax and benefit return, and do not claim any deduction for the amount transferred.

T2030

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPP lump‑sum No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • This includes a lump sum amount you receive from an SPP as a member. It also includes a lump sum amount you receive as the current or former spouse or common-law partner of a member if the member has died.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2033
Property from a PRPP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
  • This is an amount you are entitled to receive from a PRPP that has not yet started to pay you retirement income. It also includes a lump-sum amount you receive as the current or former spouse or common-law partner of a member if the member has died.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2033

 

 

For ALDA only: T2157
Property from an FHSA No Yes Yes No No No No Yes
  • This is an amount that you transfer from your FHSA to your RRSP, RRIF or FHSA.
  • This also includes an amount from your spouse’s or common-law partner’s FHSA because your spouse or common-law partner has died and you were a spouse or common-law partner of the holder immediately before the death.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
  • If the amount transferred includes an excess FHSA amount, go to Withdrawals and transfers out of your FHSAs.
RC721

 

 

 

RC722

Chart 10 – Transferring amounts received because of a breakdown of the marriage or common-law partnership

Chart 10
Type of property Can be transferred to your: Instructions Form
Footnote 10*
  RPP RRSP RRIF PRPP Annuity SPP ALDA FHSA    
RPP lump-sum Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer, and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2151
DPSP lump-sum Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2151
Property from an unmatured RRSP No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
  • You and your current or former spouse or common-law partner have to be living separate and apart at the time of the transfer because of the breakdown of your relationship.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2220
Property from a RRIF No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2220
SPP lump‑sum No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • You and your current or former spouse or common-law partner have to be living separate and apart at the time of the transfer because of the breakdown of your relationship.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2220
Property from a PRPP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
  • You and your current or former spouse or common-law partner have to be living separate and apart at the time of the transfer because of the breakdown of your relationship.
  • Do not claim a deduction for the amount you transfer and do not report any amount on your income tax and benefit return.
T2220
Property from an FHSA No Yes Yes No No No No Yes RC723

Direct transfer of an RPP lump-sum amount

In most cases, if you transfer an RPP lump-sum amount directly to another RPP, SPP, RRSP, PRPP, or to a RRIF, you do not have to include any part of the amount in your income, and you cannot deduct it. However, the Income Tax Act limits the amount you may transfer on a tax-deferred basis from a defined benefit provision of an RPP to a money purchase provision of an RPP, an RRSP, a PRPP, an SPP, or a RRIF.

Excess transfer of an RPP lump-sum amount

If the amount you transfer is more than the limit, you have to include the excess transfer in your income. The T4A slip shows the excess transfer as pension income in boxes 018 and 108, which you report on line 13000 of your income tax and benefit return. You can view your T4A and other tax information slips online by going to My Account for Individuals.

If you made the excess transfer to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP for 2024, the CRA considers you to have contributed it in the year in which you transferred it. Even if the excess transfer is made to your RRIF, the CRA still considers you to have contributed it to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP. In both cases, the issuer, carrier, or administrator will give you an RRSP, a PRPP, or an SPP receipt for this contribution.

You can deduct these RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions on line 20800 of your income tax and benefit return, up to your RRSP deduction limit for the year in which you made the transfer. If you cannot deduct the contributions because they are more than your RRSP deduction limit for the year, you can leave them in your RRSPPRPPSPP, or RRIF and deduct them for future years up to your RRSP deduction limit for those years. You can view your RRSP information online by going to My Account for Individuals.

Note

You may be subject to the 1% per month tax on the part of your unused contributions that are excess contributions during the period these contributions stay in the RRSP, PRPPSPP, or RRIF. For more information, refer to Tax on RRSP excess contributions.

Withdrawal from an RRSP or a RRIF – If you withdraw an excess transfer amount from an RRSP or a RRIF in 2024, and the CRA considers you to have contributed an excess transfer to your RRSP, a deduction is available if you meet both of the following conditions:

You can use Form T1043, Deduction for Excess Registered Pension Plan Transfers You Withdrew from an RRSP, PRPP, SPP or RRIF, to calculate your deduction. Deduct the amount on line 23200 of your income tax and benefit return.

