XEQT Fee Breakdown
How much does XEQT's MER actually cost?
XEQT is Canada's most-bought all-in-one ETF. Its 0.20% MER looks tiny, but on a real portfolio it compounds. Here is what that fee costs, what you own, and when doing it yourself starts to pay.
Calculate your XEQT cost
XEQT is already selected. Enter your RRSP, TFSA, and non-registered balances to see what its MER and foreign withholding tax cost you per year, and where splitting starts to pay.
Your Portfolio
Enter what you have in each account. Leave 0 for any you don't use.
Your Savings
What XEQT's 0.20% MER costs per year
XEQT charges a 0.20% management expense ratio. On a $100,000 position that is about $200 a year, deducted quietly from the fund's returns rather than billed to you. At $500,000 it is roughly $1,000 a year, and the drag keeps scaling with your balance.
The MER is only half the story. XEQT holds its US stocks through a Canadian-dollar wrapper, so it pays the 15% US foreign withholding tax (FWT) on US dividends even inside an RRSP. Hold the US piece (ITOT) directly in an RRSP and the Canada-US tax treaty erases that tax. The calculator adds both effects together so you see the real annual cost for your account mix.
XEQT specifications
XEQT: ETF Specifications
- MER
- 0.20%
- Holdings
- ~9,800
- Equity / Bond
- 100% equity
- Distribution
- Quarterly
- Inception
- Aug 7, 2019
- AUM
- ~$8B CAD
- Exchange
- TSX
- Currency
- CAD
What does XEQT hold?
XEQT is a single ticker that owns roughly 9,800 stocks across Canada, the US, international developed markets, and emerging markets, weighted to each region's share of the global market. It is 100% equity with no bond sleeve, and it rebalances automatically inside the fund.
Splitting it means buying its four building blocks yourself: ITOT for US total market, XIC for Canada, XEF for developed international, and XEC for emerging markets. You get the same global exposure at a lower blended fee, in exchange for placing four trades and rebalancing them yourself.
The convenience cost at common portfolio sizes
The convenience cost: XEQT vs splitting
Assumes 50% RRSP allocation. See the calculator for your own numbers.
| Portfolio | Annual cost | 20-year cost (compounded) |
|---|---|---|
| $250K | $401/yr | $14,749 |
| $500K | $802/yr | $29,497 |
| $1M | $1,604/yr | $58,995 |
Annual cost combines MER drag and foreign withholding tax savings foregone, against a split into ITOT, XIC, XEF, XEC. Assumes a 50% RRSP allocation. The 20-year figure compounds annual savings at 6% growth. Use the calculator above for your own account mix.
Is XEQT's fee worth it versus DIY?
For small and mid-sized portfolios, XEQT is usually the right call. The fee you save by splitting is small in dollar terms, and the one-ticker simplicity is worth more than a few dollars a year. The math flips as your balance grows: above a certain breakeven the combined MER and FWT savings outweigh the extra effort.
There is no single answer that fits everyone, because it depends on your portfolio size and how much sits in an RRSP. Preselect XEQT in the calculator below and enter your own balances to see exactly where you land.