FHSA eligibility calculator
Check FHSA eligibility, participation deadline and contribution room using the CRA rules.
A guide, not advice.
This page explains general rules. Do your own research, confirm your numbers with the CRA (your My Account and Notice of Assessment are the official record) or the other official sources listed at the end, and talk to a qualified professional before acting.
FHSA eligibility and contribution room
Step 1 checks the CRA conditions for opening an FHSA in 2026. Step 2 calculates the room available for a new contribution.
Step 1: Can you open an FHSA?
You appear eligible to open an FHSA in 2026.
- Some provinces set the age of majority at 19, which can delay when an issuer will open an account.
Principal residence means where you mainly lived. Homes you owned but never lived in, and homes owned by someone other than you or your spouse or partner, do not count. Confirm with the CRA FHSA rules if your situation is unusual.
Step 2: How much room do you have?
Enter 0 carryforward if this is your opening year. Otherwise use your actual unused carryforward (up to $8,000). Includes all your FHSAs. Use the adjustments below for prior excess amounts, corrections or re-participation room. Check CRA participation rules for these cases. The proposed new contribution is cash, not an RRSP transfer. Find your marginal rate with the RRSP refund estimator.
Plain English
Step 1 asks the four questions the CRA uses to decide whether you can open an FHSA: your age, residency, and whether you or your partner owned the home you lived in recently. Step 2 works out how much you can still put in, using your carryforward and what you have already contributed. The tax benefit is simply your deductible contribution times the marginal rate you enter.
Show the math
Eligibility: resident of Canada, age 18 to 71 on December 31 of the opening year, and no owner-occupied principal residence (yours or your spouse's or partner's) in the current or previous four calendar years. Participation end = December 31 of the earliest of opening year + 15, the year you turn 71, or the year after your first qualifying withdrawal. Ordinary available room = max(0, min($8,000 + unused carryforward, $40,000 − prior-year contributions and transfers) − contributions and transfers already made this year). Tax benefit = permitted proposed cash contribution × entered marginal rate. The optional adjustment fields apply the CRA participation-room formula for prior excess amounts, designated corrections and re-participation. Inputs come from your records; monthly excess tax is separate.
Worked examples
| Input | Output |
|---|---|
| $8,000 carryforward, $0 prior-year/current contributions, propose $8,000 at 30% | $16,000 room before contribution; $8,000 after; $2,400 estimated tax benefit |
| $8,000 carryforward, $0 prior-year/current contributions, propose $16,000 at 40% | Uses $8,000 carryforward + $8,000 current-year room; $6,400 estimated tax benefit |
| Opening year, $0 carryforward, propose $10,000 | Over-contribution: $2,000 excess above the $8,000 cap; 1% tax per month while it remains |
| Born 1954, resident, never owned a home | Not eligible in 2026: you must be no more than 71 on December 31 of the year you open |
| Opened 2023, born 1990, first qualifying withdrawal 2026 | Participation period ends December 31, 2027 (year after the first qualifying withdrawal) |
What this does not account for
Provincial age-of-majority rules that delay opening to 19; part-year residency; homes you owned but did not live in, and inherited or foreign property, which can need CRA confirmation; the 1% monthly tax on excess amounts and which corrective withdrawal to make; RRSP-to-FHSA transfers, which use room without a new deduction; and whether a qualifying withdrawal meets the written-agreement and occupancy conditions at the time you buy.
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Where this information comes from
This page is based on publications from the CRA, last checked against them on . The full list is below, and the official source always takes precedence over anything written here.
It is a general guide, not financial, tax or legal advice. Do your own research, confirm your own numbers in CRA My Account or with the official source, and talk to a qualified professional before making a decision. Canadian Financials is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CRA or any government.
Spotted an error? Email [email protected] and it will be corrected and noted in the changelog.