Note

You cannot use Form T3012A, Tax Deduction Waiver on the Refund of your Unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP Contributions from your RRSP, PRPP or SPP, to withdraw unused contributions for an excess RPP lump-sum amount transferred to the RRSP, PRPP, SPP, or RRIF.

Transfers from an FHSA to an RRSP or RRIF when you have an excess FHSA amount

If you have an excess FHSA amount at the time of the transfer and you transfer property from your FHSA to your RRSP or RRIF, any portion of the amount transferred that exceeds the total fair market value (FMV) of all the property held in all of your FHSAs at the time of the transfer minus the excess FHSA amount at the time of the transfer, will be treated as both:

The new RRSP contribution would reduce your unused RRSP deduction room and could result in RRSP excess contributions in certain cases.

For more information, go to Transfers into your FHSAs.

Chapter 7 – PAs, PARs, and PSPAs

Pension adjustments (PAs)

The following is an overview of PAs under RPPs and DPSPs. If you want to know how your PA is calculated or why you have a PA, contact your employer or plan administrator.

Your PA for a year is the total pension credits for the year under a DPSP or a defined benefit or money purchase provision of an RPP of which you are a member. You may also have a pension credit if you participate in a foreign plan. The pension credit is a measure of the value of the benefits that accrued to you during the year under these arrangements.

Does your employer have to report a PA for you

Your employer usually has to report a PA for you even if your benefit is not yet vested.

Where is your PA shown on your T4 or T4A slip

Your PA appears in box 52 of your T4 slip, or in box 034 of your T4A slip. If you worked for more than one employer in 2024 and each employer sponsors their own RPP or DPSP, you may have more than one PA. Enter the total of your PAs from your T4 and T4A slips on line 20600 of your 2024 income tax and benefit return.

You can view your T4, T4A, and other tax information slips online by going to My Account for Individuals.

What does your PA affect

Your PA for a year reduces your RRSP deduction limit for the following year. Your PA does not affect your income. If you contribute to your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP, or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP or SPP, your PA may indirectly affect the income taxes you pay or the refund you receive for the following year, because it reduces your RRSP deduction limit for the following year.

For more information on how to calculate your RRSP deduction limit, refer to Calculating your 2024 RRSP deduction limit.

You can find your 2024 RRSP deduction limit on your latest notice of assessment or notice of reassessment. If you receive a certified Form T1004, Applying for the Certification of a Provisional PSPA, after the CRA sends you your notice, the CRA may reduce your 2023 RRSP deduction limit. In such a case, the CRA will usually send you Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024, and give you your revised 2024 RRSP deduction limit when the CRA has updated the CRA's records.

You can also find out your RRSP deduction limit by:

If you participate in a foreign plan, you may have to report an amount similar to a PA that will reduce your RRSP deduction limit for the following year. To determine the amount you have to report, call the International Enquiries for Individuals and Trusts at one of the following numbers: 1-800-959-8281 (from Canada and the United States), or 613-940-8495 (from outside Canada and the United States). The CRA only accepts collect calls made through telephone operators. After your call is accepted by an automated response, you may hear a beep and notice a normal connection delay.

For more information concerning PAs, refer to Guide T4084, Pension Adjustment Guide.

Pension adjustment reversals (PARs)

A PAR restores your RRSP deduction limit when you end your membership in an RPP or a DPSP in certain circumstances. Your plan administrator or trustee will report a PAR for you if the amount you receive from the plan is less than the total PAs and PSPAs that were previously reported for you.

You will only have a PAR under a DPSP or a money purchase provision of an RPP if you are not fully vested at termination.

Your plan administrator or trustee will send you a T10, Pension Adjustment Reversal (PAR) or Pension Adjustment Correction (PAC), that shows your PAR amount in box 2. Do not report this amount on your income tax and benefit return. Your plan administrator or trustee will send the CRA a copy of your T10 slip. The CRA uses that copy to increase your RRSP deduction limit for the year.

If you have a PAR for a termination in 2024, it increases your 2024 RRSP deduction limit. In such a case, the CRA will usually send you Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024, and give you your revised 2024 RRSP deduction limit when the CRA has updated the CRA's records.

