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Steven Alexander CPA Inc.accounting. advisory. growth.
Tax-Free Savings Account · Canada

The TFSA, in plain language.

The Tax-Free Savings Account is the simplest registered account Canada has — tax-free growth, withdraw anytime, no strings attached. The one rule that trips people up: when you withdraw, the room doesn't come back until January 1 of the following year.

Annual room (2026)
$7,000

Added to your room every January 1 — even if you've never opened a TFSA.

Cumulative max
$109,000

If you were 18 or older in 2009 and have never contributed.

Tax on growth
None.

Interest, dividends, capital gains — all tax-free, forever.

Should you use a TFSA or an RRSP?

Try the head-to-head comparison tool — with the RRSP refund reinvested, for an apples-to-apples answer.

Open the comparison tool
Your accumulated room

Every year adds room. None of it expires.

Room started accumulating in 2009 — or the year you turned 18, if that came later. Enter your birth year and the chart re-bases to you.

Showing the full history since 2009.

Cumulative maximum room, 2026
$109,000

If you were 18 or older in 2009 and have never contributed or withdrawn.

Room started accumulating
2009 — the first TFSA year

18 years of annual additions counted.

Counts toward your room Before you turned 18 — no room earned
Total room accumulated running cumulative, if never contributed $109,000 $0 $30k $60k $90k $120k Room added that year the annual TFSA dollar limit $10,000 $0 $5k $10k 2009 2012 2015 2018 2021 2024 2026

Swipe the chart sideways to see every year →

Year-by-year table
Annual TFSA dollar limits and the running cumulative total, 2009–2026.
Year Your age Added that year Running total
2009$5,000$5,000
2010$5,000$10,000
2011$5,000$15,000
2012$5,000$20,000
2013$5,500$25,500
2014$5,500$31,000
2015$10,000$41,000
2016$5,500$46,500
2017$5,500$52,000
2018$5,500$57,500
2019$6,000$63,500
2020$6,000$69,500
2021$6,000$75,500
2022$6,000$81,500
2023$6,500$88,000
2024$7,000$95,000
2025$7,000$102,000
2026$7,000$109,000
Cumulative maximum room$109,000
How this is calculated.
  • You earn the full year's room in the calendar year you turn 18; there is no proration for your birthday.
  • Room is only added while you are a Canadian resident. Arrive in Canada after 18 and your room starts the year you became a resident.
  • The figures assume no contributions or withdrawals. Contributions reduce the room available today; withdrawals are added back the following January 1.
Your actual number is on CRA My Account — even that lags, since it only reflects what your issuers have reported. Treat this as the ceiling, not your balance.
The mechanics

How TFSA contribution room actually works.

The single rule most people miss is that withdrawal room doesn't come back in the same calendar year — it returns on January 1. Here's the full flow, step by step.

01

You have available room

This is the total amount you can deposit into your TFSA right now. It includes annual additions ($7,000 in 2026) plus any unused room you've been carrying forward — back to the year you turned 18 (or 2009, whichever came later).

Example: $50,000 of accumulated room
02

You make a contribution

Money you put in reduces your available room dollar-for-dollar. You can split contributions across as many TFSAs as you want, as long as the total stays within your room.

Contribute $50,000 → $0 room remaining
03

You make a withdrawal

The withdrawal itself is completely tax-free — the money is yours, no questions, no T-slip. But the room you withdrew is not restored until January 1 of the following year. Re-contributing the same year would push you into over-contribution territory.

Withdraw $50,000 → still $0 room until Jan 1
04

January 1 — your room resets

On January 1, the amount you withdrew the prior year is added back to your room, plus the new annual addition. You're free to contribute again — including up to the full restored amount in a single deposit.

$50,000 (restored) + $7,000 (2026 addition) = $57,000 available
Try it yourself

Walk through a TFSA scenario.

Set your starting room, make some moves, and watch how the room responds. The Jan 1 reset is where most over-contributions happen — test it below.

Year 1

Available contribution room

$50,000
Contributed YTD
$0
Withdrawn YTD
$0
Pending Jan 1 restore
$0
Account balance
$0
No transactions yet. Start by making a contribution.
Things to remember

Key rules & gotchas.

Rule

Room accumulates — forever

Unused room never expires. If you've never contributed and were 18+ in 2009, you have $109,000 of accumulated room as of 2026. Check the exact number on CRA My Account.

Gotcha

No re-contribution same year

If you withdraw and re-contribute in the same calendar year — and you've used all your room — you're over-contributing. CRA charges 1% per month on the excess.

Gotcha

Day trading is taxable

If CRA decides your TFSA is being used for "carrying on a business" (frequent trading, short holds, day-job-like patterns), the gains can become fully taxable. Stick to investing, not trading.

When to use it

Best use cases for the TFSA.

Long-term tax-free growth

Invest for 30 years and pay zero tax on the gains. Hard to beat. The TFSA is usually the right home for high-growth investments where the upside is biggest.

Emergency fund (sort of)

Money you might need to pull is fine here — withdrawals are tax-free. Just remember the room doesn't come back until Jan 1, so plan your re-contribution timing.

When your income is low today

RRSP contributions only really pay off when your tax rate today is higher than it'll be in retirement. If you're in a low bracket, the TFSA usually wins.

Ready when you are

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Reviewed by Steven Alexander, CPA · Updated