Important Benefit reminder for SMEs in our Region

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is working towards issuing retroactive payments for the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses. It is essential for eligible small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to file their 2023 taxes by July 15 to ensure they receive the money to which they are entitled. We kindly ask for your assistance in spreading the word to SMEs about this important deadline and the opportunity to benefit from the rebate. Please feel free to use this tax tip.

The Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses is a refundable tax credit announced in Budget 2024 to return a portion of federal fuel charge proceeds directly to eligible Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs). The retroactive payments total over $2.5 billion with respect to the 2019-2020 to 2023-2024 fuel charge years.

To be eligible for the rebate for one or more of the fuel charge years, a CCPC must:

• have employed one or more persons in a designated province in the calendar year in which the fuel charge year begins;
• have had 499 employees or less throughout Canada in that calendar year; and
• have filed their corporate income tax return for the tax year ending in 2023 no later than July 15, 2024.

CCPCs do not have to apply for this rebate. Once the Minister of Finance has specified the payment rates for each designated province for the applicable fuel charge year, the CRA will calculate and automatically issue the rebate amounts to those who are eligible.

It is too early to determine the exact distribution date for the rebate amounts. Updates on the timelines will be provided in the coming months.

For more information on how the rebate payments will be calculated and the designated provinces, go to Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses.