Official donation receipts are required, under the regulations to the Income Tax Act (Canada), to contain certain information. Where a charity (or other qualified donee) issues a donation receipt that does not contain the requisite information, it may be subject to sanction by the Canada Revenue Agency ("CRA"), which, in extreme cases, may lead to revocation of charitable status. Further, a donor may be unable to claim a tax credit/deduction where, upon re-assessment, they use an improper receipt to justify their claim to the relevant taxable benefit.
One of the required pieces of information that must be contained on an official donation receipt is the website address of CRA. Since CRA's website URL has changed, organizations must ensure that they update their donation receipts to reflect the new URL. The new URL is: canada.ca/charities-giving.
Registered charities (and other qualified donees) have until March 31, 2019 to update their receipts.
For more information on what must be included on an official donation receipt, see CRA's guidance on issuing receipts.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.