Guides

Explainers that sit next to the calculators. Each one lists when it was updated and where the rules come from.

• GST, HST and PST — GST is 5% across Canada. Five provinces use HST instead of a separate PST. The others add PST, RST or QST on the pre-tax price.
• How Canadian income tax brackets work — Marginal tax brackets tax only the slice of income inside each band. A plain explanation of the 2026 federal brackets and why a raise is not taxed entirely at the new rate.
• How car loan payments are calculated — A Canadian car payment is usually the loan amount times a monthly rate, spread over the term. Sales tax and a trade-in change the amount you finance.
• RRSP and TFSA, compared — An RRSP contribution can be deducted now and taxed on the way out. A TFSA contribution is not deducted, and a qualifying withdrawal is not taxed.
• RRSP deduction limit — New RRSP room is 18% of last year's earned income, up to the annual dollar limit, minus a pension adjustment. The 2026 dollar limit is $33,810.
• TFSA contribution room — The 2026 TFSA dollar limit is $7,000. Room also includes unused room and last year's withdrawals. The CRA figure in your account can lag.
• What is an FHSA? — A first home savings account combines a deduction on the way in with a tax-free qualifying withdrawal. Annual room starts at $8,000 and the lifetime limit is $40,000.