Making RRSP contributions
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A summary of the key rules for RRSP contributions
Your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions are tax deductible. That means you can claim them as a tax deduction when you file your income tax return — and lower the tax you pay.
How much you can contribute each year
There are limits on how much you can contribute each year to your own RRSPs and your spouse's RRSPs. Your total contribution room for the year is the lower of:
- 18% of your earned income for the previous year, or
- the maximum contribution amount for the current tax year: $22,450 for 2011.
If you are a member of a pension plan, your pension adjustment will reduce the amount you can contribute to your RRSP.
Find your RRSP deduction limit for the current year
Look at the RRSP Deduction Limit Statement on your most recent Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). You receive this Notice of Assessment after you file your tax return. You can also view your deduction limit online if you register for CRA's My Account.
You can make regular monthly RRSP contributions through a Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD), Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) or a payroll savings plan.
Be aware of the contribution deadline
You have 60 days after the end of the year (usually until March 1, or February 29 in a leap year) to make your RRSP contribution for the previous year. For the 2011 tax year, February 29, 2012 is the deadline.
Carrying forward unused contribution room
If you don’t have the money to contribute to your RRSP this year, you can carry forward your contribution room indefinitely to future years. This unused contribution room will be taken into account on your RRSP Deduction Limit Statement, which you can find on your most recent Notice of Assessment or on CRA's My Account.
Example: Your contribution room was $15,000 in 2010 but you didn't make an RRSP contribution. You carry this forward to 2011. If your 2011 contribution room is $22,450 (the maximum amount), you can make total RRSP contributions of $37,450 ($15,000 + $22,450) in 2011.
Thinking about taking out a loan to make your RRSP contribution?Make sure you can afford to make the loan payments and plan to pay back the loan right away. Consider using your tax refund to help pay down the loan. Interest charges are not tax-deductible. They can add up and offset the initial benefit of making the RRSP contribution. Learn more about
borrowing to contribute to an RRSP.
Unused RRSP contributions
You don't have to deduct an RRSP contribution on your tax return in the same year you make the contribution. You can wait and deduct it in a future year. You may choose to do this if you think your income will be higher in the future, moving you up to a higher tax bracket. This is called having unused RRSP contributions. Learn more about how it works.
What happens if you over-contribute
In general, you have to pay a tax if your unused RRSP contributions exceed the RRSP deduction limit shown on your latest Notice of Assessment by more than $2,000. The tax is 1% per month on the excess amount. Learn more about excess RRSP contributions.