Turn a fund's management expense ratio and a flat account fee into the dollars they take from your RRSP, TFSA or FHSA each year.
A fund's management expense ratio (MER) is deducted inside the fund, so you never see it as a line on your statement, but it reduces your return every year. Since the Client Focused Reforms and the annual cost and performance reports required of dealers, your statements show the dollar amount of dealer compensation, and the total cost reporting rules expanded what must be shown. This calculator converts percentages into dollars so you can compare options.
How to use it: enter the balance, the weighted MER of your holdings (from each fund's Fund Facts or ETF Facts document) and any flat account fee. The result is the approximate cost for one year.
Worked example (illustrative figures only): a $50,000 RRSP in funds with a 1.90% MER costs about $950 a year. The same balance in funds with a 0.25% MER costs about $125, a difference of $825 in the first year. Over 25 years with steady contributions the gap compounds; use the growth projector twice, once with the return net of each MER, to see the effect.
Limits: MERs are not the only cost. Trading commissions, foreign-exchange spreads on US purchases, transfer-out fees and advice fees charged outside the fund are separate. The percentages here are examples, not the fees of any real provider; read your own fee schedule and the fees and MER guide.
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.
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Step-by-step direct transfers of RRSPs (Form T2033), TFSAs and FHSAs between Canadian institutions, in cash or in kind, typical delays, transfer-out fees and the mistakes to avoid.
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.
