January 31, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada Revenue Agency
The Department of Finance announced today that it will introduce legislation in Parliament in due course, related to the capital gains inclusion rate change with a new effective date of January 1, 2026. The announcement confirms the government’s intention that, effective for dispositions that occur on or after January 1, 2026, the inclusion rate will increase from one-half to two-thirds on capital gains realized in excess of $250,000 annually for individuals and on all capital gains realized by corporations and most types of trusts.
As a result, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has reverted to administering the currently enacted capital gains inclusion rate of one-half. This means that all capital gains realized before January 1, 2026 will be subject to the currently enacted inclusion rate of one-half, unless an exemption applies.
The announcement also confirmed that the government intends to maintain the existing coming into force date of the proposed increase to the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (LCGE) limit to $1.25 million of eligible capital gains included in the previous Notice of Ways and Means Motion (NWMM) tabled in Parliament on September 23, 2024. This measure remains unchanged, and the CRA will continue to administer the proposed change, which applies to dispositions that occur on or after June 25, 2024. Indexation of the LCGE would resume in 2026.