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The RRSP deadline for the 2025 tax year was March 2, 2026, according to the CRA. The CRA pages we read give no date yet for the 2026 tax year. By our calculation it is March 1, 2027, the 60th day of the year. A contribution in that window can be claimed on the earlier year's return.
What does the first-60-days rule mean for an RRSP?
The first-60-days rule lets a contribution made in the first 60 days of a calendar year count toward the previous tax year's deduction. CRA's guide T4040 describes contributions made in the first 60 days of a year that can be deducted for the prior year, and it warns that unreported contributions can leave you with a deduction that is reduced or disallowed.
In practice there are two windows for any one tax year. A contribution made during the year itself counts for that year, and one made in the first 60 days after the year ends can also be claimed for it. A contribution made in January or February can therefore be used on last year's return or held for the current one. The choice is yours when you file.
CRA's own page for the 2025 tax year gives the clearest picture: it says to attach receipts for all contributions made from March 4, 2025, to March 2, 2026. That span is the 2025 window plus the 60-day tail. Our guide to how the CRA tracks your room and deadlines covers the room side of the same rule.
What is the RRSP deadline for the 2026 tax year, and for 2025?
For the 2025 tax year the CRA deadline was March 2, 2026, and that date has passed. The CRA due dates page lists it as the deadline to contribute to an RRSP, a PRPP or an SPP, and the T4040 guide says the same: March 2, 2026, is the deadline for contributing for the 2025 tax year.
For the 2026 tax year, the CRA pages we read did not yet print a date. By our calculation, the first 60 days of 2027 end on March 1, 2027. We count 31 days in January plus 28 in February, which is 59, so day 60 is March 1. This is our arithmetic, not a CRA statement, so check the CRA due dates page once it lists the 2027 filing dates.
| Tax year | Contribution window that counts | Last day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | March 4, 2025 to March 2, 2026 | March 2, 2026 (passed) | CRA, stated |
| 2026 | Year 2026 plus first 60 days of 2027 | March 1, 2027 | Our calculation |
If you are reading this in November 2026, you are inside the 2026 year itself. Anything you put in before December 31, 2026, counts for 2026, and the extra weeks in early 2027 are a second chance for the same year. Our 2027 tax calendar lists the other dates around it.
What happens when the 60th day falls on a weekend?
The CRA pages we read do not state a weekend rule for the RRSP deadline, so there is nothing official to quote on it. What they do show is the result for 2025: the 60th day of 2026 was March 1, which was a Sunday (our calendar check), and the CRA lists March 2, 2026, a Monday, as the deadline.
That pattern suggests the date moved to the next business day, but the CRA pages do not spell it out, so treat it as an observation and not as a rule. For 2026 the question does not arise on our count, because March 1, 2027, is a Monday.
The safe habit is to read the date on the CRA due dates page for the year you are filing, and to avoid contributing on the last day. Your financial institution needs time to process the deposit, and a contribution that lands after the deadline counts for the following year instead.
How much can you put in, and where does the 18% come from?
Your RRSP deduction limit is generally 18% of your earned income from the previous year, up to a yearly dollar maximum, plus any unused room carried forward. The T4040 guide calls this your RRSP dollar limit and ties it to prior-year earned income.
The CRA limits table shows the dollar maximums: $32,490 for 2025, $33,810 for 2026 and $35,390 for 2027. So a contribution made in the first 60 days of 2027 and claimed for 2026 falls under the 2026 limit of $33,810 (based on 2025 earned income), not the 2027 figure. The $35,390 maximum applies to the 2027 tax year, and it is worked from your 2026 earned income.
Your personal number sits on your latest notice of assessment, and it can be lower than the maximum. Our pages on the 2027 RRSP limit and what counts as earned income go through the inputs. Unused room carries forward, and the T4040 guide says unused RRSP deduction room can be carried forward indefinitely.
What if you contribute more than your limit?
The CRA allows a cushion of $2,000, and tax applies beyond it. T4040 describes excess contributions as amounts above your RRSP deduction limit for the year plus $2,000, and it says you may have to pay a tax of 1% per month on those contributions.
Here is a simple example. Say your limit is $10,000 and you contribute $13,000. The excess over your limit is $3,000, and $2,000 of that falls inside the cushion. The part beyond the cushion is $1,000, so the 1% monthly tax would apply to $1,000 (about $10 a month). This is our worked example of the rule as stated, not a CRA figure.
The cushion matters at the deadline because first-60-days contributions count toward the prior-year limit when you claim them, but they still add to your total contributions. See the over-contribution penalty guide for the full mechanics and what happens when you go over.
How do you claim a contribution made in the first 60 days?
You claim it on the return for the earlier year, on line 20800, and keep or attach the receipt that shows the contribution. The CRA line 20800 page says to enter your RRSP deduction claim on that line and to attach Schedule 7 if you are required to fill it out.
For the paper return, the same page says to attach receipts for all contributions made from March 4, 2025, to March 2, 2026 (for the 2025 return). Your issuer's receipt shows the contribution date, which tells you which tax year it can serve.
You do not have to deduct everything at once. Unused contributions can be carried forward and deducted in a later year, up to that year's deduction limit, according to the CRA pages. Our guide on claiming your RRSP deduction walks through the line.
What does this mean for the 2026 return filed in 2027?
A contribution made between January 1 and March 1, 2027 (our calculated date) can be deducted on the 2026 return, which you file in the spring of 2027. A contribution made after that date belongs to the 2027 tax year and goes on the return you file in 2028.
The CRA pages we read give no 2027 filing dates yet, so those dates are not listed here. Use the CRA due dates page when it is updated. Our RRSP contribution limit and deadline page covers the 2026 side of the same story.
Compare the 2026 limit of $33,810 with your own number on the latest notice of assessment before contributing. The RRSP calculator shows the refund effect of different amounts.
Where does this information come from?
The facts here come from the CRA pages named in the sources below, checked on 7 November 2026. Dates marked as our calculation are ours, not the CRA's. This is an independent information site: it provides no services, does not represent the CRA or any organization, collects information from open sources, and does not guarantee that it is accurate or current. It accepts no liability for how the information is used. Check the official source before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the RRSP deadline for the 2026 tax year?
The CRA pages we read do not print it yet. By our calculation, the 60th day of 2027 is March 1, 2027, a Monday. Check the CRA due dates page for the official date before you rely on it.
What was the deadline for the 2025 tax year?
The CRA lists March 2, 2026 as the deadline to contribute for the 2025 tax year. That date has passed, so a contribution made now counts for 2026.
How much can I over-contribute without a penalty?
CRA's guide T4040 describes excess contributions as amounts above your RRSP deduction limit plus $2,000. Beyond that, you may have to pay a tax of 1% per month on the excess.
Is the 2027 limit of $35,390 used for my March 2027 contribution?
The CRA limits table shows $35,390 for 2027 and $33,810 for 2026. A contribution made in the first 60 days of 2027 and claimed for 2026 falls under the 2026 limit.
Where do I claim a first-60-days contribution?
On line 20800 of the return for the earlier year, with the receipt that shows the contribution. The CRA says to attach Schedule 7 if you are required to complete it.