Time is Running Out for First-Time Home Buyers to Save in 2024
Owning a home, once almost considered a right of Canadian citizenship, has become a more distant dream for millions. The high cost of housing, coupled with a desperate shortage of supply, has turned the notion of home ownership into a near impossibility for many Canadians and those who have arrived in our country more recently. The Tax-Free First Home Savings Account (FHSA) can help but it’s important to open an account before December 31, 2024 to create and preserve the contribution room.A Primer on Trusts in 2024
A trust, unlike a person or a corporation, is not a legal entity... A trust is simply a legal relationship between the trustee, who holds legal title to the subject property of the trust and the beneficiaries, who hold beneficial title to that subject property. However, there is one exception to the general rule: a trust is a legal entity for tax purposes. Subsection 104(2) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) specifically provides that a trust is an individual for tax purposes and, thus, is considered a separate taxpayer.
Need CE Credits? Try Our CE Savvy™ Micro-Courses
Knowledge Bureau has a new CE Solution for financial advisors and you can even take one of them for free. But that’s not the main reason you’ll want to check out our CE Savvy™ Micro-Course Collections! The education is fantastic and the new learning platform is amazing. Firms are signing up, and independent advisors, too. Here’s why Tony Mahabir, MBA, CMC, RWM, CIM, RRC, CFP, FP Canada Fellow and President of the CANFIN Group of Companies and is so enthused:
February Tax & Investment Planning Milestones
Here they are: the big conversation starters for your clients this month – something new for every demographic! Take the time to be proactive, especially because this year is a Leap Year and most important, because CRA starts processing the 2023 T1 returns this month! Tax season 2024, in other words, is officially underway!
EOT: New $10 Million Exemption on Business Succession
February is the month to focus on retirement savings for a future of financial security. For business owners that is particularly important as they often have all their retirement eggs in one basket: the business. It’s not easy to sell a business and when the time comes, it’s important to know about the latest tax-advantaged succession option, which comes with a $10 million Capital Gains Exemption.
Paper Returns: When Preferred, When Required
Processing a tax return will begin on February 19 and that’s also the date any paper tax return packages will be mailed. If you want to receive your return, refunds and Notice of Assessment faster, electronic filing is the way to go – and about 93% of Canadians chose that option last year. Aside from accessing the tax forms and line-by-line instructions immediately, CRA promises that processing an electronically filed return will take about two weeks, as opposed to 8 weeks for paper returns, according to CRA’s service standard. But in more than a dozen instances, paper filing is actually required. Check it out here:
UHT Filing – Still Clear As Mud
Exactly who needs to file a UHT-2900 by April 30, 2024? Even tax pros are having trouble deciphering these complicated rules, and explaining them to their clients. Fortunately, Knowledge Bureau’s Advanced T1 Tax Update Course, now available online for tax training, has the answers and a handy conversation guide for tax accounting and financial advisors to share with their clients. Here’s a brief synopsis of filing requirements:
