RRIF Withdrawal CalculatorHow the RRIF minimum withdrawal works
A Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is where most Canadians move their RRSP savings to turn them into retirement income. The trade-off for continued tax deferral is that you must take out at least a minimum amount every year after the year the RRIF is opened. Your carrier works it out by multiplying the fair market value of the RRIF on January 1 by a prescribed factor for your age at the start of the year. The factors are set in the Income Tax Regulations (section 7308) and published by the CRA.
If you are 70 or younger on January 1, the factor is 1 divided by (90 minus your age). At 65 that is 1 / 25, or 4%. From age 71 the regulations use a fixed table: 5.28% at 71, 5.82% at 75, 6.82% at 80, 8.51% at 85, 11.92% at 90, and 20% from age 95 on. The minimum is recalculated every January, so next year's minimum depends on both the new January 1 balance and the factor for next year's age.
For example, with $250,000 in the RRIF on January 1 at age 72, the factor is 5.40%, so the minimum for the year is $13,500. You can take it as a lump sum or in monthly, quarterly or annual payments, and you can always take more. You cannot take less.
RRIF minimum withdrawal table for 2026
"Age" means your age on January 1. If you turn 72 during 2026, your 2026 minimum uses the age 71 factor. The full RRIF withdrawal table also covers ages 55 to 70, shows the dollar minimum per $100,000, and has a CSV download.
| Age on January 1 | Factor | Minimum per $100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | 5.28% | $5,280.00 |
| 72 | 5.40% | $5,400.00 |
| 73 | 5.53% | $5,530.00 |
| 74 | 5.67% | $5,670.00 |
| 75 | 5.82% | $5,820.00 |
| 76 | 5.98% | $5,980.00 |
| 77 | 6.17% | $6,170.00 |
| 78 | 6.36% | $6,360.00 |
| 79 | 6.58% | $6,580.00 |
| 80 | 6.82% | $6,820.00 |
| 81 | 7.08% | $7,080.00 |
| 82 | 7.38% | $7,380.00 |
| 83 | 7.71% | $7,710.00 |
| 84 | 8.08% | $8,080.00 |
| 85 | 8.51% | $8,510.00 |
| 86 | 8.99% | $8,990.00 |
| 87 | 9.55% | $9,550.00 |
| 88 | 10.21% | $10,210.00 |
| 89 | 10.99% | $10,990.00 |
| 90 | 11.92% | $11,920.00 |
| 91 | 13.06% | $13,060.00 |
| 92 | 14.49% | $14,490.00 |
| 93 | 16.34% | $16,340.00 |
| 94 | 18.79% | $18,790.00 |
| 95 or older | 20.00% | $20,000.00 |
The younger spouse election
You can choose to base your minimum on your spouse's or common-law partner's age instead of your own. If your partner is younger, the factor is lower, so less has to come out each year and more stays tax-sheltered. The election has to be made before you receive any payment from the RRIF, and it cannot be changed for that RRIF afterwards. It is useful if you do not need the income and want to keep your taxable income lower.
Withholding tax on RRIF withdrawals
No withholding is required on the minimum amount. Anything above the minimum is treated like a lump-sum payment, and your carrier withholds tax on the excess at one rate based on its size: 10% if the excess is $5,000 or less, 20% if it is over $5,000 and up to $15,000, and 30% if it is over $15,000. When you make one request for extra money paid out in instalments, the CRA bases the rate on the total of that request, not on each instalment.
Quebec is different. Federal withholding drops to 5%, 10% or 15%, and for a single payment Revenu Quebec requires a further 14% on the part above the minimum, for a combined 19%, 24% or 29%. Withholding is a prepayment, not your final tax. The full RRIF payment is taxable income, and you settle the difference when you file. See RRIF withholding tax explained for the instalment rules and worked CRA examples.
