# TFSA Calculator: Your Contribution Room by Birth Year

> Work out how much TFSA room you have left in 2026 from your birth year, deposits and withdrawals, and test tax-free growth on yearly saving

If you've lived in Canada as an adult since 2009, you've collected $109,000 of TFSA room by 2026, and $69,000 of it is still open if $40,000 went in earlier. Enter your birth year and past deposits to get your own number.

## How does TFSA room build up?

Your first room shows up in the year you turn 18, provided you're a resident then. After that the government adds the year's limit every January, and unused room never expires. Years abroad as a non-resident add nothing. Because the annual amounts have changed over time, two people of different ages end up with very different totals.

| Years | Annual limit |
| --- | --- |
| 2009 to 2012 | $5,000 |
| 2013 and 2014 | $5,500 |
| 2015 | $10,000 |
| 2016 to 2018 | $5,500 |
| 2019 to 2022 | $6,000 |
| 2023 | $6,500 |
| 2024 to 2026 | $7,000 |

Every year in that list matches the CRA's [table of RRSP, TFSA and pension limits](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/registered-plans-administrators/pspa/mp-rrsp-dpsp-tfsa-limits-ympe.html).

## What would my room be?

Take someone born in 1985 who has lived here since at least 2009. They collect every limit through 2026, a total of $109,000. After $40,000 of deposits and no withdrawals, room for 2026 is $69,000.

Born in 2000? You turned 18 in 2018, so counting starts there. Room from 2018 to 2026 adds up to $57,000, and with nothing deposited yet, all of it is available.

The tool can also test a savings plan. Put $7,000 a year into a TFSA for 20 years, paid in as equal monthly amounts, at a 5% yearly return and it grows to $239,770. Of that, $99,770 is growth nobody taxes. That's about $583 a month, a ballpark most people can set up as an automatic deposit. The return is your own guess, so lower it to see a cautious case.

## I moved to Canada as an adult, does that change it?

It does, and this is what the second field is for. Room counts from the later of the year you turned 18 and the year you began living here. Someone who moved in 2020 gets $45,500 of total room through 2026, and the calculator shows that in its second row. If you've always lived in Canada, enter 2009 or earlier.

## What happens when I withdraw money or overshoot?

A withdrawal gives the room back only at the start of the next calendar year. Put the money back in the same year and you can go over. The penalty is 1% of the excess each month until it's fixed.

When you withdraw from your TFSA, you will regain the same amount as new available contribution room on January 1 of the following year.

Calculate your contribution room, [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/tax-free-savings-account/contributing/calculate-room.html)
Picture Ravi in Regina, who has used every dollar of his room and takes $10,000 out in June for a car repair. If he puts $10,000 back in September, he's $10,000 over, and the tax runs at $100 a month until the excess is gone or the new year restores the room. The CRA's advice, on its page about [what to do if you over-contribute](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/tax-free-savings-account/contributing/overcontribute.html), is to withdraw the excess as soon as possible.

The tool counts from the totals you type. It can't read your records, so a forgotten deposit or a transfer between institutions can skew the answer. For the official figure, look at your notice of assessment or your online account with the tax agency.

## Should I use a TFSA, an RRSP or something else?

A TFSA gives no deduction, but you pay no tax when the money comes out. The RRSP is the reverse, a deduction today and tax on withdrawals later, and the [RRSP tax savings calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/rrsp-retirement/rrsp-calculator) lets you weigh the two. Saving for a first home? There's a dedicated account, covered by the [FHSA calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/rrsp-retirement/fhsa-calculator). To see if your savings can carry you through later years, use the [retirement savings calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/rrsp-retirement/retirement-calculator). And for a plain comparison with a GIC, the [GIC calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/savings-budget/gic-calculator) shows the interest.

## How we checked the figures

The annual limits are from the federal registered plan tables for 2009 to 2026, and the cumulative total is those yearly amounts added up. Results are estimates. No level of government runs or endorses this site.

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Source: https://tax-services.ca/calculators/rrsp-retirement/tfsa-calculator
Last updated: 2026-10-08
Independent information site. Not affiliated with the CRA. No services, no guarantee of accuracy. See https://tax-services.ca/disclaimer
