Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
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What tax breaks help senior homeowners who downsize in Saskatoon?

The break that matters most is not age-based: the Canada Revenue Agency's principal residence exemption shields the entire capital gain on a Saskatoon home a senior owned and lived in for every year of ownership, and it applies the same way at 45 or 85, with no separate seniors' provision layered on top.

On moving costs, Saskatchewan has no land transfer tax, so a senior buying a smaller home pays the Information Services Corporation title transfer fee and legal fees, typically $800 to $1,500, rather than the percentage-based tax some other provinces charge, which keeps the arithmetic of downsizing simpler here than elsewhere.

Where seniors get caught is a second property, a cottage or a long-held rental sold the same year as the principal residence, since that gain is fully taxable and has nothing to do with age or how long the person has owned the home.

The principal residence exemption is generous, but only for the home you actually lived in, which is worth confirming before a sale is timed. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

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