Complete Guide to Transfer Money from TFSA to Chequing in TD
One of the crucial things to know before opening a TFSA account is how to transfer money from TFSA to chequing TD. Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is an account introduced by the federal government that allows Canadians to save money tax-free.
To transfer money from your TFSA account to your TD account, Login to WebBroker. Then, click on Accounts, and look for Cash Transfers under Self-Service. Next, select the From Account and the To Account, enter the amount, and Finish.
You can press the Back button if you entered the wrong amount or changed your mind in the middle of the process. Once you finish the transaction, WebBroker will verify everything and complete the transfer.
If the transfer were successful, you would get a confirmation number. However, some transfers fail to complete for various reasons. The advantage of having a TFSA account is that you can withdraw cash anytime without penalties.
What Is TFSA
The federal government introduced the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) in 2009 to encourage Canadians to save. Unlike standard savings accounts, TFSA does not charge tax on its users’ savings. However, there is a limit to the amount you can save with this account.
The maximum amount of money you can save with TFSA in a year is called the contribution limit. Saving more than your contribution limit attracts a penalty of one percent of the excess contribution. However, you can evade this fee by withdrawing cash once you hit the limit.
The savings account allows you to withdraw any amounts you want throughout the year. You can also draw your savings and won’t lose your contribution room. The room expands as the years move by.
Besides savings, Canadians can use TFSA accounts to hold investments like mutual funds, stocks, and bonds at a zero percent tax fee. The saved money on TFSA earns interest like other savings accounts, but you won’t pay capital gains during withdrawals.
How to Transfer Money from TD TFSA to Chequing
There are no age or amount requirements for withdrawing money from TFSA to a TD chequing account. But, you should be above 18 and a Canadian citizen to own an account. If you want to withdraw from your account, follow these steps.
- Open your TD App and Log in to WebBroker.
- On the top right corner, click on transfer
- Select the From Account
- Enter the To Account
- Next, click on the amount and enter the cash you want to transfer in dollars and cents. Click Next
- Review the transaction by confirming that all the details are correct. Then, click Finish to complete the transaction.
If you miss any details on the steps, you will get a message displayed on your screen. You can also click the Back button if you don’t wish to continue the transfer before selecting the finish option. It will return you to step 1.
How Long Does It Take for TFSA To TD Transfers to Be Processed?
The transaction becomes complete immediately after you transfer your TFSA funds to TD chequing during business hours. However, your balances will change the following day. If you transact after business hours, the transaction will be processed the next day.
Transactions on weekends or during Canadian holidays are processed the following day. If your transaction fails, it could be due to the submission of incorrect details, and you will get a message stating why there was a decline.
Reasons Your Account Does Not Appear on the ‘From’ Or ‘To’ Dropdown
For your TFSA money transfer request to be successful, you must use an eligible account. Therefore, the other accounts will not appear on the From and To dropdown.
Also, note that you can exchange the money between accounts where you are the beneficial owner. Other business accounts will not appear in the dropdown.
You cannot transfer funds in different currencies, so ensure your accounts have identical bills. For example, it can either be a $CDN or a $USD.
Transferring Funds with Different Currency Accounts
If your accounts have different currencies, say you want to transfer money from a $CDN to $USD, use the Foreign Exchange Transfer. However, you will incur a currency conversion rate depending on the date of the transaction.
Use Knightsbridge Foreign Exchange to exchange your dollars to avoid the high currency exchange fee. KnightsbridgeFX is an easy-to-use platform and charges favorable exchange rates compared to banks and other currency exchange agencies.
Difference Between TFSA And Savings Accounts
Now that you know how to transfer money from your TFSA to chequing TD, you can learn more about the account. While TFSA is a savings account, it has different characteristics from standard bank saving accounts.
For example, you can only save cash in standard savings accounts, while TFSA allows Canadians to save other investments like stocks. Another difference is that you will not pay tax benefits when saving at TFSA, yet your savings earn interest and investment gains. On the other hand, savings accounts charge tax benefits.
There’s a contribution limit in TFSA, meaning you cannot save past a particular mark. On the other hand, savings accounts allow you to save as much money as possible without restrictions.
Pros and Cons of TFSA Accounts
TFSA users enjoy some advantages from using the tax-free savings account, but there are also downsides.
The Advantages of TFSA accounts include:
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No Taxes and Fees on Savings
Canadians maximize their growth with TFSA accounts because they don’t pay any taxes and fees on their savings. On the other hand, taxes discourage people from saving as most citizens think of it as losing a percentage of their money. Besides having no tax levied on TFSA savings, Canadian citizens also enjoy interest earned.
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You Can Withdraw Your Money Anytime
TFSA does not restrict users from withdrawing money. There is also no limit on the amount to withdraw or when to get the cash. The only worry you should have is maintaining your savings at the contribution limit because saving more than the provided amount attracts penalties.
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You Can Use Your Account to Invest
Besides saving, TFSA users can invest in bonds, stocks, and exchange-traded funds. These earned interests become a passive income to TFSA users. The income earned will also not be taxed, and the investment fees are tax-free.
Some disadvantages of TFSA accounts that holders don’t enjoy are;
The contribution limits could be too low for people who want to save more, leaving them with no space to keep their extra income.
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There Are Complicated Rules
Although TFSA does not charge taxes on savings, it has complicated rules that prevent people from opening an account. For example, you must have a specific account to be able to draw money from and send to, failure to which you cannot complete transactions.
Final Words
Knowing how to transfer money from TFSA to chequing TD can be helpful. Log into the WebBroker and click on Accounts, choose the account to draw money from and the one to send money to, enter the amount and finish the transaction. An advantage of a TFSA account is that you don’t pay taxes on your savings. However, there is a limit to the amount you can save.