{"id":6053,"date":"2025-10-16T17:13:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T17:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmy.800.mytemp.website\/?p=6053"},"modified":"2025-10-16T17:13:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T17:13:50","slug":"aging-in-place-benefitting-from-the-home-accessibility-tax-credit-august-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/aging-in-place-benefitting-from-the-home-accessibility-tax-credit-august-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Aging in place \u2013 benefitting from the home accessibility tax credit (August 2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1372.8px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-blend:overlay;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Members of the baby boom generation who were born between 1946 and 1965 are now between 59 and 78 years of age, and make up about a quarter of the Canadian population. Many, if not most, are now retired, and the older members of that generation are likely experiencing the changes to physical health, strength, and agility that come with age. The process of aging is an extremely variable one \u2013 some individuals are healthier and more active at age 80 than others are at 60, but the physical changes that accompany aging come, inevitably, to everyone. And when those changes take place, it\u2019s necessary to make some hard decisions about a number of things.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most consequential decisions to be made when age-related physical changes become a factor in decision-making is whether one\u2019s current living arrangements are still suitable. The overwhelming choice of older Canadians is to \u201cage in place\u201d \u2013 that is, to remain in the homes they already occupy, living independently in a familiar community and close to family and friends. While that\u2019s the ideal, existing living arrangements can, in some cases, no longer meet the needs of the individual, or can even be unsafe.<\/p>\n<p>Almost always, changes can be made to an existing home to make it both more convenient and safer to live in for an older resident. Those changes can range from something as small as the installation of a grab bar in a shower or bath to something as extensive as renovations which will allow for one-floor living. All such changes, however, come with a price tag. Fortunately, the federal government (and some provincial governments) offer programs to help mitigate that cost.<\/p>\n<p>The federal program \u2013 the Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) \u2013 allows individuals who own and live in their own homes to claim a non-refundable tax credit equal to 15% of the cost of making permanent changes to their home which will make it more accessible or safer for them to live in.<\/p>\n<p>The HATC is in many ways an unusually flexible and generous tax credit. First, the criteria which determine whether a particular expenditure does or does not qualify for the credit are extremely broad, covering both safety and convenience. Specifically, changes made which meet <em>either<\/em> of the following criteria can qualify for the HATC. Changes made must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>allow the\u00a0individual\u00a0to gain access to, or be mobile or functional within, the\u00a0dwelling; <em>or<\/em><\/li>\n<li>reduce the risk of harm to the individual within the dwelling or in gaining access to the dwelling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Second, there is no requirement for any kind of assessment or certification by a medical professional that a particular kind of change to the home is needed, or is justified by the homeowner\u2019s state of physical ability or disability \u2013 such determination is made solely by the owner\/resident of the home. Where a homeowner decides that the installation of a railing along a hallway in their home, or a change to a non-slip floor in the bathroom, are necessary for their mobility or safety within the home, then the cost of making those changes can qualify for the credit.<\/p>\n<p>Third, expenses incurred for purposes of the HATC can also be claimed as medical expenses for purposes of the medical expense tax credit. In other words, two different tax credits can be claimed for the same expenditure.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the credit can be claimed by all \u201cqualifying individuals\u201d meaning anyone who is age 65 or older by the end of the year in which the expenditure is made, or who is eligible for the disability tax credit. There are no income thresholds imposed \u2013 the full credit is claimable by any qualifying individual who incurs an eligible expenditure, regardless of their income.<\/p>\n<p>While the eligibility criteria for expenditures under the HATC are very broad, the credit is intended to assist with the cost of changes which become a permanent part of the dwelling, and not those that represent regular maintenance costs or charges for household services. The following types of expenses are specifically <em>not<\/em> eligible for the HATC:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>amounts paid to acquire a property that can be used independently of the qualifying renovation;<\/li>\n<li>the cost of annual, recurring, or routine repairs or maintenance;<\/li>\n<li>amounts paid to buy household appliances;<\/li>\n<li>amounts paid\u00a0to buy\u00a0electronic home-entertainment devices;<\/li>\n<li>the cost of housekeeping, security monitoring, gardening, outdoor maintenance, or similar services;<\/li>\n<li>financing costs\u00a0for the qualifying renovation; or<\/li>\n<li>the cost of renovation incurred mainly to\u00a0increase or maintain the value of the\u00a0dwelling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In order to qualify for the credit, eligible expenditures must be made to a \u201chousing unit\u201d which is owned and occupied by the person making the claim. That housing unit could be a detached or semi-detached or row house, or a condominium or co-op unit.<\/p>\n<p>Where a qualifying individual (that is, someone who is age 65 or older, or who is eligible for the disability tax credit) lives with and is dependent on another family member (generally, a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, aunt, uncle, nephew, or niece) who owns the home in which they both live, that family member can also make a claim for the HATC for changes made to the home to assist their older or disabled relative. For this purpose, such family members are characterized as \u201celigible individuals\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, there is a limit on the amount of expenditures which can be claimed for purposes of the HATC, and that limit is $20,000 per year for a particular dwelling. The tax credit claimable is 15% of the eligible expenditure, such that the maximum tax credit which can be claimed is $3,000 per year. The HATC is a non-refundable tax credit, meaning that it can reduce or eliminate federal tax payable, but cannot create or increase a refund. Where the amount of the credit exceeds the tax payable by the qualifying individual and so cannot be fully utilized, the claim can be split between that qualifying individual and any family member who qualifies as an \u201celigible individual\u201d, as outlined above.<\/p>\n<p>The federal HATC can be claimed by qualifying individuals and eligible individuals who are resident in any province or territory in Canada. Several of those provinces and territories provide similar programs to help offset the cost of incurring such home accessibility changes, but there is unfortunately no uniformity among those programs. Both eligibility criteria (age, income, etc.) and the type of assistance provided (loan, forgiveable loan, refundable or non-refundable tax credits) are different in each province or territory which offers such assistance. However, information on those programs is available on the particular provincial government website, and can usually be found by searching &#8220;seniors&#8217; home renovations\u201d on those websites.<\/p>\n<p>Detailed information on the federal HATC is available on the federal government website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/tax\/individuals\/topics\/about-your-tax-return\/tax-return\/completing-a-tax-return\/deductions-credits-expenses\/line-31285-home-accessibility-expenses.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/tax\/individuals\/topics\/about-your-tax-return\/tax-return\/completing-a-tax-return\/deductions-credits-expenses\/line-31285-home-accessibility-expenses.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;border-color:var(--awb-color3);border-top-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: small;\">The information presented is only of a general nature, may omit many details and special rules, is current only as of its published date, and accordingly cannot be regarded as legal or tax advice. Please contact our office for more information on this subject and how it pertains to your specific tax or financial situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- \/wp:post-content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6053"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6054,"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053\/revisions\/6054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/levypilotte.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}