What is the RRSP deadline for the 2026 tax year?

Expected to be March 1, 2027, which is a Monday. The rule is 60 days after the end of the year, and the CRA confirms the exact date each January. Contributions made by then can be deducted on your 2026 return.

Do I have to deduct a contribution in the year I make it?

No. You must report it on the return for the year it was made, but you can carry the deduction forward and claim it in any later year. People who expect a higher income next year sometimes contribute now and deduct later.

What is the 2026 RRSP contribution limit?

New room for 2026 is 18% of your 2025 earned income, up to $33,810, less any pension adjustment, plus all unused room from earlier years. Your exact figure is on your 2025 notice of assessment and in CRA My Account. The 2027 dollar limit is $35,390.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

Nothing is lost. A contribution made after the deadline simply counts for the 2027 tax year instead. The room does not expire.

Can I contribute more than my limit?

You can be over by up to $2,000 in your lifetime without penalty. Beyond that, the excess is taxed at 1% a month until it is withdrawn.

Does a contribution in January or February count for 2026 or 2027?

Either. Anything contributed in the first 60 days of 2027 goes on your 2026 return, and you choose whether to deduct it for 2026, 2027 or later. Your financial institution issues a separate receipt for that period.

RRSP Deadline 2027: March 1 (Expected), and What You Get Back

The last day to make an RRSP contribution that counts for the 2026 tax year is expected to be March 1, 2027. Anything you put in by then can be deducted on the return you file in spring 2027. The 2026 limit is $33,810, plus any unused room from earlier years. Here is what counts, what does not, and how to use the deadline well.

About the date. The deadline is 60 days after the end of the tax year. For 2026 that lands on March 1, 2027. The CRA publishes the exact date each January, and this page will say "confirmed" the day it does.

What counts before the deadline

Any contribution to your own RRSP or a spousal RRSP made from March 2, 2026 up to and including the deadline.
Contributions in the first 60 days of 2027 are reported on your 2026 return. You can deduct them for 2026, or carry the deduction forward to a later year.
Payroll contributions to a group RRSP count on the date they are deducted from your pay.
Transfers from another RRSP do not count, and neither do the employer's contributions to a pension plan or a DPSP (those reduce next year's room through the pension adjustment instead).

How much you can contribute

Your 2026 deduction limit is on your 2025 notice of assessment and in CRA My Account. It is built from 18% of your 2025 earned income, capped at $33,810, less any pension adjustment from a workplace pension, plus every dollar of room you did not use in earlier years. Unused room never expires. The RRSP room calculator works it out from your figures and checks whether you are over.

The cushion for mistakes is $2,000, once in a lifetime. Above that, the excess is taxed at 1% for every month it stays in the account.

What the contribution is worth

An RRSP deduction saves tax at your marginal rate. At a $90,000 salary in Ontario that is roughly 30 cents back on every dollar, so a $10,000 contribution returns about $3,000 in April. The RRSP refund calculator gives the exact figure for your salary and province, and shows when it is better to contribute now and deduct later.

Whether the RRSP is the right account at all depends on your income now against your income in retirement. Below about $55,000 the TFSA usually wins. The RRSP, TFSA or FHSA comparison runs both.

Dates around the deadline

Date	What
January 1, 2027	New TFSA room appears. New RRSP room is not created until you file and the CRA assesses your 2026 return.
March 1, 2027	Expected RRSP deadline for the 2026 tax year.
April 30, 2027	Filing and payment deadline for the 2026 return.
June 15, 2027	Filing deadline if you or your spouse had business income. Any balance is still due April 30, 2027.

The full list is on the 2027 tax deadlines page.

If you missed it

A contribution made after the deadline is not wasted. It counts for the 2027 tax year, and the deduction is worth the same, one year later. The only thing that changes is which return it goes on.

Frequently asked questions

What is the RRSP deadline for the 2026 tax year?: Expected to be March 1, 2027, which is a Monday. The rule is 60 days after the end of the year, and the CRA confirms the exact date each January. Contributions made by then can be deducted on your 2026 return.
Do I have to deduct a contribution in the year I make it?: No. You must report it on the return for the year it was made, but you can carry the deduction forward and claim it in any later year. People who expect a higher income next year sometimes contribute now and deduct later.
What is the 2026 RRSP contribution limit?: New room for 2026 is 18% of your 2025 earned income, up to $33,810, less any pension adjustment, plus all unused room from earlier years. Your exact figure is on your 2025 notice of assessment and in CRA My Account. The 2027 dollar limit is $35,390.
What happens if I miss the deadline?: Nothing is lost. A contribution made after the deadline simply counts for the 2027 tax year instead. The room does not expire.
Can I contribute more than my limit?: You can be over by up to $2,000 in your lifetime without penalty. Beyond that, the excess is taxed at 1% a month until it is withdrawn.
Does a contribution in January or February count for 2026 or 2027?: Either. Anything contributed in the first 60 days of 2027 goes on your 2026 return, and you choose whether to deduct it for 2026, 2027 or later. Your financial institution issues a separate receipt for that period.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these primary sources. Data last verified September 7, 2026.

RRSP deadline 2027: expected March 1, 2027