RRSP Contribution Limits 2026: Room, Deadlines, and the 18% Rule
How much you can put into an RRSP is not a round number you choose — it is a limit the Canada Revenue Agency calculates from your income, your pension, and your history. Get it wrong and you pay 1% a month on the excess. Get it right and you get the full deduction you are owed. The 2026 limit is $33,810, or 18% of your 2025 earned income, whichever is less — minus your pension adjustment, plus any unused room from earlier years.
In short
For 2026 you can contribute the lesser of $33,810 and 18% of your 2025 earned income, minus your pension adjustment, plus unused room carried forward from earlier years. Contributions for the 2026 tax year must be made by 1 March 2027 — the first 60 days of 2027. The last contribution you can ever make is 31 December of the year you turn 71.
The 18% rule
Your RRSP room is based on the earned income of the previous year. Earned income means employment income, self-employment income, and a few other kinds — not investment income, not capital gains, not pension income. Take 18% of that figure. If you earned $100,000 in 2025, 18% is $18,000, so that is your starting room for 2026. If you earned $200,000, 18% is $36,000, but the dollar limit caps it at $33,810.
The dollar limit
| Tax year | Dollar limit |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,490 |
| 2026 | $33,810 |
| 2027 | $35,390 (already set) |
The dollar limit rises with average wages. It is already set for 2027 at $35,390, so you can plan ahead. The limit that applies to you is the lower of the dollar limit and 18% of your prior-year earned income.
The pension adjustment
If you belong to a registered pension plan at work, your RRSP room is reduced by a pension adjustment — the value of the pension benefits you earned that year, shown in box 52 of your T4. Someone with a generous defined-benefit pension may have little or no RRSP room at all. The pension adjustment is the reason two people with the same salary can have very different RRSP limits, and it is also the reason you should never guess your room: check it.
Unused room carries forward
Room you do not use never expires. If your limit was $20,000 last year and you contributed $5,000, the other $15,000 stays available and is added to this year's room. Unused room carries forward indefinitely, which is why a person who starts contributing late in life can often make very large catch-up contributions. Your Notice of Assessment shows your exact room, and so does CRA My Account.
The 60-day deadline
Contributions for a tax year can be made in the first 60 days of the following year and still count for that tax year. For the 2026 tax year, the deadline is 1 March 2027 — the 60th day of 2027. Money contributed between 1 January and 1 March 2027 can be claimed on either the 2026 return or the 2027 return, but not both. The CRA's important-dates page is the place to confirm the date each year.
Finding your room
Your exact RRSP deduction limit is printed on your Notice of Assessment after you file, and it is shown in CRA My Account under RRSP and TFSA information. It already reflects your pension adjustment and your carried-forward room. If you contribute more than that limit, the first $2,000 of excess is covered by a lifetime buffer — anything above it is taxed at 1% a month, as the over-contributions guide explains.
Related guides
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency, RRSP, Canada Revenue Agency, RRSPs and related plans.