@NM1 wrote: An RRSP is a tax-deferred account, so cost basis is irrelevant (in both Canada and the U.S.). 100% of the withdrawal is treated as ordinary income, basically like withdrawals from a t...
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@NM1 wrote: An RRSP is a tax-deferred account, so cost basis is irrelevant (in both Canada and the U.S.). 100% of the withdrawal is treated as ordinary income, basically like withdrawals from a traditional IRA in the U.S. I believe an instance where this isn't quite correct is if someone has the RSP account before becoming a resident of the US. For example, consider the situation where one would have $50,000 in an RSP, move to the US and then withdraw it 20 years later when it's increased to $125,000. In this situation, the cost basis would be the $50,000. Canada would withhold $31,250CAD - and the taxable amount in the US would be $75,000 CAD ($125,000 - $50,000).