Changes to the Estate Administration Tax and Estate Information Return Filing Deadlines, Effective January 1, 2020

  • December 27, 2019
  • Emily Hubling, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

On April 11th, 2019, Ontario’s Ford government released its first budget, which contained several provisions of note to estate practitioners.

Effective January 1, 2020, Estate Administration Tax (commonly referred to as “probate fees”) is not payable on the first $50,000 of an estate’s value. Previously, probate fees were levied at a rate of 0.5% on the value of estate assets between $1,000 and $50,000, and a rate of 1.5% on estate assets in excess of $50,000.

The change means that for smaller estates (i.e., with a value of $50,000 or less), no probate fees are payable. For larger estates, with a value greater than $50,000, the change gives rise to a savings of $250.