Contribution room

Contribution room is the accounting mechanism the CRA uses to cap how much untaxed capital accumulates inside Canadian registered accounts. Every TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, and RESP has its own contribution room that fills and empties as contributions and (for TFSAs) withdrawals happen.

Room accumulates automatically each year a person is eligible, whether or not they file a tax return. Unused room carries forward indefinitely for TFSAs and RRSPs; the FHSA has a lifetime cap; the RESP has a per-beneficiary lifetime cap plus a government-grant cap.

Over-contribution is penalized at 1% per month on the excess, so the CRA figure is the operative source — not a broker's internal tally.