Whether you have newly arrived in Canada or have been here for some time, we all have dreams or goals that we want to achieve. A Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) are two smart savings and investing options that could help you pay less taxes and make the most of your savings.
Saving with an RRSP
An RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) is a registered personal savings plan. It is considered one of the most effective ways to save for your retirement and can provide you with important and unique tax advantages.
- The amount of your annual contribution to an RRSP can be deducted from your gross income at tax time within prescribed limits, and could reduce the amount you pay in income tax that year.
- The income earned in your RRSP is not taxed until it is withdrawn. While your money is invested in your RRSP, any growth on it is tax sheltered, so the total value may grow more quickly.
- By the time you begin to withdraw the funds at retirement, you may be in a lower tax bracket than during your earning years. Funds withdrawn at that time would benefit from this lower tax rate.
- Special features of RRSPs allow you to do further tax planning or use your RRSP to fund specific life events.
Investing with a TFSA
A TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) is a flexible investment account in which the interest, dividends or capital gains earned are not taxed, even when withdrawn. This tax-free compound growth means that your money grows more quickly.
- If you are eligible, you will accumulate $5,000 of contribution room every year you are a resident of Canada, which will increase with inflation, in $500 increments.
- Unlike other registered tax-deferred plans, earnings throughout your lifetime from investments in your Tax-Free Savings Account—whether interest, dividends or capital gains—are never subject to Canadian tax. You don’t pay taxes even when you withdraw your money.
- You can withdraw funds from your TFSA whenever you want (depending on what you've invested in), and use the funds for any purpose. This makes a TFSA ideal for both your short- and long-term investment goals.
- You don’t need to have earned income to contribute to a TFSA. You only have to be over 18 and resident in Canada.
- With a Tax-Free Savings Account, unused contribution room is carried forward indefinitely, so you can contribute whenever you have the money.
- Income earned and TFSA withdrawals are not included as income for tax purposes, which means that they will not affect your eligibility for Federal income–tested government benefits and credits such as Old Age Security (OAS) or the Goods and Services Tax (GST) credit.
Financial planning services and investment advice are provided by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI). RMFI, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Royal Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal Trust Company are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. RMFI is licensed as a financial services firm in the province of Quebec.