For more information on PAR, refer to Guide RC4137, Pension Adjustment Reversal Guide.

If you do not receive Form T1028 and you want to confirm your 2024 RRSP deduction limit:

The TIPS RRSP service is available from June to the end of April. For RRSP information, you will be asked to provide your social insurance number, your month and year of birth, and the total income you reported on line 15000 of your 2023 income tax and benefit return.

Past service pension adjustments (PSPAs)

The following is an overview of PSPAs. If you have questions about how your PSPA is calculated or why you have a PSPA, contact your employer or plan administrator.

A PSPA is an amount your RPP administrator calculates when benefits relating to a previous period of pensionable service are improved or when you are credited with a new period of pensionable past service. A PSPA only occurs if the improved benefits or the new past service benefits relate to a period of service after 1989. A PSPA is the sum of the additional pension credits that would have been included in your PA if the upgraded benefits had actually been provided, or if the additional service was credited in those previous years.

Types of PSPAs

The plan administrator calculates your PSPA and determines whether the CRA has to certify the PSPA before the RPP can provide the past service benefits. There are two types of PSPAs: certifiable PSPAs, and PSPAs that are exempt from certification (exempt PSPAs). In most cases, the plan administrator has to report each PSPA to the CRA, whether exempt or certifiable.

Note

Certifiable PSPAs are also applicable to small plans with fewer than 10 members.

Exempt PSPAs – An exempt PSPA usually occurs when all or almost all plan members receive past service benefit upgrades. In most cases, when an employer provides past service benefits and there is an exempt PSPA that is more than zero, the plan administrator has to report the PSPA to the CRA and to the plan member. For exempt PSPAs, the plan administrator has to fill out a T215 slip, Past Service Pension Adjustment (PSPA) Exempt from Certification or Permitted Corrective Contribution (PCC). Do not attach the T215 slip to your income tax and benefit return.

An exempt PSPA will not reduce your RRSP deduction limit until the year following the year of the past service event. For details on how to calculate your RRSP deduction limit, refer to Calculating your 2024 RRSP deduction limit. You can view your RRSP information online by going to My Account for Individuals.

Certifiable PSPAs – A certifiable PSPA usually occurs if you, as a plan member, decide to buy a period of past service that is pensionable service under your RPP.

The CRA has to certify most PSPAs that are more than zero and do not meet the conditions for exemption outlined above. The CRA has to certify the PSPA before you have the right to receive the benefits under the plan. A certified PSPA will reduce your RRSP deduction limit for the year in which it is certified.

Your plan administrator applies for PSPA certification by sending a completed Form T1004, Applying for the Certification of a Provisional PSPA. Since the Income Tax Act has limits on the PSPA amount for past service benefits that the CRA can certify, the CRA will apply these limits to the information on Form T1004, Applying for the Certification of a Provisional PSPA and determine if the CRA can certify the PSPA.

Cost of past service benefits

The amount it costs you to pay for past service benefits will likely not equal the PSPA associated with the benefits, since a PSPA reflects a general measure of the value of the past service benefits rather than the actual cost to fund the benefits.

Usually, you can pay for the cost of past service benefits by:

In some cases, your employer may fund all or part of the cost of the past service benefits.

Qualifying transfers – Generally, a qualifying transfer is a direct transfer of a lump-sum amount from an unmatured RRSP, an SPP, a DPSP, or a money purchase provision of an RPP. You can make a qualifying transfer to pay for all or part of the cost of the past service benefits related to the PSPA. If you make a qualifying transfer, the amount you transfer will reduce the PSPA amount the plan administrator has to report. Do not report your qualifying transfer amount as income and do not deduct it.

What happens if the CRA cannot certify your PSPA

If the CRA cannot certify your PSPA because the PSPA amount is more than the allowable limit, you may still be able to get certification if you agree to make a qualifying RRSP, PRPP, or SPP withdrawal. The CRA will send you letter, along with Form T1006, Designating an RRSP, a PRPP or an SPP Withdrawal as a Qualifying Withdrawal. Withdraw the qualifying withdrawal amount, as indicated on the letter and send the CRA one copy of the filled out Form T1006 (with Part 4 completed by the financial institution) and send the CRA proof that the funds were removed (such as an account transaction statement showing that the funds were removed from the plan) within 30 days of the date of the letter.

