Recapture

Tax

Recapture is previously claimed capital cost allowance added back to income when an asset is sold for more than its remaining tax value, reversing excess depreciation.

When you sell a depreciable asset for more than the undepreciated capital cost left in its class, it means you deducted more CCA over the years than the asset actually depreciated. The excess is recaptured, added back to your income in the year of sale, and taxed as ordinary income (not as a capital gain).

Recapture is a frequent surprise on the sale of equipment, vehicles or a building, and on winding up a business, because it can turn a quiet year into a taxable one. Planning the timing of asset sales, or offsetting them with new purchases in the same class, can manage the impact.

Example

A class has $5,000 of UCC left, but you sell the asset for $8,000. The $3,000 excess is recapture, added to your income and taxed at your regular rate in the year of sale.

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Recapture Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions regarding our compliance workflows and service guarantees.

No. Recapture is added to income and taxed at your full ordinary rate, unlike a capital gain where only the taxable portion is included.
Buying another asset in the same class in the same year can absorb the disposal and defer recapture. Timing sales carefully also helps manage the year it falls in.
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Recapture: The Questions People Search

The questions Canadians actually search on this topic, answered plainly. Browse every question in the Canadian tax answers directory.

Multiply the assessed value of the property by the tax rate for its property class. Assessment is set by a provincial assessment authority on its own cycle and increases are often phased in, so the value lags the market. The rate is set each year by the municipality out of its budget, with an education portion added by the province. Both figures appear on your notice, which is why identical homes in different municipalities carry different bills.

Canada runs three systems. The federal GST is 5% for 2026 and applies nationally. Five participating provinces fold a provincial share into one harmonised rate: 13% in Ontario, 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, and 14% in Nova Scotia since 1 April 2025. Others add their own tax to the 5% GST, giving 12% in British Columbia and Manitoba, 11% in Saskatchewan and 14.975% in Quebec. Alberta and the territories charge 5% only.

Non-taxable income is money you receive that never enters taxable income. Common examples are lottery and most gambling winnings, gifts and inheritances, growth and withdrawals inside a TFSA, the GST/HST credit and Canada child benefit, most life insurance death benefits, and child support under current-rule agreements. A few amounts are reported and then deducted, such as workers' compensation and social assistance, because they still affect benefit calculations, so report anything that arrives on a slip even when no tax results.

Yes. The CRA answers individual, business and benefit enquiries by phone, and its Contact the CRA page lists the current numbers and hours for each line. Have your social insurance number or business number, a recent return and your notice of assessment ready, because the agent will verify your identity before discussing an account. For account details, balances and slips, My Account often answers the question faster than the phone.

Udit Gupta, founder of Tax Filings Canada

Reviewed and fact-checked by Udit Gupta

Ex Big 4 — Ernst & Young, Deloitte · International & cross-border tax specialist · CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program) · Chartered accountant, ICAI & MIA

Udit Gupta has over 15 years of experience helping corporations and business owners with corporate structuring, corporate tax filing, bookkeeping, payroll, GST/HST, cross-border tax and CRA representation. Big 4 trained at Ernst & Young and Deloitte, and qualified as a chartered accountant in India and again in Malaysia, he founded his accounting practice in 2014 to serve entrepreneurs, startups and non-resident business owners across Canada. View full member bio.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India — member 521458 · Malaysian Institute of Accountants — member CA 44667 · Ex Big 4: Ernst & Young, Deloitte · CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program), completed 19 Dec 2023 · In-Depth GST/HST Part I, 12 Jul 2022 · Part II, 5 Jul 2023

Editorial policy. Every page is researched against primary sources — the Income Tax Act, CRA publications and CPA Canada guidance — and every rate or threshold is stated with the tax year it applies to.

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