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Retirement Drawdown Order Calculator

Compare where one year of retirement cash comes from and how the withdrawal order changes taxable income, incremental tax and OAS exposure.

Compare a one-year withdrawal order

At 65 or older the federal and provincial age amounts apply and RRIF withdrawals qualify for the pension income amount.

Before tax. This is the total to take from savings, in addition to your pension and other income.

Include CPP, OAS and other taxable income. Exclude the savings withdrawals being compared.

Already included in the income above. Enter 0 if you do not receive OAS; use your annual entitlement or monthly amount × months received.

Enter 0 for any account you do not hold.

This compares one tax year. It includes the federal age and pension income amounts when you enter an age of 65 or older, but not the provincial ones. It does not model GIS, pension splitting, mandatory RRIF/LIF minimums, investment returns or future years. Amounts are estimates, not a recommended lifetime withdrawal order.

Review the OAS recovery-tax rules

What this estimate includes

The calculator applies 2026 federal and provincial brackets to the taxable portion entered. TFSA withdrawals are excluded from taxable income; registered withdrawals are included.

Use the result as a one-year comparison, then test RRIF minimums, OAS clawback and pension splitting with the linked specialist calculators.

Official sources

Questions this calculator answers

Should I withdraw from a TFSA or RRIF first?

There is no universal order. TFSA withdrawals do not add taxable income, while RRSP and RRIF withdrawals do. However, delaying every registered withdrawal can create larger mandatory withdrawals and OAS recovery tax later.

Does the calculator optimize a full retirement?

No. It compares one tax year. A lifetime plan also needs investment returns, future tax brackets, mandatory withdrawals, GIS, estate tax and longevity assumptions.

Why enter the taxable share of a non-registered withdrawal?

Only the taxable income produced by the withdrawal belongs in the tax estimate. The correct amount depends on adjusted cost base, income distributions and realized gains or losses.

What OAS effect is shown?

The calculator estimates the 15% recovery tax on net income above the 2026 threshold. Actual recovery is reconciled through the tax system and the applicable recovery-tax period.

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