Calculators and guides for everyday money decisions in Canada, from a first budget and an emergency fund to buying a car, renting, changing jobs, settling an estate and arriving as a newcomer. Each topic below has its own section.
Calculators and tools
Split your after-tax income with the 50/30/20 rule or your own percentages.
Your emergency fund target, the gap to it, and how long it takes to close.
How long it takes to reach a savings target with regular deposits.
Add up your assets and debts to see where you stand.
What an amount from a past year is worth in today's dollars, using the Consumer Price Index.
Estimate your weekly Employment Insurance benefit.
EI maternity and parental benefits for the standard and extended options.
How much rent fits your income.
Enter your income and costs to see a car price and payment that fit.
The total cost of leasing and buying the same car, side by side.
Overtime pay under your province's rules.
How much of a raise you keep after tax and payroll deductions.
Agent commission and fees when you sell a home, by province.
Budgeting and saving
Every budgeting guide: methods, apps, emergency funds, savings challenges and everyday spending.
Make your first budget, step by step, with a sample budget.
Needs, wants and savings applied to a Canadian income.
Budgeting apps compared on features, price and Canadian bank connections.
Sizing the fund to your income, job stability and household, and where to keep it.
Saving ahead for the yearly and irregular bills a monthly budget misses.
A budget for commission, gig, seasonal and self-employed income.
Save a little more each week for a year, with a tracker.
Cost of living, spending and costs
What life costs in Canada by city, province and household.
What Canadian households spend on shelter, food, transportation and more.
Grocery spending by household size and province.
Canadian cities compared on housing, rent and everyday costs.
Middle-class income ranges by household size, with salary examples.
Memberships, deals, price matching, phone and internet plans, payments and home energy costs.
Which stores match prices, what they match, and how to ask.
Cashback apps for groceries, gas and online shopping, and how to stack them.
A directory of cost guides across the site: health, family, home projects, legal and more.
First-year costs of a new baby, from gear to childcare.
Child care fees by province, subsidies and the $10-a-day program.
Financial planning, life stages and estates
Net worth, advisors, benefits and money checklists.
Federal benefits and credits Canadians may qualify for, with links to each.
The money decisions to make before you stop working.
Money guides by decade and by event: marriage, a baby, divorce, a first job, turning 65.
Dividing assets and RRSPs, support, and rebuilding a budget after separation.
How EI maternity and parental benefits work and who qualifies.
Wills, powers of attorney, beneficiaries, probate and trusts.
Online will services available in Canada, compared.
Naming beneficiaries on RRSPs, TFSAs, FHSAs, insurance and pensions.
Renting and moving
Tenant rights, rent increases, deposits and the costs of renting, by province.
What a first apartment costs up front and every month.
Deposit limits and return rules in each province.
Notice periods, assignment and subletting, and the costs, by province.
What changes for your taxes, health coverage and benefits when you move.
Provinces compared for retirees on taxes, health care and living costs.
Taxes, housing, wages and benefits for Ontario residents.
Taxes, housing and benefits for B.C. residents.
Work and car buying
Pay, overtime, notice and severance, leaves, and employer benefit plans.
The notice you give, final pay, the ROE and EI after quitting.
How long the first EI payment takes and what affects it.
Rights and protections for app-based and freelance workers.
Buying a car, including your first: budget, new or used, lease or buy, EV or gas, financing and negotiating.
Depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance and fees, per year and per month.
Federal and provincial electric vehicle incentives.
What each way of selling your car nets you, and the seller's paperwork.
Students and newcomers
Student loans and grants, budgets, discounts and costs of school.
Discounts on software, transit, food and entertainment for students.
Teaching teens to budget, save and use credit.
Budgeting for a gap year and what it means for student loans.
Money basics for new immigrants: SIN, banking, credit, taxes and benefits.
Banking, tax residency and credit for newcomers from India.
How to apply for a Social Insurance Number and how long it takes.
What becoming a citizen changes for taxes, benefits and travel.
Where to start
A budget. Budgeting 101 walks through a first budget step by step, and the budgeting section compares the methods (50/30/20, zero-based, envelope, pay yourself first) so you can pick one that fits how you spend.
An emergency fund. How big an emergency fund should be sizes the fund to your situation and covers where to keep it; for current savings account rates, see the best savings accounts.
Housing costs. The rent affordability calculator checks a rent against your income. For buying, lenders test the debt service ratios explained in the mortgage affordability guides, and how much income you need to buy a home shows the income those rules imply.
Government benefits. The government benefits guide lists the federal programs, with links to the pages for Employment Insurance, the Canada Child Benefit and the other benefits and credits.
Inflation. The inflation calculator shows what prices have done over time, and protecting your savings from inflation covers where savings can keep up.
Other topics
- Mortgage guides: rates, affordability and the mortgage process
- Housing: buying a home and the housing market
- Investing guides: TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, ETFs and brokers
- Retirement: CPP, OAS, pensions and retirement income
- Taxes: income tax, deductions, benefits and the CRA
- Income: salaries, income percentiles and side hustles
- Banking: accounts, savings rates, fees and transfers
- Credit cards: card comparisons, rewards programs and credit scores
- Debt: payoff strategies, personal loans and student loans
- Insurance: car, home, life and travel insurance
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