Canadian retirement planning · 2026 rules

Retire with a plan that keeps more in your pocket.

Compare retirement ages, registered-account withdrawals, Canada Pension Plan or Quebec Pension Plan timing, Old Age Security eligibility, and the tax trade-offs—before you decide.

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Start with the essentials

Amounts are annual, in today’s dollars

Your household

Current age

This planner is designed for Canadians approaching retirement.

Birth month

Used to flag benefit-application timing.

Province or territory

Used for the 2026 tax estimate.

Relationship status

Government benefits and taxes can use household information.

Partner’s current age

Partner’s years resident in Canada after 18

Count residence, not only years holding PR status.

Canadian residence and OAS

Why two questions?

Years since permanent residence are useful context, but Old Age Security generally uses complete years of Canadian residence after age 18. They are not the same test.

Years since becoming a permanent resident, as of now

Collected as requested; never substituted for the OAS residence test.

Years lived in Canada after age 18, as of now

Include eligible residence before PR; subtract material periods living abroad.

Current legal status

OAS has legal-status rules when an application is approved.

I am currently a Canadian tax resident

I expect to live in Canada when OAS starts

Add residence, treaty, or sponsorship details

I have lived outside Canada for a material period

Exact residence periods should be confirmed with Service Canada.

I lived or worked in a country with a Canadian social security agreement

Agreement years may help eligibility but generally do not add to the Canadian OAS numerator.

An immigration sponsorship undertaking may still be active in retirement

This can affect GIS eligibility and needs an official review.

Your strongest modeled path

Retire at 60, then coordinate each income decision.

Goals funded in the model

Test the recommendation

Adjust the timing and see your plan update

Best modeled defaults

The suggested values balance modeled spending coverage, after-tax ending value, government benefits, estimated tax cost, and your stated priority. They are not a guarantee of the legal minimum tax or maximum benefit.

RRSP / RRIF annual early-withdrawal target$92,500 gross

$0Best modeled: $92,500$100,000

Actual withdrawals can exceed this target for spending needs or required RRIF minimums. A $0 target models waiting and preserving registered savings.

CPP starting ageAge 70

60Best modeled: 7070

CPP is permanently adjusted for starting before or after age 65.

OAS requested starting ageAge 70

65Best modeled: 7070

Residence eligibility can move the effective payment age later than the requested age. GIS is unavailable while OAS is deferred.

Start CPPAge 70Compared from 60 to 70

Start OASAge 70Selected payment age

Estimated lifetime GIS$14,827Tax-free, using projected same-year income

Lifetime income tax$304,6842026 real-dollar estimate

Gross assets at age 93$1,144,065Includes pre-tax RRSP / RRIF savings

Income resilience

After-tax income vs. your spending plan

100% funded

Red markers identify modeled shortfall years. Hover, touch, or use the chart with arrow keys for age and a gross-source breakdown. Values are household totals in today’s Canadian dollars.

RRSP / RRIF withdrawal plan

Should you withdraw your RRSP earlier?

Earlier withdrawals improve the modeled outcome

Modeled instruction

Test $92,500 gross per year starting at age 60.

After the 30% tax reserve on registered savings left at the planning age, the selected withdrawal path finishes about $43,020 ahead of the matched wait path.

After-tax ending value vs wait+$43,020

Lifetime income tax saved vs wait+$72,690

Estimated GIS gained vs wait−$7,198

First modeled RRIF minimum$0None in horizon

Matched strategy	Annual early target	Withdrawn before 72	Lifetime income tax	Estimated GIS	OAS recovery	Est. after-tax assets at 93
Selected annual target	$92,500	$726,950	$304,684	$14,827	$0	$1,144,065
Smoothed	Varies yearly	$420,243	$307,762	$0	$0	$1,158,791
Wait / preserve	$0 planned	$2,682	$377,374	$22,025	$0	$1,101,045

