Supercharge Your Canada Child Benefit by Making an RRSP Contribution

Every New Year, you can contribute to your RRSP during the first 60 days and claim it as a deduction in your income tax return for the previous year.

For example, in 2024, you can make RRSP contributions (up until February 29, 2024) using your contribution room from 2023 or previous years and claim it as a deduction in your income tax return for the 2023 tax year.

This is why the first two months of every new year are called the “RRSP Season.”

People try to catch up with RRSP contributions they have neglected over the last year because they do not want to miss out on the juicy tax refunds that will come in the mail after filing their tax returns.

And, of course, they also remember that they need to save for retirement!

For a bit of background, RRSP is an acronym for Registered Retirement Savings Plan. You can contribute up to 18% of your earned income annually, up to a maximum limit of $30,780 for the 2023 tax year ($31,560 for 2024).

RRSP contributions can be claimed as a deduction in your income tax return and will result in a tax refund. The amount of refund you receive is based on your marginal tax rate.

Money invested in the RRSP grows tax-deferred until withdrawal in retirement, and any leftover RRSP contribution room can be carried forward to future years.

As if there are not enough reasons to make you want to save for retirement, there is an additional incentive (if you have kids) for considering RRSP contributions!

Enter the CCB!

Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

The Canada Child Benefit is a tax-free monthly benefit to help parents raise kids under 18.

Eligibility for CCB payments is based on a family’s combined net income.

For the July 2023 to June 2024 payment period (based on your 2022 return), the maximum eligible annual benefits under the CCB are $7,437?per eligible child under age 6 and $6,275 per eligible child between 6 and 17 years.

Families with children with disabilities may receive an additional benefit of $3,173 per child ($264.41 per month) for the disability tax credit.

The maximum benefit is received by a family with an annual net income that is less than $34,863. For net annual incomes between $34,863 and $75,537 and those above $75,537, there will be a clawback of the CCB based on the number of children as follows:

For example, a family with two children under 6 and a family net income of $30,500 would qualify for the maximum annual benefit of $14,874 ($7,437 x 2).

If the same family had a net income of $69,395, there would be a clawback of 13.5% on the excess income over $34,532, i.e. ($69,395 – $34,863) x 13.5% = $4,661.82. Therefore, the family would receive a total CCB benefit of $10,212.18 (i.e. $14,874 – $4,661.82).

RRSP Contributions Are?Considered A Deduction

RRSP contributions are treated in a way that highlights the difference between tax credits and tax deductions. While tax credits are calculated at the lowest tax rate (currently 15%), deductions will impact your income at your highest marginal tax rate.

Additionally, because tax deductions lower your net income on line 236 of your tax return, they impact your eligibility for income-tested benefits at both federal and provincial levels.

The main deductions that lower your net income on line 236 include the following:

• RRSP contributions
• Pension adjustments
• Childcare expenses
• Professional and Union dues
• Employment expenses

Are you seeing where I’m going with this?

Because RRSP contributions are considered a tax deduction on your income tax return, they lower your taxable income and can increase the amount of CCB payments you are eligible for!

Canada Child Benefit and RRSP Contribution Scenarios

For the scenarios below, I used the government CCB calculator (2021 numbers). See how RRSP contributions increase the Canada Child Benefits you qualify for.

Scenario 1:

Family A with 3 kids all under 6 years of age and a family net income of $75,000. They make no RRSP contributions and can expect a total family CCB payment of $12,413?for the year. They can also expect to pay approximately $15,852 in taxes (Ontario).

Assumptions for scenario 1: no RRSP contribution made and no other pension plan contributions.

Scenario 2:

Family B with 3 kids under 6 years of age and a family net income of $75,000. If they decide to contribute $13,500 which is their full RRSP contribution room for the year (i.e. 18% x $75,000), their family net income falls to $61,500. They can expect a family CCB payment of $14,145?and will pay approx. $11,814 in taxes (Ontario).

Assumptions for scenario 2: full RRSP contribution made and no other pension plan contributions.

Outcome:

Because Family B?made RRSP contributions for the previous year, their CCB payments increased by $1,732 for the year or $144/month. Additionally, they will “save” $4,038 in taxes and at a marginal tax rate of 29.65%, their RRSP contribution will also result in a tax refund of about $4,000.

The scenarios denoted above are somewhat simplistic. However, they clearly show that when it comes to income-tested benefits (such as CCB, GST/HST credit, etc.), there is extra money to be had if your taxable net income is as low as possible.

Read the full guide here.

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The original version of this article was written by Enoch Omololu on Savvy New Canadians, under the title "Supercharge Your Canada Child Benefit by Making an RRSP Contribution."