The RRSP deadline for 2026 depends on which tax year you mean. For the 2026 tax year, contributions count if made on or before the day that is 60 days after the end of the tax year, which puts the deadline 60 days into 2027, on March 1, 2027 by the day count. The deadline that already passed in 2026 was March 2, 2026, for the 2025 tax year.
This guide covers both dates, how the 60-day rule works, how much you can contribute, and what happens if you miss it. It is general education, not financial advice.
RRSP deadline 2026 at a glance
| Item | Current figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RRSP contribution deadline rule (Income Tax Act, s. 146(5)) | on or before the day that is 60 days after the end of the tax year | laws-lois.justice.gc.ca Verified October 7, 2026 |
| RRSP contribution deadline for the 2026 tax year (CRA) | not yet posted on canada.ca (as of September 23, 2026) | canada.ca Check provider for current figure |
| RRSP contribution deadline for the 2025 tax year (CRA) | March 2, 2026 | canada.ca Verified October 7, 2026 |
| RRSP dollar limit (2026) | $33,810 | canada.ca Verified October 7, 2026 |
| RRSP dollar limit (2027) | $35,390 | canada.ca Verified October 7, 2026 |
| Last day to contribute to your own RRSP (age limit) | December 31 of the year you turn 71 | canada.ca Verified October 7, 2026 |
| Personal tax filing due date | April 30 for most people; June 15 if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed | canada.ca Verified October 7, 2026 |
In plain sentences: the 2026 tax-year deadline is the 60th day after December 31, 2026, which counts to March 1, 2027, and CRA has not posted the date yet. The 2025 tax-year deadline was March 2, 2026. The RRSP dollar limit is $33,810 for 2026 and $35,390 for 2027. Your own contributions stop at December 31 of the year you turn 71, and the personal tax filing due date is April 30 for most people; June 15 if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed.
When is the RRSP contribution deadline for the 2026 tax year?
The RRSP contribution deadline for the 2026 tax year is the 60th day after December 31, 2026: Monday, March 1, 2027. The rule comes from section 146(5) of the Income Tax Act, which allows a deduction for premiums paid on or before the day that is 60 days after the end of the tax year.
YieldMaple checked CRA’s “Important dates for RRSPs” page on September 29, 2026: it still lists only the 2025 tax-year deadline. CRA sets the published date each year, and when the 60th day lands on a weekend the published date has been later than the count. For the 2025 tax year, the 60th day after December 31, 2025 was Sunday, March 1, 2026, and CRA published the deadline as March 2, 2026. March 1, 2027 is a weekday, so no such shift is expected this time, but the date stays unconfirmed until CRA posts it; the table above updates when it does.
What was the RRSP deadline in 2026?
The RRSP deadline that fell in 2026 was March 2, 2026, and it applied to the 2025 tax year. According to CRA, contributions made from March 4, 2025 to March 2, 2026 qualified for a deduction on the 2025 return.
Anything contributed after that date is a 2026 tax-year contribution. Following CRA’s pattern, the window for a 2026 deduction runs from March 3, 2026 through the 60th day after December 31, 2026. Contributions made earlier that you never deducted also stay available, because CRA lets you claim a deduction for unused contributions from a previous year.
How does the 60-day RRSP deadline rule work?
The 60-day rule lets contributions made in the first 60 days of a year count for the previous tax year. A contribution made in January or February 2027 can be deducted on your 2026 return, as long as it fits within your 2026 deduction limit.
Three things follow from that:
- You choose the year. Contributions made in the first 60 days are reported on Schedule 7. You can deduct them for the prior year, or leave them undeducted and claim them later, because for contributions you don’t deduct CRA says to report them on Schedule 7; you can leave them in the plan and deduct them in a later year.
- The deduction goes on one line. Deductions are claimed on line 20800 (RRSP deduction) of the return.
- “Made” means paid into the plan. The Income Tax Act counts premiums paid on or before the deadline. Money still in transit between institutions has not been paid into the RRSP yet, so check your provider’s own cut-off for deadline-day contributions.
What happens if you miss the RRSP deadline?
If you miss the RRSP deadline, the contribution counts for the next tax year instead; you do not lose the room. CRA’s deduction limit is unused room carried forward, plus the lesser of 18% of last year's earned income and the annual RRSP limit, minus your pension adjustment, so unused room carries forward with no expiry date.
What changes is timing. A contribution made the day after the 2026 tax-year deadline is a 2027 contribution, when the dollar limit rises to $35,390. It can reduce your 2027 taxes, which are filed in 2028, but not your 2026 taxes. If the goal was a lower tax bill for 2026, that is a year’s delay on the same deduction.
How much can you contribute before the RRSP deadline?
You can contribute up to your RRSP deduction limit: 18% of the previous year’s earned income, capped at $33,810 for 2026, plus unused room and minus any pension adjustment.
A worked example with a hypothetical income:
- 2025 earned income of $60,000 creates $10,800 of new 2026 room.
- The $33,810 cap only binds once 2025 earned income passes about $187,833.
- For comparison, the 2025 dollar limit was $32,490.
Your exact number is in the RRSP Deduction Limit Statement on your latest notice of assessment or reassessment, Form T1028, or your CRA account. Banks and brokerages only see their own accounts, so CRA’s figure is the one that counts. Going over it by too much costs 1% per month on contributions that exceed your RRSP deduction limit by more than $2,000, reported on a T1-OVP return due 90 days after the end of the calendar year. For the full room calculation, see the RRSP contribution limit guide or run the numbers in the RRSP calculator.
What is the difference between contributing in December and in the 60-day window?
A December contribution counts for the current tax year only, while a contribution in the first 60 days of the next year can count for either year. The deduction is worth the same either way; only the return it lands on changes.
| Contribution made | Which return can it go on? |
|---|---|
| During 2026, after the 2025 deadline | 2026 return, or a later one if left undeducted |
| First 60 days of 2027 | 2026 return, 2027 return, or later |
| After the 2026 tax-year deadline | 2027 return or later |
Put another way: a contribution made during 2026 can go on the 2026 return or a later one, a contribution made in the first 60 days of 2027 can go on the 2026 return or a later one, and a contribution made after the deadline can only go on the 2027 return or a later one. Some people contribute through the year so the deadline never matters; others wait until they see their income for the year and top up in January or February. Either way, the room limit is the same.
How to make an RRSP contribution before the deadline
- Check your room. Look up your deduction limit on your latest notice of assessment or in your CRA account.
- Pick the account. Any RRSP works: a bank, a brokerage or a robo-advisor. See the best RRSP accounts in Canada for a comparison.
- Move the money early. Transfers between institutions can take several business days, and only money paid into the RRSP by the deadline counts.
- Confirm the contribution posted. Check that it shows in the RRSP, not just as a pending transfer.
- Keep the receipt. Your provider issues an RRSP receipt; you claim the amount on line 20800 (RRSP deduction).
At Wealthsimple, self-directed trades of listed stocks and ETFs cost $0 in commission, and the account minimum is none. For its full RRSP details, see the Wealthsimple RRSP guide or our complete Wealthsimple guide.
Once the money is in, the RRSP can hold cash, GICs or funds. Two widely held ETFs are XEQT (MER 0.19%) and VFV (MER 0.08%); what fits depends on your timeline and risk tolerance.
Is there an RRSP deadline at age 71?
Yes: the last day to contribute to your own RRSP is December 31 of the year you turn 71, with no 60-day window after it. Spousal RRSP contributions can continue until December 31 of the year your spouse or common-law partner turns 71, so a contributor past 71 with a younger spouse can still contribute that way.
RRSP vs TFSA: which one has a deadline?
Only the RRSP has a contribution deadline tied to a tax year. TFSA room is added each January 1 and never has to be used by a set date, so there is no TFSA equivalent of the 60-day rule. For how the two accounts compare, see TFSA vs RRSP and the TFSA contribution limit guide.
Common RRSP deadline mistakes
- Relying on a date from a bank or blog. Some sites print a different 2026 tax-year date. CRA’s important-dates page is the official source; until it posts the date, the Income Tax Act’s 60-day count (March 1, 2027) is the best guide.
- Starting the transfer on deadline day. A transfer that has not reached the RRSP is not a contribution yet.
- Using a bank’s room figure. Only CRA sees contributions across every institution.
- Contributing over the limit. CRA charges 1% per month on contributions that exceed your RRSP deduction limit by more than $2,000.
- Forgetting Schedule 7. Contributions made in the first 60 days must be reported even if you do not deduct them yet.
- Assuming loan interest is deductible. CRA lists interest on money borrowed to contribute as not deductible.
Read next
- RRSP contribution limit 2026: how your room is calculated
- RRSP explained: how the account works from start to withdrawal
- RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan: withdrawing for a first home
- TFSA vs RRSP: how the two accounts differ
- Best RRSP account in Canada: where to open one