• T3012A - Tax Deduction Waiver on the Refund of your Unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP Contributions from your RRSP, PRPP or SPP

Who can use this form

Use this form if you want the CRA to authorize your RRSP issuer, or PRPP or SPP administrator to refund your unused RRSP, PRPP or SPP contributions without withholding tax. You have to meet all of the following conditions:

• You made the contributions to your own RRSP, PRPP, or SPP or your spouse's or common-law partner's RRSP or SPP, and you have not previously deducted them, or have not designated them as a repayment under the Home Buyers' Plan or the Lifelong Learning Plan.

• You have not designated the refund as a qualifying withdrawal to have your past-service pension adjustment certified.

• No part of the refund relates to a lump-sum payment from an RPP, a PRPP, or an SPP, or certain deferred profit sharing plan amounts, that were transferred directly to an RRSP, a PRPP, or an SPP.

• You or your spouse or common-law partner will receive the refund of contributions from an RRSP, PRPP or SPP in one of the following years:

  • in the year you made the contributions

  • in the following year

  • in the year that the CRA sent you a notice of assessment or reassessment for the year you made the contributions, or in the following year

In addition, it has to be reasonable for the CRA to consider that at least one of the following conditions applies:

• you reasonably expected to be able to fully deduct the RRSP, PRPP, and SPP contributions for the year you made the contributions or the immediately preceding year

• you did not make the RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions intending to withdraw them and deduct an amount from your income for the withdrawal

Do not use this form if any of the following situations apply to the individual who is receiving the refund (you or your spouse or common-law partner):

1. you received the unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions in the form of a commutation payment from a matured RRSP

2. you received or will receive a RRIF payment that is more than the minimum amount for the year, and the payment is for unused RRSP, PRPP, or SPP contributions that were transferred to the RRIF

3. an RPP excess amount was transferred to an RRSP, PRPP, SPP, or a RRIF in the year or a previous year, and you are now withdrawing some or all of this amount from your RRSP, RRIF, PRPP or SPP

If situation a) or b) applies, use Form T746, Calculating Your Deduction for Refund of Unused RRSP, PRPP, and SPP Contributions.

If situation c) applies, use Form T1043, Deduction for Excess Registered Pension Plan Transfers You Withdrew from an RRSP or RRIF.

If you have already withdrawn your unused RRSP, PRPP or SPP contribution without using this form, use Form T746 to calculate the amount you can deduct.

How to fill out this form

Parts 1 and 2: Line 1 – If you contribute to an RRSP in the 89-day period before you or your spouse or common-law partner make a withdrawal under the Lifelong Learning Plan or Home Buyers' Plan, you may not be able to deduct the contribution from your income for any year. Do not include these contributions on line 1. For more information, see Guide RC4112, Lifelong Learning Plan, or canada.ca/home-buyers-plan.

Fill in Parts 1 and 2 and send four copies of the form to your tax centre. Do not send the form with your income tax and benefit return.

Part 3: After the CRA has approved the amount that the plan issuer or administrator can refund without withholding tax, the CRA will return three copies to you with Part 3 filled in.

Part 4: After the CRA has filled in Part 3 and returned the form to you, fill in Part 4 and send all three copies to your plan issuer or administrator.

Part 5: The issuer or administrator fills in Part 5 and returns two copies to you.

Reporting the refund on your income tax and benefit return

When you fill out your income tax and benefit return for the year you receive the refund, report the total refund of unused RRSP contributions on line 12900. Report the total refund of unused PRPP and SPP contributions on line 11500 if you are 65 or older at the end of the year, or on line 13000 otherwise.

Claim the deduction at line 23200 if the refund is received within the time frame outlined above. If you are filing a paper return, attach these T4RSP slips and a copy of this form showing the designated amount to be refunded to your income tax and benefit return. If you are filing electronically, keep the slips and this form in case the CRA asks to see them.

After you have deducted the amount you entered on line 23200 from your income, you cannot deduct it on line 20800 for any year. The CRA will reduce your unused RRSP contributions available to carry forward to later years by the amount of your refund.

Tax on excess contributions

Generally, you have RRSP, PRPP, or SPP excess contributions if your unused contributions from prior years and your current calendar year contributions are more than your RRSP deduction limit shown on your latest notice of assessment, notice of reassessment, or T1028, plus $2,000. For more information, see "Tax on RRSP, PRPP, or SPP excess contributions" in Chapter 2 of Guide T4040, RRSPs and Other Registered Plans for Retirement, and the T1-OVP, 2023 lndividual Tax Return for RRSP, PRPP and SPP Excess Contributions.

Send the completed form to your tax centre as indicated on your notice of assessment. You will find the address listed below.

Useful links:

RC4112 Lifelong Learning Plan