Skip to content
Huard & Co

Contribution room

The limit on what you can put into a registered account. It isn’t money you have: it’s a permission that builds up over time.

The 2026 numbers

$7,000
TFSA: new room in 2026
$33,810
RRSP: 2026 limit
$8,000
FHSA: room per year

Numbers checked against the official sources on September 28, 2026.

What it’s for

  • Knowing how much you can put into a , or without a penalty.
  • Understanding that waiting costs you nothing on a TFSA or RRSP: unused room adds up.

Who it’s for

  • Anyone who saves, or plans to save, in a registered account.

How it works

  1. TFSA: $7,000 of new room in 2026. It builds from 2009 or the year you turn 18, and a withdrawal becomes room again the next January 1.

  2. RRSP: 18% of last year’s earned income, up to $33,810, minus any pension adjustment from a workplace plan. Unused room carries forward with no limit.

  3. FHSA: $8,000 a year once the account is open, carry-forward up to $8,000, $40,000 for life.

  4. Going over your room costs 1% of the excess a month. The RRSP allows a $2,000 cushion.

  5. Your exact room is in My Account and on your notice of assessment.

An example

Léa, 24, has never saved

She thinks she has no room at all. In fact:

TFSA room since 2020
$45,500
Money that room gives her
$0

Room tells her how much she can shelter from tax, not how much she has.

Fictional example, round numbers.

Common mistakes

  • Reading “$8,000 less room” as money lost: it’s missing permission to contribute, not dollars.
  • Tracking deposits and withdrawals from memory: an excess costs you every month.
  • Assuming RRSP room is 18% of pay for everyone: a reduces it.

In Huard & Co

Read next

General information to help you understand, not personalized advice. Rules change: every number links to its official source.