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Canooq Learn · An interactive course

Money in Canada,
from paycheque to plan.

We made this free eight-part course for people who want to understand how money works in Canada but don’t know where to start. In two hours, it explains the basics from scratch, with no financial knowledge required.

Start the course
  • 8 parts · about 2 hours
  • Interactive course
  • Free · no signup

Before you start

Make the course about you.

Every worked example in all eight parts uses these three numbers. Set them once here; they are remembered on this device and you can change them any time.

Your exampleTeaching numbers, not a payroll record
$65,000
28 years old

Take-home pay each month

$4,195

$65,000 a year in Ontario, age 28

Income tax a year
$9,936
Pension and insurance a year
$4,719
Take-home a year
$50,346
Annual salary · $65,000Income tax$9,936Pension and insurance$4,719Take-home pay$50,346

 

The course path

Eight parts, in the order you need them.

Go in order the first time. Each part answers the question the one before it raises, and each one gives you something to try with your own numbers.

  1. Part 01 · Your paycheque

    Your paycheque: what you earn and what you keep

    Start with the number on the offer letter. Then see income tax, pension contributions and insurance turn it into the amount you can actually use.    12 min
  2. Part 02 · Your monthly money

    Your monthly money: where the rest goes

    Your take-home pay has to land somewhere. Learn how Canadian accounts, payment methods and credit work, then build a simple setup that keeps borrowing useful.    15 min
  3. Part 03 · Everyday money

    Everyday money: the order to do things in

    You get paid, the bills come out, and something is left. This part gives you the order to handle it: cover the bills, keep a cash cushion, clear expensive debt, then save and invest. It also covers the insurance a beginner actually needs.    16 min
  4. Part 04 · Tax-smart saving

    Canadian savings accounts: choose the tax rule

    Once the month is covered, choose the account by the job: accessible cash, flexible savings, retirement income or a first home. Learn what the tax rule changes and what still depends on the money inside.    15 min
  5. Part 05 · Tax returns & benefits

    Tax returns and benefits: money can come back

    Follow one Canadian tax year from payroll withholding to a refund, balance owing or benefit payment. Learn what newcomers, couples and modest-income households need to file.    14 min
  6. Part 06 · Housing

    Renting or buying: compare the whole housing cost

    Start with the rent or mortgage payment, then add the cash needed before the keys, the costs that follow, the risks you carry and the money each choice leaves for your next goal.    20 min
  7. Part 07 · Investing

    Investing: what your money can own

    Give each dollar a deadline, then learn what an account can hold, how returns and fees work, how risk changes with time and how investing connects to housing and retirement.    20 min
  8. Part 08 · Retirement

    Retirement: build income from three sources

    Retirement income can come from public pensions, workplace plans and your own savings. Compare timing, tax rules, housing and withdrawals, then choose the next contribution or question that moves you forward.    18 min
  9. After part 8

    Your next steps

    A short plan built from your example numbers: what to open, what to pay, what to read next on Canooq.    5 min

Use the course after you finish

Come back when something changes.

A raise, a move, a new debt, a new goal. Each has a part that covers it, and these are the Canooq tools the course leans on most.

Plan the monthTurn take-home pay into bills, goals and room to breathe.Check your TFSA roomKnow the limit before you contribute.Compare renting and buyingRent, ownership and the money each one leaves you, on one page.Picture retirementSee what public pensions, a workplace plan and your own savings can cover.Newcomer basicsThe first accounts, filings and government services to set up.Keep your credit usefulThe file that lenders, landlords and phone companies check.

Your course progress

0 of 8 parts complete

Progress is saved on this device only.

Official rules to check

When you are ready to act, use the government page.

The course explains the decision. These pages hold the current limits, dates and eligibility rules.