- December payroll liabilities due January 15.

- Have books audited and prepared for the Annual General Meeting if you have a December 31 year end.

- Begin processing 2025 charitable tax receipts for donors.

- Apply for your HST Rebate if you are in a participating province and for all other provinces apply for your GST Rebate.

(Participating provinces are Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario.)

- November payroll liabilities due December 15.

- Distribute 2026 offering envelopes if you provide pre-printed envelopes for donors.

- Ensure you are up-to-date on all financial records, donation records, and other items needed for year-end. If this can be done early in the month you will be able to enjoy the Christmas season knowing that you are ready for January.

- Arrange January appointments with accountant or auditors and begin preparation of as many items as possible.

(These last two items with the exception of donation records are assuming that you are working with a fiscal year that ends on December 31. Donation records and charitable receipts are ALWAYS based on the calendar year which makes it easier for churches with a fiscal year end of December 31.)

The Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs along with the Minister of National Revenue announced today that the federal government intends to amend the Income Tax Act to extend the deadline for making donations eligible for tax support in the 2024 tax year, until February 28, 2025.

This extension will mitigate the impacts of the four-week Canada Post mail stoppage by providing donors with sufficient time to ensure their contributions are received and processed.

The government will introduce legislation effecting these changes once Parliament returns in the new year.

Additional details may be viewed in the news release on the Department of Finance Canada website at

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/12/government-of-canada-announces-extension-of-2024-charitable-donations-to-february-28-2025.html

The Department of Finance Canada announced today the automobile income tax deduction limits and expense benefit rates for 2025.

The limit on the deduction of tax-exempt allowances paid by employers to employees who use their personal vehicle for business purposes in the provinces will increase by two cents to 72 cents per kilometre for the first 5,000 kilometres driven, and to 66 cents for each additional kilometre.

The rates for the territories are traditionally set 4 cents higher and they will also increase by two cents to 76 cents per kilometre for the first 5,000 kilometres driven, and to 70 cents for each additional kilometre.

While the above information will be sufficient for most churches and ministries, additional details for specific situations including standby charges for the personal use of an employer provided vehicle, capital cost allowance, leasing costs, interest costs, etc. may be viewed in the news release on the Department of Finance Canada website at

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/12/government-announces-the-2025-automobile-deduction-limits-and-expense-benefit-rates-for-businesses.html

CRA has updated the T3010, Registered Charity Information Return which now requires charities to report grants they made to non-qualified donees. This update was made within Section "C" by adding question C16 which contains four new Lines: 5840, 5841, 5842, and 5843.

See https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/cra-arc/formspubs/pbg/t3010/t3010-23e.pdf

If you answer "Yes" on Line 5841, you must also complete the new Form T1441, Qualifying Disbursements: Grants to Non-Qualified Donees at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/forms/t1441.html

The Guide T4033, Completing Form T3010 Registered Charity Information Return will also be updated in the near future and will provide instructions on how to complete the new T3010 and T1441.

You must use the updated version of the T3010 when filing your charity’s return. If you already filed a return for your fiscal period end, you do not need to refile with the new form