Note

Upon approval of the Form T1004, the CRA will then send you a T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for YYYY to inform you of your revised RRSP deduction limit as a result of this change.

To speed up the certification process, your plan administrator can review the certification formula before sending Form T1004 to the CRA. If your plan administrator knows that the CRA will not certify the PSPA, the administrator may ask you in advance if you want to designate an RRSP qualifying withdrawal. If you choose to do so, the administrator may ask you to fill out Form T1006 and will send it to the CRA with the certification request. If you cannot or choose not to make an RRSP qualifying withdrawal, the CRA will not certify the PSPA.

If you choose not to proceed with Form T1006, you have the following options:

If you choose to proceed with any of the above three options, call the CRA officer indicated in your letter to advise them of your decision. They will return the Form T1004 to your plan administrator as denied.

For more information, refer to "PSPAs requiring certification," in section 5.4 of Guide T4104, Past Service Pension Adjustment Guide.

Qualifying withdrawal – Generally, a qualifying withdrawal is an amount you withdraw from your RRSP, PRPP, or SPP and include in your income for the year you withdraw the amount. You have to meet a number of conditions before the CRA will consider the amount to be a qualifying withdrawal. If you meet these conditions, you can designate the withdrawal and the CRA can certify the PSPA. The CRA outlines these conditions in Part 3 of Form T1006, which you use to designate a qualifying withdrawal.

Net PSPA

Your net PSPA for 2024 reduces the amount of RRSP contributions you can deduct for 2024. Your 2024 net PSPA is the total of:

plus

minus

Your RRSP deduction limit may be reduced by the net PSPA or similar amount for the year if you participated in a foreign plan or specified retirement arrangement and your past service benefits accruing under the plan were improved.

For more information, refer to Guide T4104, Past Service Pension Adjustment Guide.

The RRSP deduction claimed on a Section 216 return will not reduce your RRSP deduction limit for the following year. To correct your RRSP deduction limit, the CRA will have to process an administrative Form T215.

Similar to exempt and certifiable PSPAs, an administrative Form T215 will reduce your RRSP deduction limit for the current calendar year. Once the administrative Form T215 is processed on your account, the amount of RRSP deduction claimed on your Section 216 return will show as a net PSPA on your Form T1028.

Generally, the CRA sends Form T1028 with a new RRSP deduction limit if your RRSP deduction limit has changed for reasons other than a reassessment of a previous year’s income tax return.

If you do not receive Form T1028 and you want to confirm your 2024 RRSP deduction limit:

The TIPS RRSP service is available from June to the end of April. For RRSP information, you will be asked to provide your social insurance number, your month and year of birth, and the total income you reported on line 15000 of your 2023 income tax and benefit return.

Chapter 8 – Pooled registered pension plan (PRPP)

A PRPP is a retirement savings option for individuals, including self-employed individuals.

A PRPP enables its members to benefit from lower administration costs that result from participating in a large pooled pension plan. It's also portable, so it moves with its members from job to job.

This chapter has general information about participating in and contributing to a PRPP. It provides information about who is eligible to join, how to transfer funds on a tax-deferred basis, and what you can deduct on your income tax and benefit return. For more information, go to The Pooled Registered Pension Plan (PRPP).

Eligibility

If you have a valid Canadian social insurance number (SIN), you can participate in a PRPP if any of the following conditions apply. You:

Note

The Pooled Registered Pension Plan Act applies to PRPPs within the legislative authority of the federal government. Each province must enact its own legislation for PRPPs to be available to individuals not covered in the criteria above.

Participation

You can be enrolled into a PRPP by either of the following:

Once you are enrolled, a PRPP account is created under your SIN. You choose the amounts to be contributed from your pay cheque. Your contributions, your employers’ contributions, and any lump-sum contributions, are all pooled together and credited to your account.

The amount you can contribute is limited by your RRSP deduction limit.

The amount that can be contributed is calculated based on the earned income you report on your income tax and benefit returns from prior years. It is important to file an income tax and benefit return each year when participating in the PRPP to keep your RRSP deduction limit up-to-date.

Contributions to a PRPP

Similar to RRSPs, the maximum amount that you and your employer can both contribute to a PRPP in a given tax year without tax implications is determined by your RRSP deduction limit that appears on your latest notice of assessment or notice of reassessment, or on a Form T1028, Your RRSP, HBP, LLP, or FHSA information for 2024. You can also find out your 2024 RRSP deduction limit by:

Any PRPP contributions you make that are not deducted on your income tax and benefit return are referred to as unused PRPP contributions.

It is important for you to keep track of your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions.

For more information, refer to Keeping track of your RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions – Schedule 7.

Employer PRPP contributions, combined with your PRPP, SPP, and RRSP contributions, as well as contributions to your spouse’s or common-law partner’s RRSP or SPP that are above your RRSP deduction limit, may be considered excess contributions. Combined contributions that are more than your RRSP deduction limit may be subject to a tax of 1% per month for every month they are left in the account. If you withdraw the unused contributions from your PRPP, you can claim an offsetting deduction. For more information, refer to Withdrawing the unused contributions.

Note

Unlike RRSPs and SPPs, you cannot contribute to your spouse's or common-law partner's PRPP.

Member contributions

You can make voluntary contributions to your PRPP between January 1 in a given year and 60 days into the following year, up until the end of the year in which you turn 71.

You can deduct your contributions on your income tax and benefit return but your deduction must not be more than the difference between your RRSP deduction limit and the employer’s contributions to your PRPP. You cannot deduct employer PRPP contributions on your income tax and benefit return.

Example

Each year, Benoît contributes the maximum amount to his RRSPs and deducts this amount on line 20800 of his income tax and benefit return. In 2024, Benoît becomes a member of a PRPP, and he and his employer agree to make regular contributions throughout the year. Benoît knows his RRSP deduction limit for 2024 is $10,000, so he agrees to contribute $5,000 and his employer agrees to contribute $5,000. When filling out his 2024 income tax and benefit return, Benoît must remember to not include all of the contributions ($10,000) on line 20800 as he has done in prior years because he can only deduct up to $5000 of the contributions he made to his own PRPP. This is because only his PRPP contributions are deductible. Since the employer’s contributions are not included in his income, they are not deductible on Benoît’s income tax and benefit return.

Notes

You can designate contributions you have made to your PRPP as repayments to the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) or the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP). Fill out and include with your income tax and benefit return a Schedule 7, RRSP, PRPP and SPP Contributions and Transfers and HBP and LLP Activities.

Even if you are no longer employed, you can still contribute to your PRPP up to your available contribution room.

Employer contributions

An employer can make voluntary contributions to your PRPP. Contributions are not included in your income and are not deductible on your income tax and benefit return. Only your contributions to your PRPP are deductible on line 20800. Employer contributions that were made to your plan for the calendar year must be reported on line 20810.

Contributions made with tax-exempt income

For the purposes of contributing to a PRPP, the Income Tax Act allows tax-exempt income earned by an Indian (as defined by the Indian Act), to be included in the calculation of their RRSP deduction limit for the year. Though their PRPP contributions made against tax-exempt income are not tax-deductible in their income tax and benefit return, they can be used as a repayment under the HBP or the LLP. For more information, refer to Lines 7 and 8 – Contributions designated as a repayment under the HBP and the LLP. Fill out and include with your income tax and benefit return a Form RC383, Tax-Exempt Earned Income and Contributions for a Pooled Registered Pension Plan.

PRPP transfers

Where it is permissible, you can ask your PRPP administrator to directly transfer funds from one registered plan to another on a tax-deferred basis. Since you are not receiving an amount from the PRPP, you will not have to include the amount of the transfer as income on your income tax and benefit return.

Transfers to a PRPP

You can directly transfer amounts to your PRPP from another PRPP that you hold. You can also directly transfer amounts to your PRPP from your RPP, RRSP, RRIF, SPP, or DPSP under which you are the annuitant or member.

You can also directly transfer funds to your PRPP account from the same plans mentioned above belonging to your spouse or common-law partner when you are entitled to those amounts because of a breakdown of the marriage or common‑law partnership or death.

Transfers from a PRPP

You can directly transfer amounts from your PRPP funds to another PRPP that you hold. You can also directly transfer amounts from your PRPP to your RPP, SPP, RRSP, or RRIF.

The same transfers can be made for your spouse or common-law partner if they are entitled to the amount because of a breakdown of the marriage or common-law partnership or upon your death.

A deceased member's PRPP proceeds can be rolled over to an RDSP of an eligible individual.

Amounts can also be directly transferred to a licensed annuity provider to acquire a qualifying annuity. However, if PRPP amounts are transferred to purchase a qualifying annuity, and there is an amount paid out of the annuity in the year, the amount paid out is to be included in the income tax and benefit return of the annuitant for the year of transfer.

PRPP payments

Payments from a PRPP are considered to be pension income and are eligible for pension income splitting and the pension income amount if one of the following conditions applies:

If you receive payments from a PRPP, it is taxable on your income tax and benefit return in the year you receive them. Since benefits such as old age security or guaranteed income supplements are calculated on the income you report on your income tax and benefit return each year, your benefits may be reduced accordingly.

PRPP withdrawals

While the Income Tax Act places no restrictions on withdrawing funds from your PRPP account at any time, it does place limits on the credits available to you depending on your age when you receive payments. For example, if you receive payments from your PRPP before you are 65 years of age, you will not be eligible for pension income splitting or the pension income amount.

The Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act also limits the distributions (withdrawals) that you can make to ensure that your PRPP funds are available for your retirement. Similar to other RPPs, the funds in your PRPP are generally "locked-in" and cannot be withdrawn before you retire from employment.

You cannot for example, withdraw amounts from your PRPP to participate in the HBP or LLP. For more information, refer to PRPP life events or visit the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada for information about pension unlocking.

PRPP life events

Although the legislation indicates that the funds within a PRPP are to be used for retirement purposes, the Income Tax Act does provide for certain situations where the funds are distributed prior to retirement age, and to someone other than the PRPP member.

Death of a PRPP member

When the member of a PRPP dies, where there is no successor member, the CRA considers that all property held in the PRPP is deemed to have been distributed immediately before the date of death. The fair market value (FMV) of the assets held in the PRPP account less amounts distributed to qualifying survivors is included on the deceased member's final income tax and benefit return.

A beneficiary will not have to pay tax on any amount paid out of the deceased member’s PRPP account if it can reasonably be regarded as having been included in the deceased member’s income.

For complete detailed information on the death of a PRPP member, refer to Information Sheet RC4178, Death of a RRIF Annuitant, PRPP Member, or ALDA Annuitant.

Breakdown of marriage or common‑law partnership

A former or current spouse or common‑law partner of a PRPP member who is entitled to the funds from the member’s PRPP account as a result of a breakdown of the marriage or common-law partnership, may directly transfer the lump-sum amount to either:

Chapter 9 – Advanced life deferred annuity (ALDA) transfers

For 2020 and later taxation years, you can transfer certain amounts from an RRSP, a RRIF, a PRPP, a money purchase RPP, or a DPSP to purchase an ALDA, using Form T2157, Direct Transfer from a Registered Plan to Purchase an ALDA. An ALDA is a life annuity where the annuity payments must be started before the end of the year in which you turn 85 years of age. An ALDA is payable for as long as you live, or if it is a joint-lives annuity, for as long as you or your spouse or common-law partner lives.

Tax on ALDA cumulative excess amounts

If you make a transfer to purchase an ALDA, either of the following purchases may result in an ALDA cumulative excess amount which is subject to tax:

ALDA cumulative excess amounts are subject to a tax of 1% per month for every month they are left in the ALDA at the end of the month.

If your ALDA purchases are subject to tax, you have to complete and file a T1-OVP-ALDA return on or before the filing due date of your income tax and benefit return.

