Tools · TFSA

TFSA Over-Contribution Risk Checker

Can you still contribute this year without over-contributing? Six questions give an estimate of your TFSA room right now and the room that comes back on January 1. The checker flags the two traps behind most over-contributions: putting a same-year withdrawal back in, and room that has already gone below zero.

Last reviewed: 2026 tax yearEducational only: an estimate from your records, not CRA's figure.

What year were you born?

TFSA room starts the year you turn 18, with the full limit for that year even if your birthday is late in the year. You also need to be a Canadian resident with a valid SIN CRA, verified 2026-09-29.
Did you become a Canadian tax resident after turning 18?Newcomers start building room the year they become a Canadian resident, not from 2009 CRA, verified 2026-09-29. Room starts in whichever is later: the year you turn 18 or the year you became a resident.
Any full years as a non-resident since then?

Tick each calendar year you were a non-resident of Canada for the whole year. No room builds for those years, so the checker takes out that year's limit. Leave them all blank if none.

How much have you deposited into TFSAs, ever?Contributions means every dollar you ever deposited, even if you later withdrew it. Include all banks and brokerages, all years. Do not include direct institution-to-institution transfers; they don't affect room CRA, verified 2026-09-29. Enter Canadian dollars; deposits made in another currency count at that day's exchange rate.
How much did you withdraw before 2026?All TFSAs, all years before 2026. These came back as room on January 1 after each withdrawal, including any growth. Leave out direct transfers between institutions.
Have you withdrawn anything in 2026?These are not room yet. They come back on January 1, 2027 CRA, verified 2026-09-29.Including money you took out earlier this year and want to put back.

Worked example. Josie turned 18 in 2020, so her room starts in 2020. She has deposited $30,000 in total, withdrew $5,000 in 2025, and withdrew $2,000 in June 2026. Room now = $45,500 − $30,000 + $5,000 = $20,500. The $2,000 she took out in 2026 comes back on January 1, 2027. If she deposits that $2,000 back now, it counts as a new contribution against her $20,500.

Answer the questions to see your own numbers.

Estimate as of October 1, 2026

About $20,500 can go in during 2026 without going over, based on your answers.

Room now$20,500
Room returning January 1, 2027+$2,000

An estimate from your answers, not CRA's figure.

The January 1 reset

Withdrawn so far in 2026 (your entry)$2,000
Comes back as room on January 1, 2027 CRA, verified 2026-09-29+$2,000

Until then it is not room. Putting it back in during 2026 counts as a new contribution against the $20,500 estimated above. The full amount withdrawn comes back, including any growth.

The 2027 annual limit is also added on January 1, 2027. It has not been announced yet, so it is not included here.

How the estimate adds up

Cumulative room, 2020 to 2026 CRA, verified 2026-09-29$45,500
Lifetime contributions (your entry)−$30,000
Withdrawals up to December 31, 2025 (your entry)+$5,000
Estimated room now$20,500

Room starts in 2020, the year you turned 18. Each year adds that year's limit, even if the birthday or move came late in the year. Market growth and losses never change room; only deposits and withdrawals do.

Year-by-year limits
2020$6,000
2021$6,000
2022$6,000
2023$6,500
2024$7,000
2025$7,000
2026$7,000

Check it against CRA

CRA's number can be months behind: banks file by end of February, and your own records are the real-time truth. This tool is only as accurate as your lifetime totals. CRA, verified 2026-09-29

An estimate from your own records, not financial advice or CRA's figure. Limits change annually; figures are 2026.

Assumptions behind this estimate

  • Your lifetime totals are taken as entered estimate. The result is only as accurate as those totals. It is never CRA's figure; CRA My Account has the official number, and it can lag by months CRA, verified 2026-09-29.
  • Room builds a full year's limit for each year you were 18 or older and a resident. The 2026 limit is $7,000; someone eligible since 2009 who never contributed has $109,000 CRA, verified 2026-09-29. Year-by-year limits: CRA, verified 2026-09-29.
  • Withdrawals come back on January 1 of the next year, never the same year CRA, verified 2026-09-29. The 2027 annual limit is not announced yet and is left out.
  • Over-contributions are taxed at 1% a month on the highest excess in each month CRA, verified 2026-09-29, reported on Form RC243 by June 30, 2027 CRA, verified 2026-09-29.
  • Only whole years as a non-resident remove room. Deposits made while a non-resident being taxed at 1% a month comes from a secondary source re-verify.
  • Transfers are left out. Direct institution-to-institution transfer does not affect room; withdrawing then re-contributing does CRA, verified 2026-09-29.
  • Canadian dollars only. Deposits made in another currency count at that day's exchange rate for CRA purposes; this version does not convert them.
  • Not covered here: successor holders and inherited TFSAs follow different rules (see CRA's TFSA pages). The checker does not connect to CRA and never asks for a CRA login, and it does not model investment returns.

This checker is education, not advice. It shows an estimate from your answers and does not tell you what to do. For your official room, see CRA My Account.

Sources and dates

Figures from CRA pages on canada.ca, checked 2026-09-29; 2026 tax year.

  • 2026 TFSA annual contribution limit: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2026-12-31)
  • TFSA annual limit history by band: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2026-12-31)
  • Maximum cumulative TFSA room at end of 2026 (eligible since 2009): www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2026-12-31)
  • TFSA eligibility: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2027-01-01)
  • TFSA withdrawal room restoration: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2027-01-01)
  • TFSA excess-contribution tax: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2027-01-01)
  • TFSA excess-tax filing (RC243) deadline: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2027-01-01)
  • CRA My Account TFSA room update lag: www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2027-01-01)
  • TFSA formal transfer (no room consumed): www.canada.ca, verified 2026-09-29 (refresh due 2027-01-01)

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