Methodology & Data Sources
Every calculator on this site shows its work. This page explains the principles, the data, and the limits.
Principles
1. Canadian rules, not American ones. Fixed mortgage rates compound semi-annually. Principal residences are exempt from capital gains tax. CMHC insurance, the OSFI stress test, RRSP/TFSA/FHSA/RESP rules, provincial tax brackets, the Ontario surtax and health premium, the Quebec abatement — the details are modelled, not hand-waved.
2. Show the formula. Every tool has a "How this is calculated" section with the actual math and a list of what the tool does not model. If a number is an approximation, the page says so.
3. Private by architecture. This is a static site. There is no server-side computation, no ads, no lead forms. Every calculation runs in your browser; your numbers never leave your device. Saved scenarios (where offered) use your browser's local storage only. The site uses privacy-respecting usage analytics (Google Tag Manager) to count visits and see which tools and controls get used — it never collects what you type: no amounts, no rates, no results.
4. Educational, not advice. These tools are for understanding decisions, not making them for you. Lenders, the CRA, and your own circumstances will differ. Confirm anything important with a qualified professional.
Data & sources — verified July 2026
| Data | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Federal & provincial tax brackets, BPAs (all 13 jurisdictions) | CRA / provincial finance ministries | 2026 tax year |
| CPP/CPP2 (YMPE $74,600, YAMPE $85,000) & EI rates | CRA | 2026 |
| TFSA ($7,000), RRSP ($33,810), FHSA, RESP/CESG, RRIF minimums, HBP ($60,000) | CRA / ESDC | 2026 |
| CPP/OAS/GIS benefit maximums & clawback thresholds | Service Canada | Q3 2026 |
| CMHC premium tiers, minimum down payments, $1.5M insured cap | CMHC / FCAC | July 2026 |
| Stress test (greater of contract + 2% or 5.25%), GDS 39 / TDS 44 | OSFI B-20 / CMHC | July 2026 |
| Land transfer taxes ON / Toronto / BC / AB / QC / Montreal + rebates | Provincial & municipal statutes | 2026 (incl. Toronto's Apr 2026 luxury tiers) |
| Planning returns (equities 6.3–6.6%, fixed income 3.2%, inflation 2.1%) | FP Canada Projection Assumption Guidelines | 2026 edition |
| Reference rates (BoC 2.25%, prime 4.45%, mortgage/HISA/GIC ranges) | Bank of Canada / market surveys | July 2026 |
| Exchange rates | Indicative market rates (static, not live) | July 5, 2026 |
All of this lives in a handful of data files (assets/js/data/) so annual updates are one-file edits. If you spot a stale number, open an issue.
Known limits
The tax tools model the big pieces (brackets, basic personal amounts, CPP/EI, dividend credits, the Ontario surtax and health premium, the Quebec abatement) but not every credit — no Canada Employment Amount, no age/disability/caregiver credits, no provincial low-income reductions. The retirement and drawdown tools use steady average returns, not market volatility; sequence-of-returns risk is real and noted on those pages. Mortgage penalty math (IRD) varies enormously by lender. Treat every output as a well-informed estimate.
About
Built by Fawad Ahmed as a free resource. The whole site is open source — a zero-dependency static site: hand-written HTML, CSS and JavaScript, no frameworks, no build step. View the code on GitHub.