TFSA Contribution Limits by Year — Complete History Canada

Every annual TFSA contribution limit from 2009 to 2025 with cumulative totals and explanations of how limits are set by the CRA.

Complete TFSA Annual Contribution Limit Table (2009–2025)

Year	Annual Limit	Cumulative Total (from 2009)	Notes
2009	$5,000	$5,000	TFSA launched
2010	$5,000	$100
2011	$5,000	$15,000
2012	$5,000	$20,000
2013	$5,500	$25,500	First inflation increase
2014	$5,500	$31,000
2015	$100	$41,000	Conservative budget increase
2016	$5,500	$46,500	Reverted after government change
2017	$5,500	$52,000
2018	$5,500	$57,500
2019	$6,000	$63,500	Inflation increase
2020	$6,000	$69,500
2021	$6,000	$75,500
2022	$6,000	$81,500
2023	$6,500	$88,000	Inflation increase
2024	$7,000	$95,000	Inflation increase
2025	$7,000	$95,000*	Same as 2024

*The cumulative total shown for 2025 represents the room for someone who turned 18 before 2009 and has never contributed. The 2025 $7,000 limit is already included in the $95,000 figure above (for those eligible since 2009, their room at Jan 1, 2025 was already $95,000 including 2025).

How Are TFSA Limits Determined?

The annual TFSA contribution limit is indexed to inflation. The CRA calculates the inflation-adjusted limit and rounds it down to the nearest $500. This means the limit does not increase every year — only when cumulative inflation since the last increase is enough to push the rounded figure up by $500.

For example, the limit stayed at $6,000 from 2019 to 2022 even as inflation crept up, because the inflation adjustment had not yet cleared the $500 rounding threshold. When inflation surged in 2022–2023, the limit jumped to $6,500 in 2023 and then $7,000 in 2024.

The 2015 $100 Anomaly

In 2015, the Conservative government under Stephen Harper doubled the annual TFSA contribution limit to $100 as part of their federal budget. This was a deliberate policy choice, not an inflation adjustment. When the Liberal government was elected in late 2015, they reversed this policy for subsequent years, returning the limit to $5,500 in 2016. The $100 contribution room earned in 2015 was not taken away — it remained permanently part of the cumulative room for anyone eligible that year.

Room Accumulation: Year-by-Year Examples

If you turned 18 in 2020 (born in 2002), your cumulative TFSA room as of January 1, 2025 would be:

• 2020: $6,000
• 2021: $6,000
• 2022: $6,000
• 2023: $6,500
• 2024: $7,000
• 2025: $7,000
• Total: $38,500

Will the TFSA Limit Increase in 2026?

As of 2025, the limit is $7,000. Whether it increases in 2026 depends on the CRA's inflation calculation. With inflation moderating in 2024–2025, the limit may remain at $7,000 for another year. If cumulative inflation since the last adjustment clears $500, the limit could rise to $7,500. Watch for CRA announcements in the fall of each year for the following year's limit.

Key Takeaway: Unused Room Carries Forward

The most important feature of TFSA contribution room is that it carries forward permanently. If you have never contributed or have contributed less than your maximum, all unused room is available to you today. There is no deadline to use your TFSA room — it accumulates year after year until you use it or stop being a Canadian resident.