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T4RSP Slip Explained Canada 2026: RRSP Withdrawals & Income

Updated

If you withdrew money from your RRSP, used the Home Buyers’ Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan, or converted your RRSP to income, you’ll receive a T4RSP slip. This slip reports the amounts you received and any taxes withheld at source. Unlike contributions (which you track with RRSP receipts), withdrawals trigger immediate reporting because the money is now taxable income. The withholding tax shown on your slip is often insufficient — RRSP withdrawals add to your total income and are taxed at your marginal rate, which can be significantly higher than the statutory withholding rates.

What Is a T4RSP Slip?

Feature Details
Full name Statement of RRSP Income
Issued by Financial institution holding your RRSP
Reports Withdrawals, annuity payments, HBP/LLP amounts, deregistered income
Due date Last day of February (same as T4 slips)
Tax treatment Fully taxable income (except Box 18)

When You Receive a T4RSP

You’ll get a T4RSP slip if you:

Situation What’s Reported
Made a cash withdrawal Withdrawal amount + withholding tax
Withdrew under HBP Home Buyers’ Plan amount (Box 20)
Withdrew under LLP Lifelong Learning Plan amount (Box 20)
Received RRSP annuity payments Annuity income (Box 16)
Had excess contributions refunded Refund amount (Box 18)
Converted RRSP to RRIF Transferred amount (typically no T4RSP if direct transfer)
RRSP was deregistered Full value of RRSP (Box 22)
Passed away (estate receives) Fair market value at death (Box 34)

T4RSP Boxes Explained

Key Income Boxes

Box Description Tax Treatment
16 Annuity payments Fully taxable income
18 Refund of excess contributions Generally tax-free (already taxed)
20 HBP or LLP withdrawals Taxable if not repaid
22 Other income (withdrawals) Fully taxable income
34 Amounts at death Taxable to deceased/estate

Withholding and Credits

Box Description Use On Return
30 Income tax deducted Credit against taxes owing
24 Recipient’s SIN Your social insurance number
28 RRSP issuer’s name Financial institution

Understanding Each Box

Box 22: Other Income (Most Common)

This is where regular RRSP withdrawals appear — the money you take out before converting to a RRIF.

What It Includes Example
Cash withdrawals You withdraw $10,000 for expenses
Early withdrawals You need funds before retirement
Lump sum withdrawals You cash out part of your RRSP
Deregistration Your RRSP is collapsed

Tax treatment: Fully included in income. Added to Line 12900 of your tax return.

Box 20: HBP and LLP Amounts

If you withdrew under the Home Buyers’ Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan, that amount appears here.

Plan Maximum Repayment Period
HBP (Home Buyers’ Plan) $60,000 15 years
LLP (Lifelong Learning Plan) $10,000/year ($20,000 total) 10 years

Important: HBP/LLP withdrawals are not immediately taxable if you repay the minimum each year. If you miss a repayment, the missed amount is added to your income via your tax return.

Box 16: Annuity Payments

If your RRSP was converted to an annuity (not a RRIF), periodic payments appear here.

Feature Details
What it is Regular payments from RRSP annuity
Tax treatment Fully taxable
Withholding Tax is withheld at source
Report on Line 12900

Box 18: Refund of Excess Contributions

If you overcontributed to your RRSP and received a refund, this box shows the amount.

Situation Tax Treatment
Refund of undeducted contributions Not taxable (wasn’t deducted)
Refund of deducted contributions Already taxable when contributed
Excess contribution penalty 1% per month on excess (separate)

Box 30: Income Tax Deducted

This shows the withholding tax your financial institution remitted to CRA on your behalf.

Withdrawal Amount Withholding Rate Example Tax Withheld
Up to $5,000 10% $500 on $5,000
$5,001 – $15,000 20% $2,000 on $10,000
Over $15,000 30% $6,000 on $20,000

Quebec residents: Rates are 5%, 10%, and 15% (federal portion only). Quebec tax is withheld separately.

