Date: 01 Sep, 2015| Posted: Fred Streiman

Estate Administration Form – NEW FORM

Thumbnail-LogoCompleting and filing this form is a new bureaucratic step. All involved, including the Provincial Government administering it, are cutting their teeth on the process as it evolves. One of our clients contacted the information line and asked what value they should input for the real estate owned by the deceased at the date of death. The erroneous answer that they received was whatever the MPAC valuation was. This is wrong. The MPAC valuation is often below the market value. While this may save the estate 1.5% in the estate administration tax, it leaves the estate open to much more in capital gains. Remember that while the deceased up until the date of death was able to enjoy a principal residence capital gain exemption, no such exemption exists for an estate namely from the date of death up until the date of the sale of the home.

As an example, in todays over inflated real estate market, it is not impossible for a property to increase by $50,000.00 in value from the date of death to the date of sale. All of that appreciation would be a capital gains, taxed at the highest market rate, roughly speaking $12,500.00 in tax. For further details on this point, you need to consult with the estate’s accountant, but be alive to the conflict between what is in the estate’s best interest by saving a 1.5% tax rate versus an effective 25% marginal tax for capital gains.