I would like to claim a condo special assessment of $7000 as "expenses." Cheque was dated Dec. 2021, but not processed until Jan. 2022. Can I claim for 2021 taxes?

[squirrelmaster77]

The original date the condo management company stipulated to  receive special assessment cheques was end of November. However, due to their error, I wasn't notified until December 28. I immediately sent a cheque. However, it was not processed until January 18 of 2022. I'm hoping that I can claim this amount for 2021 condo expenses as it would greatly help with what I expect will be a high amount owing.

[AD0123456]

Special assessments of capital expenses should be claimed on the year they are paid i.e. 2021. You can provide the cheque payment proof if required by CRA. However, it is more important to understand the nature of the expenses whether they are required to be capitalized or expensed. For details on that please check this link How Condo Special Assessments are Treated for Taxes 

Depending on the nature of the expense will determine how the transaction needs to be treated. Expenses that bring the property back to its original condition can be expensed within the tax year. On the other hand, expenses that improve the property beyond its original state and improve its value should be claimed over several tax periods.

If you are still not able to resolve this issue, please contact our phone support team for more help.

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[squirrelmaster77]

Thank you for your response! However, that doesn't answer the question. You say to "claim the cheque in the year it was paid." That is my question: what year is it considered paid? I dated and sent the cheque in 2021; money came out of my account in 2022. 

[TurboTaxSusan · Accepted solution]

If you gave them the cheque in December 2021, for something that should have been paid for in November 2021, then you paid in 2021. Even if you don't have a receipt that shows you paid in December, then you can ask your back for an image or copy of the cheque that shows the date in December, if the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asks.