# Canadian Retirement Calculator

> Free retirement calculator for Canadians. It combines CPP, OAS (with the clawback), workplace pensions and RRSP, TFSA, FHSA and non-registered savings, then backtests the plan against every starting year of market history from 1871 to 2022 to report how often the money would have lasted. Results are in today's dollars. Educational estimate, not financial advice.

## Use it

- Calculator page: https://www.caficalc.app/
- Any plan can be opened pre-filled with query parameters, for example: https://www.caficalc.app/?age=40&retAge=60&rrsp=150000&tfsa=60000&spend=55000&strat=cd&wr=4
- JSON API (no key needed, CORS enabled): https://www.caficalc.app/api/calculate?age=40&retAge=60&rrsp=150000&tfsa=60000&spend=55000
- API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://www.caficalc.app/openapi.json

The API returns the success rate across all historical periods, savings at retirement (median, 10th and 90th percentile), ending balance percentiles, CPP and OAS amounts, the leanest year of income, the worst start year, the 95%-safe spending, withdrawal rate or amount for the chosen strategy, and an `openInCalculator` link to show the same plan to a person.

## Parameters

All optional. Omitted values use a typical 35-year-old Canadian. Percent values are whole numbers (wr=4 means 4%).

- age, retAge, endAge: current age, retirement age, plan-until age
- rrsp, tfsa, fhsa, nonreg: current balances (RRSP includes RRIF and LIRA)
- rrspC, tfsaC, fhsaC, nonregC: amounts added per year until retirement (fhsaC max 8000)
- fhsaUsed: FHSA lifetime contributions so far (max 40000); fhsaUse: home or rrsp; fhsaAge: age the FHSA is used for a home or moved to the RRSP
- nonregAcb: amount originally invested in non-registered accounts (cost base)
- strat: target (spending target), cd (4% rule / constant dollar), fixed (fixed amount from savings), vpw (variable percentage withdrawal)
- spend: yearly spending before tax (strat=target); wr: first-year withdrawal rate % (strat=cd); wAmt: yearly amount from savings (strat=fixed)
- pension: workplace pension per year from retirement
- cppAge (60-70), cppPct (% of maximum CPP, average new retiree is about 60), oasAge (65-70), res (years in Canada after 18, 40 = full OAS)
- stock (% in stocks, rest in bonds), fee (yearly fees %)
- mode: hist (historical backtest, default) or fixed (one fixed-return scenario using ret and inf, in %)

## Method

- CPP: 2026 maximum $1,507.65/month at 65; -0.6% per month before 65, +0.7% per month after, up to 70.
- OAS: $762.50/month at 65-74 and $838.75 at 75+ (October-December 2026); +0.6% per month of deferral up to 36%; prorated for fewer than 40 years of residence.
- OAS clawback: 15% of taxable income above $95,323 (2026 income). RRSP withdrawals, CPP, OAS, pensions and half of non-registered capital gains count; TFSA withdrawals do not.
- Withdrawal order: non-registered, then RRSP, then TFSA.
- Market data: Robert Shiller's U.S. dataset (S&P 500 with dividends, 10-year Treasury bonds, CPI), 1871-2022. Runs past 2022 loop back to 1871.
- VPW uses the Bogleheads assumptions: stocks 5% and bonds 1.9% above inflation, spending down by age 100, capped at 10% a year.
- Not modelled: income tax, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, RRIF minimum withdrawals, pension income splitting.

## Answers on the page

- [Frequently asked questions](https://www.caficalc.app/#faq): CPP amounts, OAS amounts, the OAS clawback, the 4% rule in Canada, VPW, the FHSA, how much you need to retire.