First time charitable donation super credit

The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue, today celebrated National Philanthropy Day by applauding the many Canadians across the country who choose to donate to charities and is encouraging them to take advantage of the tax credits available for eligible charitable donations.

Minister Findlay particularly highlighted the benefits of the first-time donor’s super credit. The new temporary donor super credit provides an extra 25 percent federal credit on top of the original charitable donation tax credit. This means that eligible first-time donors can get a 40 percent federal credit for monetary donations of $200 or less, and a 54 percent federal credit for the portion of donations that are over $200 up to a maximum of $1,000. The donor super credit applies to donations made after March 20, 2013, and can only be claimed once between 2013 and 2017. This is in addition to the provincial credits available.

Those who have donated before can still be eligible for the charitable donation tax credit, a non-refundable tax credit which allows taxpayers to claim eligible amounts of gifts to a limit of 75% of their net income.

Minister Findlay also reminded Canadians that only Canadian registered charities and other qualified donees can issue official donation tax receipts.