Main residences vs. secondary properties
The tax therapy of actual property in Canada is dependent upon its use. The house you reside in—your main residence—is generally exempt from capital features tax upon sale as a result of main residence exemption.
This exemption may even be used on trip properties, as long as it’s “ordinarily inhabited.” Whereas the definition of “ordinarily inhabited” is obscure, it means at a minimal you hung out residing there throughout a calendar yr. And whereas there’s an exception for years through which you progress and personal two houses, you’ll be able to in any other case solely declare one property as your main residence at any given time. Typically talking, you’ll wish to apply the exemption to the property that has elevated in worth essentially the most.
Rental properties don’t qualify for this exemption below most circumstances. Once they’re offered, if they’ve elevated in worth, capital features taxes will usually apply.
Capital features tax on a second property in Canada
When promoting a property, if you happen to can’t use the first residence exemption, then capital features taxes shall be levied in opposition to the rise in worth. However capital features are comparatively tax-efficient, since solely half of the achieve is taxable—the opposite half you’ll be able to stick in your denims.
To calculate the capital achieve, you should first calculate the adjusted value base, or ACB, in opposition to which the sale proceeds shall be measured. The place to begin is the acquisition value, and from there sure additions and deductions may be utilized. Frequent additions embrace bills incurred to buy the property, like commissions and authorized charges. Capital bills, like these used to enhance or improve the property, may also be added.
Right here’s the place it will get a little bit sophisticated. As a result of a constructing is depreciable property which can put on out over time, buyers can deduct a proportion of the property’s value annually—generally known as “capital value allowance,” or CCA. It could solely be used in opposition to the constructing itself, not the land portion of the property. When the property is ultimately disposed of, the undepreciated capital value, or UCC—that’s, the unique value minus the quantity of CCA claimed—is recaptured and taxed as earnings, with extra proceeds being taxed as a capital achieve.
As a simplified instance, say you purchased a rental property for $1,000,000. Over time, you deducted $200,000 of CCA. You then offered the property for $1,300,000. Right here’s how it will be taxed:
Unique value: $1,000,000
CCA claimed: $200,000
Undepreciated capital value: $800,000
When the rental property is offered, that $200,000 CCA is recaptured and taxed as earnings. And because you offered it for $1,300,000, you have got a capital achieve of $300,000. Half of that is taxable, so that you add $150,000 to your earnings that yr. Between the recapture and the taxable half of the capital achieve, you have got $350,000 of earnings to report in your tax return.
Capital bills vs. present bills: What’s the distinction?
Within the above instance, the price of enhancing the property is a capital value. It extends the helpful lifetime of the property or will increase its worth. Capital bills can improve the ACB of the property and may be deducted over time by way of the CCA. Examples embrace: