TFSA vs RRSP
Enter your income, age, and time horizon. See which account wins for your situation - and why.
Now
Marginal rates: 29.6% now → 19.1% in retirement
In retirement
Investment
RRSP wins
Margin: about $8,029 more in retirement
Where the call flips
RRSP wins as long as your retirement income stays below about $58,523/yr - the point where your marginal rate would climb back to today's 29.6%. Above that, the TFSA pulls ahead.
Your assumed $50,000/yr sits $8,523 below the flip - a comfortable margin for RRSP.
Heads up: RRSP/RRIF withdrawals add to taxable income in retirement and can trigger the OAS clawback (starts around $95,323 of 2026 net income).
TFSA
Tax-free forever
After 30 years (after tax)
$53,286
$7,000 contributed (after tax)
RRSP
Tax now, refund reinvested
After 30 years (after tax)
$61,315
$9,950 grossed up
Your TFSA room
If you've never contributed and you're 30 years old (eligible since 2014):
$83,500
That's 13 years × annual limits since you turned 18.