A fiscal period is the 12 months (or, for incorporated charities, a period of up to 53 weeks) covered by the charity's financial statements. Many registered charities have a fiscal period that is the same as the calendar year (that is, their fiscal period is from January 1 to December 31); others have a different fiscal period (for example, [..]

2015-07-15

Generally, this is the amount the registered charity originally paid for the property, plus the costs (such as legal fees or surveys) associated with the purchase, plus the cost of improvements to the property.

An advantage is the total value, at the time the gift is made, of all property, services, compensation, or other benefits that a person is entitled to receive in relation to the gift. The advantage may be conditional or receivable in the future, either by the donor or a person or partnership not dealing at arm’s length with the donor. An advanta [..]

A charitable gift annuity is an arrangement under which a donor transfers capital to a charitable organization in exchange for immediate guaranteed payments for life at a specified rate depending on life expectancy or for a fixed term. A charitable organization may enter into arrangements to issue annuities without jeopardizing its status as a regi [..]

When a charity's or Canadian amateur athletic association's registration is annulled, it is deemed to have never been registered. Annulments generally occur when registration was granted in error. An organization whose registration has been annulled can no longer issue donation receipts for income tax purposes, and is no longer eligible t [..]

An appropriation occurs when a charity transfers property to an individual or organization and the recipient of the transfer obtains an unwarranted benefit as a result of the transaction. Appropriations that are included in the calculation of the revocation tax are those that took place up to 120 days before the charity received a notice of intenti [..]

The term "at arm's length" describes a relationship where persons act independently of each other or who are not related. The term "not at arm's length" means persons acting in concert without separate interests or who are related. Related persons are individuals who are related to each other by blood, marriage or comm [..]

A registered charity's assets include, among others, amounts receivable, bank accounts, capital assets, cash, inventories, long-term investments, and short-term investments. A registered charity must report the value of its assets on a cost basis (that is, the amount the charity paid to acquire the asset). If an asset is donated to a charity, [..]

Associated charities are two or more registered charities that have applied for and received this designation from us. Associated charities can pass funds among themselves without being affected by the usual limitation placed on gift making by charitable organizations. The Income Tax Act generally requires that charitable organizations spend no mor [..]