Defuse the RRSP tax bomb. Here's the meltdown plan.
At 71 your RRSP converts to a RRIF and the minimum withdrawals climb every year. Optiml builds the year-by-year meltdown plan for your specific situation, before you get there.
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RRSP meltdown optimized
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RRIF minimums modelled
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OAS clawback avoided
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Lifetime tax minimized
As seen in: Globe and Mail · Financial Post · Invest Nova Scotia · fintech.ca · Moolala Podcast
125,000+ plans run
4.8 / 5 rating
BBB A+
PIPEDA compliant
The climbing curve
The minimum grows every year you stay in.
Three illustrative snapshots from the federal RRIF minimum schedule. The percentages are real. The dollar figures assume a $700K RRIF balance held flat for context.
Age 72: about 5.4%
The first full RRIF year sets the floor. On a $700K balance, the minimum withdrawal is roughly $37,800. It's manageable. It's also the smallest the percentage will ever be again.
Age 85: 8.5%
The minimum percentage is now 8.5%. On a balance that may have grown for a decade, the mandatory withdrawal is materially larger, and so is the marginal-rate exposure.
Age 94: 18.8%
By the mid-90s the schedule withdraws nearly a fifth of the remaining balance every year. For a Canadian who lives a long, healthy life, that's a tax bracket every year, not a one-time event.
What Optiml does for the RRSP meltdown question
Every Optiml plan answers the meltdown question for your specific situation.
Not a generic schedule. Your accounts, your tax brackets, your CPP and OAS timing, your spouse, your province. Re-run it any time something changes.
Optimal melt schedule
Optiml models a year-by-year RRSP drawdown that moves money out of your registered accounts at the lowest marginal rate possible, before RRIF minimums get large.
CPP and OAS timing built in
Your meltdown plan is solved together with your Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security start ages, because the optimal melt year depends on which other income is on the table.
OAS clawback protection
Optiml keeps modelled income under the OAS recovery threshold so the meltdown lowers your lifetime tax instead of triggering benefit clawback.
TFSA as the tax buffer
Surplus dollars from each year's melt flow into your Tax-Free Savings Account first, then non-registered. The TFSA becomes the tax-free pool you draw from in higher-tax years.
Modelled across your full horizon
Most plans look at one year at a time. Optiml models every year from today through life expectancy, so the melt isn't just optimal now, it's optimal across the whole retirement.
Eva, your in-app AI assistant
Ask 'what if I melt $40K a year starting at 62 instead?' in plain English. Eva is grounded in your own plan and built on Google Gemini. Available on Pro+ and Legacy.
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Two ways to handle the RRIF deadline
RRIF on autopilot. Or your meltdown plan, before 71.
RRIF on autopilot
STATUS QUO
Climbing
minimum withdrawal every year
- RRSP converts to a RRIF by Dec 31 of the year you turn 71
- Mandatory minimum starts around 5.4% and climbs every birthday
- Large RRIF balances can push income above the OAS clawback threshold
- Whatever's left at death is taxed as income in one final return
- The schedule is set by the CRA, not by your plan
Optiml meltdown plan
BUILT FOR YOU
3 to 15%
illustrative lifetime-tax range
- RRSP balance drawn down earlier, in lower-bracket years
- Surplus moved into TFSA first, then non-registered investments
- OAS, CPP, pension splitting, and bracket caps modelled together
- Re-optimized any time your situation changes
- You see why each dollar is moved, not just the final number
Illustrative example. Your results are unique.
The Canadian rules a meltdown plan has to model
What separates a meltdown plan from a meltdown guess.
An RRSP meltdown only works if every neighbouring CRA rule is modelled at the same time. Optiml builds them in.
Bracket caps, federal and provincial
Optiml merges your federal and provincial brackets into a single boundary set, then caps each year's melt so withdrawals never push you into a higher bracket than you intended.
CPP and OAS start ages
Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security start ages are modelled at every option from 60 to 70. The optimal melt year depends on when these turn on, so they're solved together.
OAS clawback guard
If your modelled income would push you above the Old Age Security recovery threshold, the meltdown is capped that year so you don't lower lifetime income tax just to lose OAS instead.
Pension income splitting
Once you're 65, RRIF and LIF withdrawals can be split between spouses for tax purposes. Optiml applies the split automatically and rebalances the household tax bill year by year.
Spousal RRSP attribution
Optiml respects the 3-year attribution rule on Spousal RRSP withdrawals so the meltdown plan never accidentally pulls income back to the contributor for tax.
LIF and corporate accounts too
Locked-in funds and corporate accounts are sequenced together with the RRSP melt. On the Legacy plan, CCPC and HoldCo dividends are modelled in the same yearly tax picture.
What Optiml Actually Gives You
Not features. Outcomes.
Behind every tool is a feeling. Confidence. Clarity. Control. Here is what Optiml is really built to give you.
Yes, you can retire.
Stop wondering if you have enough. Optiml runs your complete financial picture and gives you a clear, honest answer backed by math, not guesswork.
You won't outlive your money.
Your plan is stress tested across market downturns, rising inflation, and varying returns. Know that your income holds up no matter what the market does.
More for your family, less for the CRA.
Optiml models the most tax efficient way to pass on your estate. Avoid unnecessary tax liabilities so your beneficiaries keep what you worked hard to build.
Your plan, on your terms.
Update your financial plan from home. No calls, no emails, no waiting. Make a change and see the impact in seconds. You are in control, always.
Know exactly what to draw, and when.
Get a year by year withdrawal roadmap showing which account, how much, and in what order. No spreadsheets. No guessing. Just a clear path through retirement.
See your tax picture, start to finish.
Watch how your tax liability evolves through every stage of retirement. Identify the windows where smart moves make the biggest difference.
What Canadians say about Optiml
From Canadians who built their meltdown plan in Optiml.
“Loving the independence and education that Optiml is giving my husband and me as we prepare for retirement. With Optiml's clear visual dashboards, it's the first time we have felt we can understand and take ownership of a draw-down strategy. We got this!”
Karen R., Alberta
“Finally found a retirement planning tool that takes into account all aspects of my financial situation. The tax optimization features are incredible!”
Robert P., Edmonton AB
Frequently asked about RRSP meltdowns
Questions Canadians ask before melting.
Built in Canada
“We built Optiml to empower Canadians to build their own financial plans and gain the confidence to make informed decisions about their financial future.”
Zac Davies
Co-Founder & CEO, Optiml
Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia
See exactly when and how to melt down your RRSP.
14-day free trial on every Optiml tier. Plans from $9.99 / month. Cancel anytime in-app.
14-day free trial. Cancel anytime in-app.
14-day free trial. Cancel anytime in-app.