Image Investissements
Image Investissements

Understanding the tax implications of investments

Investments and income tax: what to report

Do you have, or are you considering opening, a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), a tax-free savings account (TFSA) or a first home savings account (FHSA)? Do you prefer to manage your investments yourself, for instance through an online brokerage? Your investments can have tax implications from the time the first cent is invested until the last one is withdrawn. Here’s a brief explanation.

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Registered Savings Plan

This is a plan where investments are held in a registered account, meaning a bank account recognized by the Québec goverment.


Key takeaways

  • Registered savings plans can have tax implications.
  • Pay attention to contribution limits.

Examples of plans

  • Registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), pooled registered pension plan (PRPP) and voluntary retirement savings plan (VRSP)
  • Tax-free savings account (TFSA)
  • First home savings account (FHSA)
  • Registered education savings plan (RESP)

Key points of registered savings plans

Select a plan to learn about its tax implications and where to find the information to enter on your income tax return.

RRSP, PRPP and VRSP

2 questions

TFSA

2 questions

FHSA

2 questions

RESP

2 questions

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Heads up!

Both the federal and provincial governments issue slips for some plans. 

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Non-registered savings plan

This is a plan without special tax treatment where investments are made on financial markets and kept in non-registered accounts such as self-directed brokerage accounts, bank investment accounts or privately managed portfolios.


Key takeaways

  • Whether your investments result in gains or losses, or just break even, you must report them.
  • Unlike registered savings plans, there are no contribution limits.
  • Only earnings from your investments or their sale have tax implications, withdrawals or making contributions do not. 

Examples of plans

  • Stocks
  • Mutual funds
  • Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
  • Bonds
  • Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs)
  • Segregated funds

Investments on financial markets

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Heads up!

  • A deductible capital loss can be used to reduce capital gains for the same year, the three previous years or future years. However, it generally cannot be used to reduce income from other sources.
  • Both the federal and provincial governments issue slips for some investments. Go to site Canada.ca.
Illustration cryptoactifs

What About Cryptoassets?

Cryptoassets (commonly called “cryptocurrency” or “crypto”) may have tax implications. For more information, go to Virtual currency - You have to report your cryptocurrency transactions.

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