FHSA contribution room calculator
Enter the year you opened the account and what you put in each year. This applies the $8,000 annual limit, the one-year carryforward cap, and the $40,000 lifetime maximum, and shows the room you have already lost.
Worked example — Room forfeited so far: $0. Opened 2024, contributed $8,000 in year one, nothing since
Within available roomWhat has opening your FHSA late already cost you?
FHSA room accrues only from the year you open the account, with no backdating. Every year you wait is $8,000 of room that never existed and can never be recovered.
| Opened in | Room lost forever |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $0 |
| 2024 | $8,000 |
| 2025 | $16,000 |
| 2026 | $24,000 |
FHSA annual limit, carryforward cap and lifetime maximum
| Limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual limit | $8,000 |
| One-year carryforward cap | $8,000 |
| Maximum usable in a single year | $16,000 |
| Lifetime maximum | $40,000 |
Fastest way to max out an FHSA
5 years at $8,000 a year, contributing the full annual limit every single year with no gaps. That is a direct division of the $40,000 lifetime maximum by the $8,000 annual limit: there is no faster legal path, because contribution room cannot be borrowed from future years the way carryforward borrows from the past.
FHSA vs TFSA: when does room start?
| Account | Room starts |
|---|---|
| FHSA | The year you open the account. No backdating. |
| TFSA | The later of 2009 or the year you turned 18, whether or not you ever opened one. |
Confusing the two is expensive in both directions: waiting to open an FHSA destroys room, while waiting to open a TFSA costs nothing because the room was accruing anyway. Check your TFSA position in the TFSA contribution room calculator.
This does not model qualifying-withdrawal conditions, the first-time home buyer definition and the four-year rule, transfers in from an RRSP, or the fifteen-year closure deadline. Next: compare the wrappers in the RRSP versus TFSA calculator.
Where these numbers come from
These official sources govern the figures and rules used on this page. They were re-verified on 9 August 2026. Registered-account and tax rules can change, so re-check the linked government guidance before acting.
- CRA — What happens if you contribute too much to your FHSAs FHSA annual limit, lifetime limit, carryforward cap and the excess tax
This is general publishing, not tax advice, and it does not know your circumstances. Your own contribution room is on your CRA notice of assessment and in My Account, which is the number that governs.
The next question after this one
RRSP Home Buyers' Plan repayment calculatorCalculatorThe other first-home account, and the one that has to be paid back. What the minimum repayment is each year, and what an undesignated minimum adds to your income.Open nextOther questions
- Savings goal solverCalculatorThe room is a ceiling, not a plan. This solves the monthly contribution a deposit target actually needs.
- U.S. rent vs buy calculatorCalculatorBefore optimising the deposit, price whether buying beats renting on your numbers at all.
- Mortgage calculatorCalculatorWhat the deposit this account is building leaves you borrowing, and what that costs each month.
All 130 calculatorsHow JMM sources and checks its numbersWhat stays free, and what early access would add
What Pro adds here
Deduction timing across brackets, FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan used together, and a deposit timeline that prices the carryforward you are about to lose. The launch list sends one email at launch.