How to Report T4RSP Income

On Your Tax Return

T4RSP Box Tax Return Line Description
Box 16 + Box 22 Line 12900 RRSP income
Box 18 Usually not reported Tax-free refund
Box 20 See HBP/LLP schedule May be taxable if not repaid
Box 30 Line 43700 Tax withheld credit

Step-by-Step

Step Action
1 Gather all T4RSP slips (may have multiple)
2 Add Box 16 + Box 22 amounts
3 Enter total on Line 12900
4 For HBP/LLP, complete Schedule 7
5 Enter Box 30 withholding on Line 43700
6 Complete return — you may owe more tax

RRSP Withholding Tax vs Actual Tax

The withholding rates (10%, 20%, 30%) are minimums — not your actual tax rate.

Example: $20,000 RRSP Withdrawal

Factor Amount
RRSP withdrawal $20,000
Withholding (30%) $6,000
You receive $14,000
If Your Marginal Rate Is… Actual Tax Owing at Filing
30% $6,000 $0
40% $8,000 $2,000
45% $9,000 $3,000
50% $10,000 $4,000

Takeaway: If you’re in a high tax bracket, expect to owe additional tax when you file.

Common T4RSP Situations

Early Withdrawal (Before Retirement)

Consideration Impact
Immediate tax Withholding at source + filing
Lost contribution room Gone permanently
Lost tax-sheltered growth Compounding interrupted
Benefit clawbacks May affect CCB, GST credit

When it may make sense: Emergency, paying high-interest debt, low-income year.

HBP Withdrawal and Repayment

Year HBP Balance Required Repayment Taxable If Missed
2026 (withdraw $60,000) $60,000 $0 (grace period) $0
2028 (repayments start) $60,000 $4,000 $4,000
2029 $56,000 $4,000 $4,000

If you repay $4,000+ to your RRSP, nothing is added to income. If you repay $0, the $4,000 shortfall is added to Line 12900 as income.

Withdrawal in Low-Income Year

Strategy Benefit
Withdraw when income is low Pay tax at lower marginal rate
Examples Gap year, sabbatical, early retirement
Caution Still affects benefit calculations

Death and T4RSP

When an RRSP holder dies, the RRSP is deemed disposed:

Beneficiary Tax Treatment
Spouse/common-law partner Can transfer to spouse’s RRSP/RRIF tax-free
Financially dependent child/grandchild Special rules may apply
Other beneficiary (named) Full value taxable to deceased
Estate Full value taxable to deceased

Box 34 on the T4RSP shows amounts paid after death.

Multiple T4RSP Slips

You may receive multiple T4RSP slips if you:

Situation Number of Slips
Withdrew from multiple RRSPs One per institution
Made multiple withdrawals May be combined on one slip
Have different RRSP products One per registered account

Add all amounts: Combine all Box 22 (and Box 16) amounts for Line 12900.

T4RSP vs T4RIF

Slip Source Issued When
T4RSP RRSP Withdrawals from RRSP
T4RIF RRIF Minimum or excess withdrawals from RRIF

After you convert your RRSP to a RRIF at age 71, you’ll receive T4RIF slips instead for your retirement income.

Impact on Government Benefits

RRSP withdrawals increase your net income, which can affect:

Benefit Income Threshold Impact
OAS clawback $90,997 (2026) 15% clawback on excess
GIS Various Dollar-for-dollar reduction
CCB Family net income Gradual reduction
GST/HST credit Net income Gradual reduction

Planning tip: Consider the full impact of withdrawals on benefits, especially in retirement.

Tax Planning Strategies

Minimize Tax on Withdrawals

Strategy How It Works
Withdraw in low-income years Lower marginal rate applies
Gradual withdrawals Avoid jumping to higher bracket
Before age 65 RRIF withdrawals don’t qualify for pension credit; RRSP can
Coordinate with spouse Split withdrawals if possible

Maximize After-Tax Amount

If You Need $15,000 Net Amount to Withdraw
30% marginal rate ~$21,400 gross
40% marginal rate ~$25,000 gross
45% marginal rate ~$27,300 gross

Factor your marginal rate when planning withdrawal amounts.

How to Get Your T4RSP

Method Details
Mail Sent by end of February
Online banking Download from your bank/brokerage
CRA My Account Available via Auto-fill by late February

If your slip is missing, contact the financial institution that holds your RRSP.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake Consequence
Not reporting T4RSP CRA will reassess + penalty
Assuming withholding covers tax May owe more at filing
Ignoring HBP repayments Missed amounts become taxable
Large withdrawal in high-income year Pays highest marginal rate
Not considering benefit clawbacks May lose OAS, GIS, CCB