An Introduction To The Tax-Free Savings Guide
Perhaps you’ve heard some information about Tax-free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) and the advantages that you can get from it. However, whether you’re still considering your assumptions on debt or understanding the consequences, this way of savings might still be too much to bear as one of your priorities. But, it’s still important that you have a wide knowledge of how TFSAs help you even if you’re currently in debt.
What is TFSAs?
A Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a savings account wherein you can invest funds and enables you to make earnings or gains that are free of tax. In Canada, the residents can open several TFSAs with a limited contribution amount each year. A TFSA can be utilized for any purpose of savings. Also, its withdrawals are tax-free. It was established in 2009 with $5,000 as the contribution limit per year and later on raised to $5,500 at the start of 2013. This 2019, the contribution limit per year is set to $6,000.
How to Set up a TFSA Accounts?
If you’re thinking to set up one or more TFSA, the process to take is easy and simple. You can set it up like your usual savings account, or you can set up an account that holds GICs or mutual funds or even both. At any given time, you can create more than one TFSA for as long as your contribution for all your TFSAs does not exceed your available contribution per year.
Furthermore, you can contact either your financial institution, credit union, or your insurance company to set it up. You can provide your social insurance number to the issuer and your date of birth to register your arrangement qualification as a TFSA. Also, your issuer may need to obtain supporting documents contribution per year.s.
How does TFSAs Works?
As a whole, the bottom line of a TFSA is the tax-free gains that you obtain. The money that you’re earning in your TFSA is free of tax upon withdrawal. So, if you’re contributing $5,000 per year, in 20 years time, it’s value is going to be $16,000. Since it’s tax free, you won’t pay any taxes on the $11,000 that you gained.
Difference between TFSA and RRSP
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Comparing TFSA and RRSP
In your RRSP, your contribution is with pre-tax incomes, and you will need to pay for income taxes upon withdrawals. However, you won’t pay income tax upon your contribution. So, if you have $65,000 in a year with a tax bracket of 30%, you’ll be paying $19,500 taxes; but if your contribution is $10,000 on your RRSP, you can save $3,000 on your tax payment as you’ll only pay 30% on $15,000 or $50,000.
On the contrary, the big downside of RRSP is that you’ll be paying taxes upon withdrawal just like an income. So, choosing between the two is something that needs a careful decision, which we will tackle on the succeeding article.
Another contrast seen in RRSPs is its restriction in your withdrawal as compared to TFSAs, wherein you can freely withdraw at any time. Also, once you withdraw the money, you can’t compensate back for the money that you withdraw on that year. Instead, you can put it back in any year later but without any penalty. In this case, it is a suitable option for an intermediate-range purpose of savings such as saving for a small business start-up, or a down payment for a new residence. Moreover, if you haven’t used your TFSA room in a couple of years, you can get the maximum allowance of tax-free earnings.
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Conditions under TFSA
In TFSA, the only requirement that you need to suffice to open an account is being 18 years over. Additionally, your contribution and withdrawals into your TFSA may also impact your qualification on federal income benefits such as the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the others like Old Age Security or the Child Tax Benefit. You can get more information about TFSA and RRSP on the later articles.
CONSUMER PROPOSAL EXAMPLE
Example Unsecured Debts
1 | Personal loan | $8,000 |
2 | Credit card 1 | $6,812 |
3 | Tax Debts | $5,399 |
4 | Overpayments | $5,200 |
5 | Overdraft | $700 |
Total Owed | $30,204 |
Your Monthly Repayments Would Be
a Consumer proposal $748
(total contractual repayments)
a Consumer proposal $295
(total contractual repayments)
60%
* Subject to creditor acceptance
* Payment subject to individual circumstances
* Credit rating may be affected
* Fees apply, subject to individual's circumstances.