Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

Do I owe capital gains tax when I sell an inherited home?

Possibly, but not on the full sale price. Canada Revenue Agency treats a death as a deemed disposition at fair market value, and the estate, not the heir, owes any capital gains tax up to that value, with estate legal fees typically running $800 to $1,500. The heir's cost base becomes that fair market value going forward.

That means an heir who sells shortly after inheriting, at close to the value the home was worth on the date of death, typically owes little or no capital gains tax, since there has been little appreciation since that valuation date to actually tax.

If the heir holds the property for a period and it appreciates, or uses it as a rental rather than a residence, capital gains tax applies to the growth in value since the date of death, and the Canada Revenue Agency's principal residence exemption may apply if the heir lives in it as their main home.

A defensible date of death value matters both to the estate's tax filing and to protecting the heir later. Joel Dyck's hand-reviewed valuation establishes that number by accounting for improvements the City of Saskatoon's records do not show, giving the estate a figure it can support with the Canada Revenue Agency.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Still have a question?

Ask Joel directly. No form, no obligation, and a real answer even when the answer is that now is not the time to sell.