RRIF Minimum Withdrawal Rates by Age (2026 Factor Table)

A Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is what most RRSPs become — by law you must convert your RRSP to a RRIF (or an annuity) by the end of the year you turn 71. From the following year onward, the government requires you to withdraw a minimum amount every year, set by your age. Those minimum percentages are fixed in tax law and do not change with markets or inflation. Here is the complete 2026 table.

How the Minimum Is Calculated

The minimum is a simple formula:

Minimum withdrawal = Fair market value of the RRIF on January 1 × the prescribed factor for your age

The “prescribed factor” is a percentage that rises with age. You may always withdraw more than the minimum, but never less. There is no maximum on a regular RRIF.

A key choice at setup: you can base the factor on your own age or your spouse’s (if younger). Electing the younger spouse’s age lowers the mandatory withdrawal — useful if you want to keep more sheltered and defer tax. This must be elected when the RRIF is established.

Under Age 71 — The 1/(90 − age) Formula

If you convert to a RRIF before 71 (or are forced to draw earlier), the factor for ages 70 and under is calculated as:

Factor = 1 ÷ (90 − age)

So at age 65 the factor is 1 ÷ (90 − 65) = 1 ÷ 25 = 4.00%. At 70 it is 1 ÷ 20 = 5.00%. Once you reach 71, you switch to the fixed table below.

Age 71 and Over — The Prescribed Factor Table

At 71 and above, the factors are set out in Income Tax Regulations section 7308 (the “All other RRIFs” column, which covers essentially every RRIF set up after 1992):

The factor climbs steeply after 90, capping at 20.00% from age 95 — at which point you must withdraw a fifth of the remaining balance every year.

Worked Example — Age 75 With a $400,000 RRIF

A 75-year-old whose RRIF was worth $400,000 on January 1, 2026:

• Factor for age 75: 5.82%
• Minimum withdrawal = $400,000 × 0.0582 = $23,280

That $23,280 is fully taxable as income in 2026, on top of CPP, OAS, and any other income. The same balance at age 90 (factor 11.92%) would force a $47,680 minimum — illustrating why withdrawals accelerate with age.

First-Year Rule and Tax Withholding

• No minimum the year you open the RRIF. The first mandatory withdrawal is for the calendar year after the RRIF is established. If you convert your RRSP at 71, your first minimum is at 72.
• No tax withheld on the minimum. Financial institutions withhold no tax on the minimum amount itself — but anything you take above the minimum has withholding tax applied (10%/20%/30% federally, higher in Quebec). Because the minimum has no withholding, many retirees still owe tax at filing, so planning instalments matters.

Why the Minimum Matters for Tax Planning

The mandatory schedule means a large RRIF forces growing taxable income each year, which can:

• Push you into a higher marginal bracket,
• Trigger the OAS recovery tax above the clawback threshold, and
• Reduce income-tested benefits like GIS.

Strategies to manage this — drawing down early, using the younger-spouse age, splitting eligible pension income, or moving to a RRIF before 71 — are covered in RRIF Withdrawal Strategies to Minimize Tax. This article is the reference table; that one is the planning playbook.

Key Takeaways

• The RRIF minimum = January 1 market value × the age-based factor; you can withdraw more but never less.
• Under 71: factor = 1/(90 − age) — e.g. 4.00% at 65, 5.00% at 70.
• 71 and over: fixed factors from Regulation 7308 — 5.28% at 71, 5.82% at 75, 6.82% at 80, 11.92% at 90, capping at 20.00% from 95.
• These factors are not indexed and did not change for 2026.
• No minimum the first year; no tax is withheld on the minimum, so plan for the bill at filing.

Calculate your exact minimum for any age and balance with the RRIF minimum withdrawal calculator.

Sources

• CRA — Chart: Prescribed factors (RRIF minimum amount)
• CRA — Minimum amount from a RRIF
• Income Tax Regulations, section 7308 (Justice Laws)