Canada to extend 2024 charitable donations to end of February 2025

Author Elisha Dacey
Extension will help mitigate impacts of Canada Post Strike

Why It Matters

The December holiday season is one of the main fundraising times for non-profits and charities. While the Canada Post strike is over, direct mail to current and former charitable donors is being delivered late, impacting non-profits’ bottom lines. Thousands of Canadian charities sent letters to the federal government asking for an extension.

The Canada Post strike meant direct mail to donors will be delivered late. (Canva)

The Canadian federal government intends to extended the tax deadline for 2024 donations into 2025.

Canadians who make a donation to a registered charity from Jan. 1, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2025 will be able to claim those charitable donations on their 2024 taxes.

The legislation still needs to be tabled before it comes into effect.

“This extension recognizes the impact that the Canada Post service disruption had on their fundraising campaigns, and will give charities additional time to receive and process donations so that they can continue their vital work,” said Dominic LeBlanc, minister of finance, in a media statement on Dec. 30.

Near the end of December, a coalition of charitable advocacy groups, including Imagine Canada, the Health Charities Coalition of Canada and Cooperation Canada, spearheaded a campaign to extend the tax deadline after the Canada Post strike forced charities to pivot away from direct mail for their year-end giving campaigns.

The surprise resignation of Finance Minister Crystia Freeland from the cabinet Dec. 16 threw a small wrench into the plans, said Bruce MacDonald, CEO of Imagine Canada.

“…We have to work through the Department of Finance and it has been a strange week in Ottawa,” MacDonald said wryly in a LinkedIn post.

“Alongside other organizations, we are establishing new contacts given the whirlwind of change at Finance. We continue to work with civil servants at the department on this issue.”

The strike ended on Dec. 17, when the Canadian Industrial Relations Board ordered striking Canada Post employees back to work.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said that the legislation had passed. This is not the case and the story has been updated to reflect this detail.

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  • Elisha Dacey is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience in the field. She has worked in various newsrooms across Canada, ranging from small-town papers to major outlets like CBC Manitoba and Global News. Dacey began her journalism career in Manitoba and has held roles such as managing editor, senior producer and digital online journalist. Notably, she launched Metro Winnipeg, the city’s only free daily newspaper, which quickly became the second most-read paper in Winnipeg.

    Elisha Dacey is the Managing Editor for Future of Good.

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