About the RRIF Withdrawal Calculator

An independent, free calculator for Canadians with a RRIF. It is not affiliated with the CRA, Revenu Quebec or any bank, insurer or adviser, and it does not sell anything. It may earn referral fees from partners, which never affect the results; see the disclosure.

Who runs this site

This site is owned, written and edited by Eric Do Couto. Eric is not a licensed financial planner or tax professional, and nothing on this site is financial, tax or legal advice. The calculator and guides are built from the official CRA, Income Tax Act and Revenu Quebec sources listed below, and the calculations are covered by the automated tests described on this page. General questions: [email protected].

Corrections

If you find a wrong factor, rate, rule or link, please email [email protected] with the page and, if you can, the official source. Confirmed errors are fixed and noted in the change log.

How the calculations work

Minimum withdrawal

Minimum = RRIF fair market value on January 1 × prescribed factor, rounded to the cent. The factor depends on the age in whole years on January 1 of the person whose age is used (you, or your spouse or common-law partner if you made that election before any payment from the RRIF):

• Age 70 or younger: 1 / (90 minus age), kept as an exact fraction.
• Ages 71 to 94: the table in section 7308(4) of the Income Tax Regulations ("All other RRIFs" in the CRA chart).
• Age 95 or older: 0.20.
• The year the RRIF is opened: nil, as set out in the definition of "minimum amount" in section 146.3(1) of the Income Tax Act.

The calculation library also supports qualifying RRIFs under section 7308(3), which use 1 / (90 minus age) at age 71 as well (1 / 19). The calculator uses the "All other RRIFs" factors, which apply to most RRIFs, unless you tick the qualifying RRIF box.

Withholding tax

Withholding applies only to the part of the year's withdrawal above the minimum. One rate applies to that whole excess: 10% up to $5,000, 20% over $5,000 up to $15,000 and 30% over $15,000, or 5%, 10% and 15% federal for Quebec plus 14% Quebec withholding on a single payment. The calculator assumes one request for the whole excess. See RRIF withholding tax for the instalment and separate-request rules.

Projection

• Each year starts with the January 1 balance. The minimum is that balance times the factor for the age that year.
• The withdrawal is the larger of the minimum and your desired amount, capped at the balance, and is taken at the start of the year.
• The rest earns your fixed rate of return for the full year. Both ages go up by one each year.
• Withdrawals are not indexed to inflation, and returns are the same every year. Real returns vary, so treat the projection as an illustration.

Test cases

The calculation library is covered by automated tests that run before every change, including:

• All 24 factors for ages 71 to 94 and the 20% factor for 95 and older, compared with the CRA chart.
• The CRA's own example: $75,000 at age 73 gives a minimum of $4,147.50.
• The CRA withholding FAQ answers: $18,000 of excess at 30%, an extra $4,000 at 10%, $6,000 of excess at 20%, and the revised annual figures of $4,200 (10%) and $6,600 (20%).
• Revenu Quebec's example: a $6,000 single payment has $840 of Quebec tax withheld.
• The band edges at $5,000 and $15,000, a nil minimum in the opening year, a withdrawal larger than the balance, and cent rounding.

Official sources

Checked on October 8, 2026. The factors and rates are reviewed again each January.

• Income Tax Regulations, section 7308.
• Income Tax Act, section 146.3.
• CRA, Chart: Prescribed factors, Minimum amount from a RRIF and Example: Calculating the minimum amount.
• CRA, Frequently asked questions (RRSPs/RRIFs), question 7.
• Revenu Quebec, Payments from an RRSP, a VRSP, a PRPP or a RRIF.
• CRA, Receiving income from a RRIF and RRSP options when you turn 71.

Privacy

No cookies, no analytics, no ads and no third-party scripts or fonts. Every calculation runs in your browser, and the numbers you type into the calculator are never sent to a server. The only thing that sends information is the optional "Free RRIF drawdown plan review" form, and only when you submit it. The privacy page has the full policy: what the form collects, who sees it, how long it is kept and how to have it deleted.

Change log

• October 8, 2026: Added a qualifying RRIF option to the calculator, the qualifying column and spouse election, opening-year, worked example and FAQ sections to the withdrawal table, the optional free plan review form, and the privacy and disclosure pages.
• October 8, 2026: Added the nil minimum for a RRIF opened this year, a withdrawal cap at the balance, Quebec single-payment wording, exact 1 / 19 factor for qualifying RRIFs at 71, shareable links, CSV download and print summary, the full withdrawal table and the withholding tax guide.
• October 8, 2026: First version, checked against the CRA chart, the CRA withholding FAQ and Revenu Quebec.

Limits

This site gives estimates for general information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Your RRIF carrier calculates your actual minimum and withholding. It does not cover LIFs or other locked-in plans, pre-March 1986 RRIFs, annuities held inside a RRIF, or non-residents of Canada.