Penalty – If you owe tax in a year and do not file your T1-OVP-ALDA return on or before the filing due date of your income tax and benefit return, the CRA will charge you a late-filing penalty. The penalty is 5% of your balance owing, plus 1% of your balance owing for each month that your T1-OVP-ALDA return is late, to a maximum of 12 months. Your late-filing penalty may be higher if the CRA charged you a late-filing penalty on your T1-OVP-ALDA return for any of the three previous years.

Attach your payment to your completed T1-OVP-ALDA return and submit it to: 

Canada Revenue Agency
Sudbury Tax Centre
Pension Workflow Team
Post Office Box 20000, Station A
Sudbury ON  P3A 5C1

If you do not pay your tax by the deadline, you may also have to pay interest that accumulated on any unpaid amount.

Interest – If you have a balance owing in a year, the CRA charges compound daily interest starting on the 91st day of the following year on any unpaid amounts owing for that year. This includes any balance owing if we reassess your T1-OVP-ALDA return. In addition, the CRA will charge you interest on the penalties indicated in the previous section, starting on that 91st day.

Waiver or cancellation of tax

If you determined that you must pay a tax on your ALDA cumulative excess amount, you may ask in writing that the CRA waives or cancels the tax if both of the following conditions are met:

Note

A waiver refers to the tax that is otherwise payable by a taxpayer for which relief is granted by the CRA before this amount is assessed or charged to the taxpayer. A cancellation refers to the amount of tax that was assessed or charged to the taxpayer for which relief is granted by the CRA.

To consider your request, the CRA will need you to send a letter that explains:

Send your letters and supporting documents (such as copies of your ALDA account statements that identify the date you withdrew your cumulative excess amount as well as any other correspondence that shows that your cumulative excess amount arose due to a reasonable error) to: 

Canada Revenue Agency
Sudbury Tax Centre
Pension Workflow Team
Post Office Box 20000, Station A
Sudbury ON  P3A 5C1

For more information on cancellation or waiver of late-filing penalties and interest, refer to Information Circular IC07-1R1, Taxpayer Relief Provisions.

Death of an ALDA annuitant

For complete detailed information on the death of an ALDA annuitant, refer to Information Sheet RC4178, Death of a RRIF Annuitant, a PRPP Member, or ALDA Annuitant.

Chapter 10 – First home savings account (FHSA) transfers

For 2023 and later taxation years, you can transfer property from your RRSP to your FHSA. For more information, go to First Home Savings Account (FHSA).

Transfer from an RRSP to an FHSA

To complete a direct transfer from your RRSPs to your FHSAs, fill out Form RC720, Transfer from your RRSP to your FHSA and give it to your financial institution.

If you make a direct transfer from your RRSPs to your FHSAs, the transfer will reduce your unused FHSA participation room.

The transfer of property from your RRSPs to your FHSAs will not restore your unused RRSP deduction room.

If you have RRSP excess contributions at the time of the transfer from your RRSPs, the transfer of property to your FHSAs will not reduce or eliminate your excess RRSP contributions.

Transfer from an FHSA to an RRSP or RRIF

You will be allowed to transfer property from your FHSAs to your RRSPs or RRIFs without any immediate tax consequences, as long as it is a direct transfer and you do not have an excess FHSA amount.

You can only directly transfer property from your FHSAs to your RRSPs or RRIFs under which you are the annuitant of the plan or fund.

If you do not do a direct transfer, the amount you withdraw from your FHSAs would be a taxable withdrawal and would be treated as a new RRSP contribution. That new contribution would reduce your unused RRSP deduction room and could result in RRSP excess contributions in certain cases.

To complete a direct transfer from your FHSAs to your RRSPs or RRIFs, fill out Form RC721, Transfer from your FHSA to your FHSA, RRSP or RRIF and give it to your financial institution.

Tax deduction on transfer from an RRSP to an FHSA

Contributions that you make to your FHSAs are generally deductible on your income tax and benefit return for the year of the contribution or a future year, similar to RRSP contributions. However. it is important to note that transfers from your RRSPs to your FHSAs are not deductible.

Digital services

Digital services for individuals

The CRA's digital services are fast, easy, and secure!

My Account

My Account lets you view and manage your personal income tax and benefit information online.

