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

Do I pay capital gains tax when I sell an inherited Saskatoon home?

Possibly, and it works differently than selling your own home. When you inherit a property, the Canada Revenue Agency treats the estate as having disposed of it at fair market value on the date of death, called a deemed disposition, and any gain up to that point is taxed on the deceased's final return, not yours.

From the date you inherit the home, a new cost basis is set at that fair market value. If you sell later for more than that value, the difference is a capital gain and, unless the home became your own principal residence during the time you owned it, that gain is generally taxable.

If you move into the inherited home and designate it as your principal residence going forward, the growth in value from the day you moved in can qualify for the principal residence exemption, while the pre-inheritance value stays outside your personal tax return.

A lawyer handling the estate, at legal fees typically $800 to $1,500 for a straightforward file, and a fair market valuation at the date of death are both worth getting right, since they set the number everything else is measured against. 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.