The Obligations Regarding Your Not-For-Profit Tax Return Filing
If you manage a registered NPO and are wondering about your Not-For-Profit Tax Return Filing as well as any obligations that you may have, we’ve compiled a summary of any information that you will need to do so. All the information provided is sourced from the Government of Canada’s website and information section for corporations.
What Do You Need to File Your Return
To file this annual return, your corporation must have an active status with Corporation’s Canada. This means that it is not dissolved, discontinued or amalgamated with another corporation. To find out the status of your corporation, you can use the following link to the Corporations Canada Online Database.
This is actually separate from your income tax or registered charity annual information return and is a requirement of corporate law. It also does not involve your filing obligations with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). You will need the following information for this filing:
- The Date of Your Last Annual Meeting
- Your Corporation Type – Soliciting or Non-Soliciting
- If you receive more than $10,000 in income from public sources in a single financial year, then you are considered soliciting. This includes gifts or donations from non-members, government grants and funds from another corporation that receives income from public sources.
- To be a director, officer or any authorized individual that has relevant knowledge of the corporation and has been authorized by the directors.
Not-For-Profit Tax Return Filing Deadline
Your Not-For-Profit Return Filing is due within 60 days of your anniversary date. The anniversary date refers to when your corporation was incorporated, amalgamated or continued. This is not required for the year of incorporation, amalgamation or continuation. To find this information, check your corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, Amalgamation or Continuation. Alternatively, you can check the Corporations Canada Online Database for this information as well.
The Annual Meeting of Members
It is required for all Not-For-Profit organizations regardless of size to hold at least one annual meeting of members. This has to be done every year and does the following:
- Consider the Financial Statements
- Consider the Public Accountant’s Report
- Appoint the Public Accountant
- Elect Directors if Necessary
Written Resolution Preparation for NPOs
Alternatively, if there is only one or a few members in your organization, a written resolution is also accepted. This involves a written record of the decisions listed above and is signed by all of the members that are able to vote. If using this method instead of the annual meeting, the date the resolution was signed is required for the annual return.
For more information, visit the Government of Canada’s website via the following link:
Information on Annual Return Filings for Not-For-Profit Corporations