Receive as much as 49% back through charity tax deductions
Explore the Financial Benefits
of Charitable Giving
See the difference that charitable donation tax credits make when you donate to your favourite charity and claim your donation receipts. Not only is giving to charity a great way to make a difference to your favourite cause, but when you claim your charitable tax credits you can also take advantage of federal and provincial government tax incentives. Calculate your savings below.
How to Maximize the Tax Benefits of Donating
Federal and provincial donation tax credits add up
By donating to your favourite charity, you may receive as much as 49% of the amount you donated back at tax time. That could mean a $494 tax credit on a total of $1000 donated in a single year in some provinces.
Reduce Capital Gains Taxes
In most cases, donating appreciated stocks, mutual funds or stock options means you pay no tax on the capital gains. Or save your charitable tax credits for future tax returns within 5 years of the transaction.
Carry previous donations forward for a larger tax credit
You do not have to claim all of the donations you made in the year they were made. When you donate over $200, you are automatically eligible to carry them forward and claim them on your tax return for any of the next five years. This flexibility means that the unclaimed carry-forward portion may qualify for a larger tax deduction, in the future.
Transfer donation credits to your spouse or common-law partner
The donation tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit which means other tax credits must get claimed first to bring your tax payable to zero. If you cannot claim your donation amount on your tax return, pool your donations with your partners for a larger tax credit on their tax return.
Let’s get started!
CanadaHelps Makes your
Charitable Tax Claims Easy
Instant tax receipts
CanadaHelps automatically emails you a copy of your tax receipt each time you make a donation – whether you have an account with us or not.
Anytime access to your charitable receipts
Have a CanadaHelps account? Your receipts are stored securely in your account so you can access them at any time. Even without an account, you can access previous years’ receipts using our receipt download tool.
Choose how you want your tax receipts
With a CanadaHelps account, you can choose to receive a single receipt each time you make a donation or an aggregated, single roll-up receipt for all your donations. No need to keep track of your tax receipts – CanadaHelps does that for you!
Create a strategic giving plan just for you
Don’t get caught by the December 31 deadline! Use your CanadaHelps account to plan your giving for the year. Set up a monthly gift that is more manageable for your budget, track your donations, and set giving goals for your year.
Report it on your electronic federal and provincial tax return or on schedule 9 of paper tax returns. Generally, at the federal level, you are credited 15% of the first $200 of donations and 29% of additional donations above the first $200. Provincial donation tax credits on the first $200 and amounts above the first $200 range between 4% to 25%.
How much can I claim on my tax return?
In one year, you can claim a maximum of 75% of your net income. The ability to carry forward charitable donation credits means if you reach the maximum claim amount this year, you can always claim amounts left over next year.