Annual gross withdrawal schedule for the selected target

Age	Account phase	Your withdrawal	Partner withdrawal	Required minimum	Est. tax / GIS cost	Registered balance after withdrawal	Why
60	RRSP	$72,250	$20,250	$0	+$18,450	$577,505	Early tax-window target
61	RRSP	$72,250	$20,250	$0	+$18,450	$499,132	Early tax-window target
62	RRSP	$72,250	$20,250	$0	+$18,450	$418,842	Early tax-window target
63	RRSP	$72,250	$20,250	$0	+$18,450	$336,587	Early tax-window target
64	RRSP	$46,250	$46,250	$0	+$12,435	$252,321	Early tax-window target
65	RRIF option	$39,250	$53,250	$0	+$13,485	$165,993	Early tax-window target
66	RRIF option	$92,500	$0	$0	+$13,506	$77,553	Early tax-window target
67	RRIF option	$48,406	$31,045	$0	+$21,938	$0	Early tax-window target
68	RRIF option	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	Early tax-window target
69	RRIF option	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	No registered withdrawal
70	RRIF option	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	No registered withdrawal
71	RRIF option	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	No registered withdrawal
72	RRIF	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	No registered withdrawal

Gross amounts, not take-home amounts. RRSP withholding is only a tax prepayment; your final tax comes from the full return. RRSP withdrawals do not restore contribution room.

Age 65+ assumption. “RRIF option” assumes enough RRSP is converted to a RRIF for the planned payment so eligible income can be tested for the pension credit and splitting. Ordinary RRSP cash withdrawals do not receive the same treatment.

Suggested moves

Why this path rose to the top

On track

Retirement window: age 60

At the selected benefit and withdrawal settings, this path funds about 100% of modeled spending and preserves your legacy target within the age 60–67 window.

Compared 60–70

Start CPP at 70

Delaying increases the indexed lifetime payment. The trade-off is using other income sooner and needing to live long enough for the larger payment to catch up.

Service Canada check

OAS: review age 70

34 of 40 Canadian-residence years projected at application. Years since permanent residence are recorded but are not used as the OAS residence test. Partial OAS deferral, residence gaps, treaty history, and sponsorship require Service Canada confirmation.

Matched comparison

Target about $92,500 gross per year before 72

This early-withdrawal target was compared with several lower and higher amounts while holding the retirement, CPP/QPP, and OAS dates constant. It can smooth tax and reduce future RRIF minimums, but withdrawals are taxable and RRSP room is not restored.

Tax-free estimate

Estimated lifetime GIS: $14,827

The projection applies the official July–September 2026 GIS table formula and work-income exemption to projected same-year income. Actual July-to-June payments normally use prior-calendar-year income; after retirement or a pension reduction, Service Canada may accept an estimated-income form. Confirm before a taxable withdrawal.

Service Canada check

Partial-OAS GIS is approximate

The model applies the statutory missing-OAS adjustment to the basic GIS component, using Canadian residence years before any voluntary OAS deferral increase. Service Canada warns that public full-OAS tables do not give an individualized partial-pension amount.

Household tax

Test pension income splitting annually

Up to 50% of eligible pension income may be allocated to a spouse, but CPP/QPP and OAS are excluded. The best percentage is not always 50%, and it can affect credits and OAS recovery tax.

Trade-offs

Strong alternatives worth testing

Path	Retire	CPP	OAS	Spending funded	Tax estimate	Ending assets
Recommended	60	70	70	100%	$305K	$1M
Smoothed withdrawals	60	70	70	100%	$308K	$1M
Preserve registered savings	60	70	70	100%	$377K	$1M

Review selected annual projections

Age	Work	Pensions	CPP/QPP	OAS	GIS est.	RRSP/RRIF	Cash/TFSA/non-reg.	Income tax	After tax	Spending	Assets
58	$140K	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$25K	$117K	$71K	$926K
60	$54K	$0	$0	$0	$0	$93K	$0	$26K	$122K	$71K	$950K
63	$54K	$0	$0	$0	$0	$93K	$0	$26K	$122K	$71K	$893K
68	$0	$17K	$11K	$7K	$8K	$0	$29K	$589	$73K	$65K	$713K
70	$0	$17K	$30K	$16K	$0	$0	$39K	$5K	$100K	$90K	$696K
71	$0	$17K	$30K	$16K	$0	$0	$4K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$710K
72	$0	$17K	$30K	$16K	$0	$0	$4K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$724K
73	$0	$17K	$30K	$16K	$0	$0	$4K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$738K
75	$0	$17K	$30K	$17K	$0	$0	$3K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$769K
78	$0	$17K	$30K	$18K	$0	$0	$3K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$820K
83	$0	$17K	$30K	$18K	$0	$0	$3K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$915K
88	$0	$17K	$30K	$18K	$0	$0	$3K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$1M
93	$0	$17K	$30K	$18K	$0	$0	$3K	$4K	$66K	$65K	$1M

Method & sources

Useful for decisions. Honest about uncertainty.

This planner compares practical scenarios; it cannot guarantee the lowest tax or highest lifetime benefit. A lower tax bill does not always mean more lifetime income.

What the model includes

2026 federal and provincial/territorial tax brackets with basic credits
CPP timing factors from age 60–70; user-entered QPP timing for Quebec
OAS residence qualification, partial-pension caution, deferral, age-75 increase, and recovery tax
Matched early, smoothed, and wait-to-withdraw RRSP/RRIF plans with a best-modeled annual target and gross amounts by owner and year
RRIF minimums, age-65 RRIF pension-income options, OAS recovery, and a user-set tax reserve on remaining registered assets
Official July–September 2026 GIS table formulas, household categories, work-income exemption, and partial-OAS basic-benefit adjustment
Household pension-income splitting screen and retirement spending gaps

Material limits

GIS uses projected same-year steady-state income; normal July–June payments use prior-calendar-year income, while retirement or pension reductions may use an ISP-3041 estimate
Partial-OAS GIS is approximate; treaty, sponsorship, Allowance, and residence-outside-Canada cases go to the official estimator
Annual estimates do not reproduce monthly benefit lags or a complete tax return
Foreign tax, detailed capital gains, locked-in accounts, survivor/disability benefits, and exact spousal-RRSP attribution calculations are omitted
Returns are smooth assumptions, not a Monte Carlo forecast, and investment fees are not separately modeled

Owner guide

Build and publish retirementpath.ca on Cloudflare

This repository is configured as a Cloudflare Worker with static assets and both the apex and www custom domains. Deploy it with Wrangler rather than manually uploading the dist folder.

Check the zone. Confirm retirementpath.ca is active in Cloudflare account 2568df655577df03f162c7894aaceecf. In DNS, note any existing apex or www web records; do not remove mail-related MX or TXT records.
Install and sign in.
```
node --version
npm ci
npx wrangler login
npx wrangler whoami
```
Use Node 22.13 or newer and confirm Wrangler shows the intended account.
Verify locally.
```
npm test
npm run preview:cloudflare
```
Open the local preview and check a realistic plan before changing the live domain.
Publish.
```
npm run deploy:cloudflare
```
Wrangler builds and deploys the Worker, then Cloudflare creates the custom-domain DNS records and certificates. Remove only a conflicting apex or www CNAME or web record if Cloudflare reports one.
Confirm production. Visit retirementpath.ca and www.retirementpath.ca. Certificate setup can take a few minutes. Keep API tokens in protected CI secrets—never in this repository.

Cloudflare Custom Domains ↗Cloudflare Vite deployment ↗

Official rule references

OAS eligibility and residence When to start OAS CPP timing adjustments OAS recovery tax 2026 income tax brackets RRIF prescribed factors Pension income splitting RRSP withdrawal tax and withholding Spousal-RRSP attribution Official OAS/GIS estimator Official 2026 GIS amounts and cutoffs GIS eligibility and income rules Retirement income-estimate form (ISP-3041)

Educational estimate only.

Not financial, tax, legal, or immigration advice. Rules and amounts change. Verify CPP/QPP with Service Canada or Retraite Québec, and confirm unusual residence, sponsorship, treaty, foreign-income, or pension situations with the responsible agency and a qualified professional. Rules reviewed July 16, 2026.