Any income you earn in the RRSP is usually exempt from tax for the time the funds remain in the plan. However, you generally have to pay tax when you cash in, make withdrawals, or receive payments from the plan.
If you own locked-in RRSPs, generally you will not be allowed to withdraw funds from them. If you do not know if your RRSPs are locked in, contact your RRSP issuer. If your RRSPs are not locked in, you can withdraw funds at any time.
Note
If you directly transfer funds from one RRSP to another, we consider this to be a transfer of funds, not a withdrawal. See Transferring for details.
List of definitions related to this topic.