Use My Account throughout the year to:

To sign in to or register for the CRA's digital services, go to:

Receive your CRA mail online

Set your correspondence preference to “Electronic mail” to receive email notifications when CRA mail, like your notice of assessment, is available in your account.

For more information, go to Email notifications from the CRA – Individuals.

Electronic payments

Make your payment using:

For more information, go to Payments to the CRA.

Guides

Information sheets

Forms

Interpretation bulletins and income tax folios

Information circulars

For more information

If you need help

If you need more information after reading this guide, go to Taxes or call 1-800-959-8281.

Direct deposit

Direct deposit is a fast, convenient, and secure way to receive your CRA payments directly in your account at a financial institution in Canada. For more information and ways to enrol, go to Direct deposit - Canada Revenue Agency or contact your financial institution.

Forms and publications

The CRA encourages you to file your return electronically. If you need a paper version of the CRA’s forms and publications, go to Forms and publications or call 1-800-959-8281.

Electronic mailing lists

The CRA can send you an email when new information on a subject of interest to you is available on the website. To subscribe to the electronic mailing lists, go to Canada Revenue Agency electronic mailing lists.

Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS)

For tax information by telephone, use the CRA's automated service, TIPS, by calling 1-800-267-6999.

Teletypewriter (TTY) and Video Relay Service (Canada VRS) users

If you use a TTY for a hearing or speech impairment, call 1-800-665-0354.

If you use the Canada VRS application, call 1-800-561-6393.

If you use another operator-assisted relay service, call the CRA's regular telephone numbers instead of the TTY or Canada VRS numbers.

Formal disputes (objections and appeals)

You have the right to file a formal dispute if you disagree with an assessment, determination, or decision.

For more information, go to File an objection.

CRA service feedback program

Service complaints

You can expect to be treated fairly under clear and established rules, and get a high level of service each time you deal with the CRA. For more information about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, go to Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

You may provide compliments or suggestions, and if you are not satisfied with the service you received:

  1. Try to resolve the matter with the employee you have been dealing with or call the telephone number provided in the correspondence you received from the CRA. If you do not have contact information for the CRA, go to Contact the Canada Revenue Agency.
  2. If you have not been able to resolve your service-related issue, you can ask to discuss the matter with the employee’s supervisor
  3. If the problem is still not resolved, you can file a service-related complaint by filling out Form RC193, Service Feedback. For more information and to learn how to file a complaint, go to Send feedback about CRA service.

If you are not satisfied with how the CRA has handled your service-related complaint, you can submit a complaint to the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson.

Reprisal complaints

If you have received a response regarding a previously submitted service complaint or a formal review of a CRA decision and feel you were not treated impartially by a CRA employee, you can submit a reprisal complaint by filling out Form RC459, Reprisal Complaint.

For more information, go to Reprisal Complaints.

Due dates

When a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday recognized by the CRA, your return is considered on time if the CRA receives it or if it is postmarked on or before the next business day.

For more information, go to Due dates and payment dates.

Cancel or waive penalties and interest

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers legislation, commonly called the taxpayer relief provisions, that gives the CRA discretion to cancel or waive penalties and interest when taxpayers cannot meet their tax obligations due to circumstances beyond their control.

The CRA's discretion to grant relief is limited to any period that ended within 10 calendar years before the year in which a relief request is made.

For penalties, the CRA will consider your request only if it relates to a tax year or fiscal period ending in any of the 10 calendar years before the year in which you make your request. For example, your request made in 2024 must relate to a penalty for a tax year or fiscal period ending in 2014 or later.

For interest on a balance owing for any tax year or fiscal period, the CRA will consider only the amounts that accrued during the 10 calendar years before the year in which you make your request. For example, your request made in 2024 must relate to interest that accrued in 2014 or later.

Taxpayer relief requests can be made online using the CRA's My Account, My Business Account (MyBA) or Represent a Client digital services:

You can also fill out Form RC4288, Request for Taxpayer Relief - Cancel or Waive Penalties and Interest, and send it in one of the following ways:

For information on the “Submit documents online” service, go to Submit documents online.

For more details on the required supporting documents, relief from penalties and interest and other related forms and publications, go to Cancel or waive penalties and interest at the CRA.

Page details

Date modified: