Your TFSA contribution room is valuable, tax-free space — and accidentally over-contributing triggers a 1% monthly penalty. Knowing exactly how much room you have prevents costly mistakes.
What is TFSA contribution room?
TFSA room is the maximum dollar amount you can hold inside all your TFSAs combined at any given time, based on:
- Annual limits — set by the federal government each year
- Carry-forward room — any prior-year limit you did not use rolls forward permanently
- Withdrawals — any amount you withdraw reopens as new room the following January 1
Your total TFSA room by year joined
Use this table to find your total cumulative room based on when you first became eligible (Canadian resident, 18+):
| First year eligible | Total room as of Jan 1, 2026 | Total room as of Jan 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 or earlier | $102,000 | $109,000 |
| 2010 | $97,000 | $104,000 |
| 2011 | $92,000 | $99,000 |
| 2012 | $87,000 | $94,000 |
| 2013 | $82,000 | $89,000 |
| 2014 | $76,500 | $83,500 |
| 2015 | $71,000 | $78,000 |
| 2016 | $61,000 | $68,000 |
| 2017 | $55,500 | $62,500 |
| 2018 | $50,000 | $57,000 |
| 2019 | $44,500 | $51,500 |
| 2020 | $38,500 | $45,500 |
| 2021 | $32,500 | $39,500 |
| 2022 | $26,500 | $33,500 |
| 2023 | $20,500 | $27,500 |
| 2024 | $14,000 | $21,000 |
| 2025 | $7,000 | $14,000 |
| 2026 | $7,000 | $14,000 |
Your unused room = total room above − total lifetime contributions + total lifetime withdrawals made before Jan 1, 2026
Step-by-step: calculating your exact available room today
Step 1: Get the CRA My Account figure
Log in → “TFSA” → “Contribution room”
This is your room as of January 1, 2026. It includes:
- All prior year annual limits
- All withdrawals made in 2025 and earlier (reopened Jan 1, 2026)
- Minus all contributions reported through December 31, 2025
Step 2: Subtract 2026 contributions
Add up every deposit you have made to any TFSA account in 2026 (from January 1 through today). Subtract this total from the CRA figure.
Step 3: Do NOT add 2026 withdrawals
Any withdrawals you made in 2026 do not reopen until January 1, 2027. Do not count them as available room this year.
Worked example
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| CRA My Account room (Jan 1, 2026) | $22,500 |
| 2026 contributions to date (April) | −$7,000 |
| 2026 withdrawals (irrelevant until Jan 2027) | $0 |
| Your remaining 2026 room | $15,500 |
Why CRA’s number may not match your expectations
| Scenario | What happens |
|---|---|
| You contributed in early 2026 | Not in CRA’s Jan 1 figure — you must subtract manually |
| You withdrew in 2025 | Already included in CRA’s figure (room re-opened Jan 1, 2026) |
| You transferred TFSA incorrectly (withdrew & re-deposited) | Treated as contribution; reduces your room immediately |
| Your institution just opened your TFSA | May not be reported to CRA yet — minor lag |
| You are a new permanent resident | Room accumulates from the year you became a Canadian resident, not from 2009 |
What if you have multiple TFSAs?
Your room is shared across all TFSAs at all institutions. To verify you are not over-contributing:
- Log into each institution holding a TFSA
- Check your year-to-date contribution total for each account
- Sum all contributions across all accounts
- Subtract from your CRA room figure
Most institutions do not automatically prevent over-contributions because they cannot see your other accounts.
Signs you may have used up your TFSA room
- CRA My Account shows $0 or a small positive number
- You have been contributing the maximum every year since becoming eligible
- You recently moved money out of one TFSA and back into another without doing a direct transfer
If you suspect you are near your limit, stop contributing until you verify exactly how much room remains. The 1% monthly penalty applies to every month you remain over-contributed.