The age 71 conversion
December 31 of the year you turn 71 is the last day to contribute to your RRSP, and by then it must be withdrawn, transferred to a RRIF, or used to buy an annuity. Transferring directly to a RRIF is not taxed at the time. The minimum is nil in the year the RRIF is opened, so converting in the year you turn 71 means your first required minimum is for the next year. You will usually still be 71 on January 1 of that year, so the age 71 factor (5.28%) applies even though you turn 72 during it. You can also convert earlier, at any age. The RRSP to RRIF conversion guide covers the steps, the spouse election and converting early at 65.
Frequently asked questions
When do RRIF minimum withdrawals start?
In the year after the year you open the RRIF. The minimum is nil in the year the RRIF is opened. Tick "I am opening this RRIF in 2026" in the calculator to see your first minimum for 2027.
Is tax withheld on my RRIF minimum withdrawal?
No withholding is required on the minimum. It is still taxable income, so you may owe tax when you file. The CRA says you can ask the payer to withhold more using Form TD1.
How much tax is withheld on RRIF withdrawals above the minimum?
Outside Quebec, 10% on an excess of $5,000 or less, 20% over $5,000 up to $15,000, and 30% over $15,000, applied to the whole excess. In Quebec, 5%, 10% or 15% federal plus 14% Quebec on a single payment. More on RRIF withholding tax.
Can I use my spouse's age for my RRIF minimum?
Yes, if you elected it before receiving any payment from the RRIF. The election cannot be changed for that RRIF.
What is the RRIF minimum percentage at age 71?
5.28% for most RRIFs. Older "qualifying RRIFs" (generally set up before 1993 with nothing transferred in since, other than from another qualifying RRIF) use 1 / 19 at 71, about 5.26%. From age 72 on, both use the same factors.
Can I withdraw less than the minimum?
No. Your carrier must pay you at least the minimum every year after the year the RRIF is opened. You can withdraw more than the minimum in any year.
Should I enter my age now or my age on January 1?
Your age on January 1 of the year. The minimum for the whole year uses that age, even if you have a birthday later in the year.
About this calculator and sources
This is an independent free tool. It is not affiliated with the CRA, Revenu Quebec or any financial institution. Factors and rates were checked against the official sources below on October 8, 2026. The method page lists every formula, assumption and test case.
- Income Tax Regulations, section 7308 (prescribed factors) and Income Tax Act, section 146.3 (definition of "minimum amount", nil in the year the RRIF is opened, spouse's age election).
- CRA, Chart: Prescribed factors, Minimum amount from a RRIF and Example: Calculating the minimum amount.
- CRA, Frequently asked questions (RRSPs/RRIFs), question 7 (withholding rates and no withholding on the minimum).
- Revenu Quebec, Payments from an RRSP, a VRSP, a PRPP or a RRIF (14% Quebec withholding on a single payment above the minimum).
- CRA, Receiving income from a RRIF and RRSP options when you turn 71.
Assumptions
- Uses the "All other RRIFs" factors, which apply to most RRIFs today, unless you tick the qualifying RRIF box. Qualifying RRIFs differ only at age 71 (1 / 19). Pre-March 1986 RRIFs use a separate column not modelled here.
- Ages are whole years on January 1. The projection takes each year's withdrawal at the start of the year and grows the rest at your fixed rate of return. Real returns vary.
- If you tick "opening this RRIF in 2026", the value you enter is treated as the amount moved in at the start of 2026, so the projection slightly overstates 2026 growth for a RRIF opened later in the year.
- The desired withdrawal is a fixed annual amount, not indexed to inflation. In any year where the minimum is higher, the minimum is used. A request larger than the balance is capped at the balance.
- Withholding assumes one request for the whole excess. Separate later requests can be withheld at their own rate.
- For Quebec, the 14% rate applies to a single payment above the minimum. Regular periodic payments above the minimum are withheld with Quebec's usual payroll method instead, which this tool does not estimate.
- Locked-in annuities held in a RRIF, LIFs, non-residents of Canada and voluntary extra withholding are not modelled.