Q4 - Indexation of OAS and Prescribed Interest Rates

Two pieces of good news for the last quarter of 2026: seniors will get a small raise, but prescribed interest rates at CRA will stay steady for the last quarter of 2026. Here’s what you need to integrate into your year end planning activities.

Year end tax planning includes upgrading tax office environments to substantially increase efficiencies. The proof appears to be in the pudding: TaxCycle users  are reporting a 41% decrease in paper printing and handling, 30% more accurate tax preparation and 21% time savings per client engagement.

How do advisors successfully engage multiple generations in a digital world in order to build and sustain family wealth?

It’s an important cross-over: for the first time, Canada’s 65-year-olds have outnumbered children ages 0 to 14.

The first transfer of Canadian banking information to the Internal Revenue Service was completed September 30, as reported last week.  That was the result of a September 16 appeal in which The Honourable Mr. Justice Martineau of the Canadian Federal Court in Vancouver ruled that the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) legislation is both legal under Canadian law and not inconsistent with the U.S./Canada Tax Treaty.

An argument that is mathematically possible will not avail a taxpayer who is found by the Court not to be credible.  That was the unfortunate result for a taxpayer who took on CRA in a case of unreported income.

Last week we discussed reasons why an increased TFSA contribution limit is very helpful in building wealth for seniors. But the TFSA is an even more powerful tool for millennials, who should maximize their contribution room to build a tax-free retirement surplus that is potentially increased by the longer compounding time afforded to the young.