How RRSPs, TFSAs, FHSAs and RRIFs work in 2026: contribution room, fees and MER, foreign withholding tax and deposit and investor protection.
This section sets out the rules each registered account runs on in 2026, from the account holder's side rather than the tax return's. You will find how RRSP room is built from the 18% rule and the $33,810 dollar limit, how TFSA room accumulates at $7,000 a year and comes back after a withdrawal, how an FHSA is opened, moved and closed, what fees and MERs actually cost over decades (with illustrative numbers only), why US dividends are taxed differently in each account, and what CIPF and CDIC do and do not protect.
Start with the overview of RRSP vs TFSA for 2026, which links to every guide here. Each guide names the official page to check, because limits are indexed and rules change with federal budgets. Quebec residents use the same federal accounts (REER, CELI, CELIAPP, FERR in French), but withholding rates, beneficiary designations and some provincial rules differ, and each guide flags where. Everything on this site is general information, not financial, tax or investment advice.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
How CDIC insures deposits in RRSPs, TFSAs, FHSAs and RRIFs up to $100,000 per category, what CIPF covers at investment dealers, and the gaps neither scheme fills.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
The practical side of a First Home Savings Account in 2026: who can open one, why to open early, RRSP-to-FHSA and FHSA-to-RRSP transfers, qualifying withdrawals and the closing deadlines.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
What you pay to hold an RRSP, TFSA or FHSA: MERs, trailing commissions, account and transfer fees, FX spreads, with illustrative dollar examples and how to find your own costs.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
How 2026 RRSP room is built from 18% of 2025 earned income up to $33,810, the pension adjustment, carry-forward, the March 1, 2027 deadline and contributing in kind.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
A practical 2026 overview of the RRSP, TFSA, FHSA and RRIF: limits, who each account suits, how withdrawals work, fees, protection and the Quebec differences.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
How TFSA room builds from age 18, the yearly limits since 2009, how withdrawals come back, worked room calculations and how to reconcile CRA My Account with your records.
Limits, Fees and 2026 Account Rules
Why US dividends lose 15% to withholding in a TFSA or FHSA but generally not in an RRSP or RRIF, how Canadian-listed ETFs add a layer, and an illustrative cost comparison.
