RRIF Withholding Tax 2026: Rates on Withdrawals Above the Minimum

No tax has to be withheld on your RRIF minimum. Anything you take above the minimum is withheld at one rate based on the size of the extra amount. Quebec residents have lower federal rates plus Quebec withholding.

RRIF withholding rates

Withholding on the amount above the minimum, 2026
Amount above the minimum	Outside Quebec	Quebec: federal	Quebec: provincial, single payment	Quebec: combined
$5,000 or less	10%	5%	14%	19%
Over $5,000 up to $15,000	20%	10%	14%	24%
Over $15,000	30%	15%	14%	29%

One rate applies to the whole excess. It is not a bracket system: an excess of $6,000 is withheld at 20% on all $6,000, so $1,200, not 10% on the first $5,000 and 20% on the rest.

Quick withholding calculator

No withholding on the minimum

The CRA does not require any tax to be withheld from the minimum amount, and Revenu Quebec says the same for Quebec tax. The minimum is still fully taxable. Because nothing is withheld, many retirees owe tax when they file. The CRA says this tax is due by April 30 of the following year, unless you are required to pay by instalments. You can ask your carrier to withhold more tax than the required amount; the CRA says Form TD1 is used for this.

In the year you open a RRIF the minimum is nil, so everything you withdraw that year is above the minimum and subject to withholding. A direct transfer from your RRSP into the RRIF is not a withdrawal; see converting an RRSP to a RRIF.

Instalments and separate requests

The CRA answers several questions on this in its RRSP and RRIF FAQ (question 7). The key rules:

One request paid in instalments uses the rate for the total. If you ask for $1,500 a month above the minimum, that is $18,000 for the year, so 30% is withheld from each $1,500 instalment, not 10% (answer 7.1).
Each instalment is split into minimum and excess. An annual request of $7,200 paid as $600 a month, with a $1,200 minimum, has $500 of excess in each payment. The $6,000 annual excess is over $5,000, so 20% is withheld from each $500 (answer 7.4).
A later, separate request is rated on its own. If you are already receiving monthly payments and later ask for an extra $4,000, that request is withheld at 10% (answers 7.2 and 7.3).
Splitting a request to lower the rate does not work. A series of requests in a short period, or several on the same day, can be treated as one request at the rate for the total (answer 7.7).
Changing your payments mid-year changes the rate. If you raise or lower an instalment plan, the payer recalculates the rate on the revised annual figure (answers 7.5 and 7.6).

Quebec RRIF withholding

For Quebec residents the federal rates are 5%, 10% and 15% instead of 10%, 20% and 30%. Revenu Quebec adds its own withholding on the part above the minimum. For a single payment it is 14%, so a $6,000 single payment above the minimum has $840 of Quebec tax withheld plus $600 federal. For periodic payments above the minimum, Revenu Quebec tells payers to use the usual method, the same method used for pay, so the Quebec amount depends on the payment schedule. The calculator on this site shows the single-payment estimate.

Withholding is not your final tax

Withholding is a prepayment. All RRIF income, minimum and extra, is added to your other income on your tax return and taxed at your marginal rate. If your marginal rate is higher than the withholding rate, you owe the difference; if it is lower, you get a refund. The CRA itself calls these rates estimates. If your income from all sources means you will not owe tax for the year, the CRA FAQ says you can give the payer a Form TD1 so that no tax is withheld from a lump-sum payment.

Not covered here

Non-residents of Canada are subject to different withholding rules on RRIF payments. Direct transfers from a RRIF to another registered plan are a separate case. Ask your carrier or a tax professional about either.

Sources

CRA, Frequently asked questions (RRSPs/RRIFs), question 7 and answers 7.1 to 7.7.
Revenu Quebec, Payments from an RRSP, a VRSP, a PRPP or a RRIF.
Income Tax Act, section 146.3(1), definition of "minimum amount" (nil in the year the RRIF is opened).

Checked against these sources on October 8, 2026.

Written and edited by Eric Do Couto, site owner. Not a licensed financial planner or tax professional, and nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice. Checked against official sources on October 8, 2026. How facts are checked and the calculator is tested: About and method.

Not financial advice. Withholding estimates for general information only. Your carrier applies the actual withholding.