# Will our money last in retirement as a couple?

Plan around one household spending amount, with each partner’s income, savings, CPP/QPP and OAS inputs. This made-up Ontario example keeps both retirement ages at 65 and compares spending $80,000 with $85,000 a year after tax, in 2026 CAD.
## Made-up worked example

These saved engine results demonstrate the tool; they are not a plan for you. All amounts CAD. Starting inputs: province ON. Alex, born 1966-06-15, earns $90,000 a year before retirement. RRSP $550,000; RRIF $0; TFSA $100,000; non-registered $50,000 with cost basis $40,000; cash $10,000. CPP $12,000 a year at 65, starting at 65. OAS starts at 65, using 40 residence years. Taylor, born 1968-09-20, earns $65,000 a year before retirement. RRSP $300,000; RRIF $0; TFSA $75,000; non-registered $25,000 with cost basis $20,000; cash $10,000. CPP $9,000 a year at 65, starting at 65. OAS starts at 65, using 40 residence years. Retirement ages: Alex 65 in both versions; Taylor 65 in both versions. Yearly household spending after tax: $80,000 in the baseline; $85,000 in the alternative, in 2026 dollars, excluding contributions. No extra contributions. A negative after-tax position is an end-of-plan gap, not money left for family.

| Version | First projected shortfall | End-of-plan position after tax (2026 dollars) | Final year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Made-up Alex and Taylor: spend $80,000 | None | 1122918 | 2063 |
| Made-up Alex and Taylor: spend $85,000 | None | 787050 | 2063 |

The example uses a fixed assumed annual return, not a simulated path of market ups and downs. CPP is held as entered; earlier retirement may reduce the actual CPP amount.

### Assumptions and source evidence

- A first projection for one or two Canadian adults: employment, a defined-benefit pension, CPP/QPP, OAS, RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, non-registered investments and cash. No corporations, property, debts, children, benefit-entitlement history, LIRA/LIF or planned extra contributions. GIS, Allowance and refundable benefit payments (including Ontario GAINS and Trillium) are not included; missing benefits can make a projected shortfall look larger. Review eligibility and payment history before changing spending. Quebec employment requires explicit confirmation of Quebec payroll contributions; cross-province employment is outside this first-calculation scope. Excluded situations need additional facts and supported-case review.
- Inflation 2.1%; invested return 5.0% nominal each year; uninvested cash 2%. These are assumptions, not forecasts. Invested accounts use 40% fixed income and 60% equity for tax treatment. Pension splitting and the standard withdrawal/contribution order are enabled. No extra contributions were supplied; surplus uses that order and the stated contribution room.
- Alex: OAS uses 40 years of residence; opening TFSA room 0 CAD and RRSP room 0 CAD.
- Taylor: OAS uses 40 years of residence; opening TFSA room 0 CAD and RRSP room 0 CAD.

Engine version: a5245196fe9c440cac227184b300f58f54e073958c8bd49c259815cd391dec13
Tax-rate fingerprint: cf34ad9e08777f2c1f6b0429a2842c2db35669bccffda07886ee8a3081fc868f
Calculation input fingerprint: 2d3c498b203b58a5460e536b2ea41e86da33c305c436738ccfab301a800a822b


Canonical page: https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/retirement-calculator-for-couples-canada

## Steps

1. Keep each person’s facts separate. Enter both birth dates, retirement ages, incomes, benefits and account balances. Do not put both people’s savings under one name.
2. Use one household spending amount. The baseline spends $80,000 a year after tax in 2026 dollars. The alternative spends $85,000. Both people’s other inputs stay the same.
3. Read the household result. Compare spending coverage and the end-of-plan position, then inspect the annual detail. Retirement at the same age can fall in different calendar years when partners have different birth dates.

## Facts needed

- Each partner’s birth date and retirement age
- One province or territory for the household
- Each person’s employment income and any quoted pension
- Savings and cost basis, assigned to the person who owns each account
- Each person’s CPP/QPP statement amount, start ages and OAS residence years
- One yearly household spending amount after tax, plus return and inflation assumptions

## Access

Read this example and use the basic calculator for two adults without an account. Review both people’s inputs and confirm the assumptions before calculating. A saved private plan is a separate step.

## Limits

- This first calculation excludes property, debts, corporations, children, LIRA/LIF and planned extra contributions.
- GIS, Allowance and refundable benefit payments are excluded. Missing benefits can make a projected shortfall look larger.
- Returns and inflation are assumptions. A projection is not a promise or a personal recommendation.
- This first projection supports two partners up to 25 years apart. Both are covered through the younger person’s age 95.
- The example enters each CPP amount as an assumption. It does not reconstruct either person’s contribution history.
## Made-up input template

https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/retirement-calculator-for-couples-canada/template.json

This is a glacier-calculator-v1 input artifact with assumptionsAccepted:false. Review the inputs and obtain explicit confirmation before calculating. It is not a saved private plan or a result.

## Continue

Open this made-up couple example: https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/calculate?guide=retirement-calculator-for-couples-canada

## Message for an AI assistant

Help me project retirement for two partners and compare household spending in Canada using Glacier Planner. First read https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/retirement-calculator-for-couples-canada/index.md and https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/docs/agents/skill.md. The guide’s example is made up, not my plan. Ask whether I want that demonstration or my own numbers. Read the current public calculator contract at https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/api/calculate. Ask for missing facts, check the supported scope and get my explicit confirmation of assumptions before calculating; never accept them for me. For the demonstration, the input template is https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/retirement-calculator-for-couples-canada/template.json. Show the returned spending coverage, shortfall year, after-tax estate and assumptions. Keep this line with the answer: projections and education, not personalized investment advice. Give me the returned input artifact to keep. Do not sign me up, enable payment or make a saved-plan connection without my approval.

Want personal help? https://glacierfinancial.ca/fit-call
The software does not include personal advice. Opening this guide does not send financial details or enrol anyone in marketing.

Projections and education, not personalized investment advice.