The VaultNerd editorial team
The VaultNerd editorial team researches, builds and maintains every calculator and guide on this site. We work from primary sources — the CRA, provincial finance ministries, CMHC, OSFI, Statistics Canada and issuer disclosures — and we show our working on every page.
We're researchers and builders, not licensed advisors. Nothing on VaultNerd is personalised financial, tax or legal advice, and we don't pretend otherwise. What we do is read the primary sources carefully, do the math correctly, show our working, and tell you what we've left out — so you can take an informed question to a professional instead of a vague one.
How we research
Rates, brackets and limits come from the organisation that sets them — the CRA, provincial finance ministries, CMHC, OSFI, Statistics Canada, or the issuer's own disclosure. We don't cite other blogs.
If we can't explain the math on the page, we don't publish the tool. Each calculator states what it includes and — just as importantly — what it leaves out.
Every page carries the tax year or data vintage it was built from, and is reviewed at least every 90 days. Tax brackets, contribution limits and point valuations are refreshed when the underlying figures change.
Where a figure is interpolated, modelled or a judgement call — like point valuations or percentile thresholds — we say so plainly rather than presenting it as fact.
We may earn a commission when you apply through our links. It never affects rankings, ratings or which products we cover. Our calculators sort by what earns you the most, full stop.
Where our numbers come from
Every figure on this site traces back to one of these. Each page also lists its own sources in the “Sources” block at the bottom.
| Source | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) | Tax brackets, basic personal amounts, TFSA/RRSP/FHSA limits, capital gains rules, GST/HST rates |
| Provincial finance ministries | Provincial tax rates and surtaxes, land transfer tax, PST/QST rates |
| Statistics Canada | Net worth and income distributions (Survey of Financial Security, income statistics) |
| CMHC | Gross and total debt service ratio guidelines, mortgage default insurance rules |
| OSFI | Guideline B-20 and the mortgage stress test |
| Financial Consumer Agency of Canada | Prepayment penalty rules and disclosure requirements |
| Issuer disclosures | Credit card reward rates, annual fees, interest rates and insurance coverage |
Corrections
Rates change and mistakes happen. If you spot a figure that looks wrong, tell us and we'll check it against the source and fix it — every page shows the date it was last reviewed so you can see how current it is.
How we make money
VaultNerd earns affiliate commissions when readers sign up for some products through our links. That keeps every tool free and paywall-free. It never influences our rankings or ratings — read the full editorial policy.