Income Tax Receipt

One-time and recurring donations of more than $25 are eligible for tax receipts. Receipts for one-time donations made online are emailed at the time of the donation*. Please refer to your email records or contact us if you can’t find it. Tax receipts for one-time donations made by phone or mail and all recurring gifts will be issued in February of the following year in the name of the “true donor” per CRA guidelines. More details on CRA guidelines  can be found here.

*If your preference for receiving instant tax receipts is set to mail, you will not automatically receive the instant tax receipt for any one-time donations made online. Please contact Donor Care at 1-800-387-1418 to change your preference to email.

All donations made by December 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET (regardless of your time zone) will be accounted for as a donation for that calendar year. For example, someone in British Columbia must donate by 8:59 p.m. their time to fit within our deadline.

Your donation is eligible for a tax receipt if the group organizer provides us with your necessary contact information: Your full name, including your middle initial, address, and donation amount. Please review the income tax receipt information document (pdf) or contact Donor Care at 1-800-387-1418 or info@plancanada.ca if you require further information about group eligibility for tax receipts.

When an individual provides a cheque but insists the donation is from someone else (i.e. cash collected from another individual), you must provide a written declaration as proof of identity or say no to issuing a tax receipt. If the name on the credit card, direct debit, or cheque doesn’t match the name on the declaration, an income tax receipt cannot be issued. Please note that a name change is not required if you’d like your spouse/common-law partner to claim the receipt for income tax purposes.

Only a true donor can claim the tax receipt. As per CRA guidelines, a true donor is an individual or organization donating cash or through cheque, credit, or direct debit to the charity. For tax purposes, if you have a spouse or common-law partner, your donations can be combined and claimed on one tax return.

Our Donor Care team will be happy to help you. Please contact 1-800-387-1418 or info@plancanada.ca.

Please get in touch with our Donor Care team at 1-800-387-1418 or info@plancanada.ca.

On December 30, 2024, the Government of Canada announced a 2024 tax deadline extension for donations up to February 28, 2025.

Individuals can claim donations made up to February 28, 2025, on their 2024 tax returns. If these donations are not claimed in 2024, they can be reported on your 2025 return or carried forward.

If you would like to receive a tax receipt reflecting your donations from January and February 2025, please contact our Donor Care team, and we will happily send you one. Please note that all donations made in 2025 will be issued receipts for 2025.

As per CRA guidelines, rules for charitable donation receipts are specific to individual donors and not typically applicable to corporations. While individuals receive personal income tax credits, corporations receive deductions. This means a corporation can deduct the donation from its taxable income, but it doesn't get an official receipt for tax credit purposes. In this case, organizations that give philanthropically are issued gift receipts instead of tax receipts to acknowledge the donation. Please note that if you’re a donor identifying as a sole proprietorship, you will be issued an income tax receipt.

Plan International Canada Inc. issues gift receipts to corporations to acknowledge their donation instead of an official income tax receipt due to the differing nature of taxation between individuals and corporations. Corporations receive deductions, meaning they can deduct the donation amount from their taxable income but cannot use that donation to claim income tax credits like individuals. For specific guidance tailored to your corporation’s situation, it’s advisable to consult with a tax professional or reach out to the Canada Revenue Agency.