Are employer contributions to my group RRSP considered a taxable benefit?

Generally, no — employer contributions to a group RRSP are not treated as an immediate taxable benefit the way a cash bonus would be. This is a meaningful and favourable exception to the general rule that most employment-related benefits count as taxable income right away, and it makes group RRSP matching a genuinely tax-efficient way for an employer to add to your compensation compared to simply paying the equivalent amount as cash.

There is an important catch, though: even though the contribution itself isn't an immediate taxable benefit, it does count toward using up your own personal RRSP contribution room for the year, the same way a contribution you made yourself would. This means your employer's contributions reduce how much room you have left to contribute personally without exceeding your overall RRSP limit, so it's not simply "free" additional retirement savings on top of your existing room — it uses that room up just like any other RRSP contribution would.

If your employer contributes meaningfully to a group RRSP on your behalf, it's worth tracking that against your total available contribution room for the year, rather than assuming your personal contribution limit is unaffected by what your employer is putting in.