T4RSP boxes: 22 is the withdrawal, 30 the tax, 25 and 27 aren't income

Which T1 line does each T4RSP box go to?

The 2026 T4RSP carries the same amount boxes as 2025: 16 through 40, plus the payer's business number in box 61 canada.ca. For the T1, the CRA's line 12900 instructions say to enter the total of boxes 16, 18, 28 and 34, plus boxes 20, 22 and 26 unless a spouse or common law partner contributed to the plan in the window covered by the spousal rule canada.ca. Tax in box 30 goes on line 43700 canada.ca.

Box 22 is reported net of fees such as redemption charges, and the issuer withholds tax on that net amount. Anything withdrawn above the Home Buyers' Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan limits also lands in box 22, not in box 27 or 25 canada.ca. Box 26 holds the fair market value of the plan's property just before it became an amended plan under subsection 146(12), and nothing else.

Why box 30 rarely covers the tax on a withdrawal

As of October 2026, the issuer withholds 10% on a withdrawal up to $5,000, 20% over $5,000 up to $15,000 and 30% above $15,000 (5%, 10% and 15% in Quebec, where provincial tax is withheld too). Non residents get 25% unless a treaty lowers it. The CRA warns that the amount withheld may not cover the tax owed at the client's bracket canada.ca. How the bands apply to split requests is on the lump sum withholding page.

Worked example. Your Ontario client has $50,000 of other taxable income and takes $12,000 out of an RRSP in 2026. The slip shows $12,000 in box 22 and $2,400 in box 30 (20%). At the 2026 combined federal and Ontario rates, that $12,000 crosses three bands:

Box 30 covered $2,400, so about $444 comes due when the return is filed, on rates alone. Put $12,000 on line 12900 and $2,400 on line 43700, and warn the client before the withdrawal rather than in April.

Which slip and box does the CRA expect when an RRSP annuitant dies?

For an unmatured RRSP, it depends on who the beneficiary is and whether everything moved in time canada.ca.

The spouse exception needs all the property transferred by December 31 of the year after the year of death canada.ca. Refund of premiums income paid to a financially dependent child or grandchild goes in box 28, not box 18, and so does a rollover to an RDSP canada.ca. When the money goes to the estate, the legal representative and a qualifying survivor can file Form T2019 jointly to treat it as a refund of premiums.

Worked example. Your client dies in 2026 with a $200,000 unmatured RRSP naming the spouse as sole beneficiary, and the issuer transfers the whole amount directly to the spouse's RRSP in 2027. No slip goes out in the deceased's name. The spouse gets a 2027 T4RSP with $200,000 in box 18, reports it on line 12900, enters it on line 24640 of Schedule 7 and deducts $200,000 on line 20800, so no tax results canada.ca.

If box 34 was issued and part of it later qualifies as a refund of premiums, the issuer doesn't amend the slip. The legal representative reduces line 12900 on the final return using Chart 2 of RC4177, and a drop in value after death is a separate deduction on line 23200 of the final return, backed by Form RC249 canada.ca. The survivor can only transfer a refund of premiums to an RRSP if they're 71 or younger at the end of the year of the transfer. The planning side is on the RRSP on death page.

What box 24 changes on a spousal RRSP withdrawal

Box 24 says whether the plan is a spousal or common law partner RRSP, and box 36 then carries the contributor's SIN canada.ca. If the contributor paid into the annuitant's RRSPs in the withdrawal year or the two years before it, part or all of the withdrawal is taxed to the contributor, worked out on Form T2205. For a 2026 withdrawal that means contributions in 2024, 2025 or 2026 canada.ca.

The tax doesn't follow the income. Only the person named on the slip, usually the annuitant, claims box 30, even when the contributor reports the withdrawal canada.ca. Expect a refund on one return and a balance owing on the other. The three year window, with dated examples, is on the spousal RRSP attribution page.

Which boxes never add to your client's income?

Box 27 and box 25 aren't income. The issuer doesn't withhold tax on a Home Buyers' Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan withdrawal, and the client doesn't include it on the return canada.ca. The client gave the issuer Form T1036 or RC96, and the box shows what has to be repaid: up to $60,000 under the Home Buyers' Plan and $10,000 a year under the Lifelong Learning Plan canada.ca.

Box 20 appears only when the client gave the issuer an approved Form T3012A, so no tax was withheld. Without one, the same refund shows up in box 22 with tax in box 30 canada.ca canada.ca. Either way it's income on line 12900, and Form T746 works out the matching deduction on line 23200 canada.ca. The conditions are on the T3012A page.

Box 35 is a direct transfer under a court order or written separation agreement, with Form T2220 kept on file. Box 37 isn't reported on the return and can't be deducted. Box 38, the year end fair market value, is filed electronically by the issuer and never appears on the client's copy canada.ca.

Box 16 is income, but annuity payments can qualify for the pension income amount on line 31400: from 65, or before 65 when received because a spouse or common law partner died canada.ca. The amount is capped at $2,000, covered on the pension income amount page.