Canada does not tax the whole of a capital gain. It taxes a portion of it, and that portion is set by the inclusion rate — the single mechanic that defines how a Canadian filer is taxed on crypto. The long-standing rate is 50 percent: half of a realised gain is added to income and taxed at the filer's marginal rate, while the other half is not taxed at all. That one factor sits in front of every other rule, because it determines how much of any gain ever reaches the tax base in the first place.
The inclusion rate, and a proposal in flux
Under the established rule, the arithmetic is straightforward: compute the gain, include half of it in income, and tax that half at the marginal rate that applies to the filer's total income. A gain of ten thousand adds five thousand to taxable income; the rest is outside the charge.
A 2024 federal proposal would change this for larger gains. As proposed, the inclusion rate would rise to 66.67 percent on the portion of an individual's annual gains above C$250,000, while the first C$250,000 of annual gains would stay at the 50 percent rate. This is a proposal whose status has been in flux rather than a settled rule, so it should be treated as something to confirm rather than to plan around — but it matters for anyone with large realised gains in a single year, because it raises the taxed fraction on the excess by a third.
The Adjusted Cost Base: a mandatory weighted average
Canada does not let a holder pick which units were sold. Cost basis runs on the Adjusted Cost Base (ACB) — a weighted average across all identical property held. Every acquisition of the same asset blends into one running average cost, and every disposal is measured against that average.
The consequences are worth stating plainly:
- There is no lot selection. A holder cannot choose to dispose of the cheapest or the most expensive units — the ACB applies one blended cost to every disposal.
- The average moves with every purchase. A new buy at a higher price raises the ACB for every subsequent disposal, not only the units just bought.
- Identical property pools together. All units of the same asset share one ACB; different assets keep their own.
This is mandatory, not an election, which is why a balance-level estimate is never enough — the ACB has to be rebuilt acquisition by acquisition, in order, to stay correct. HQ Wealth applies the ACB weighted average across identical property, so the basis behind every disposal reflects the method Canada actually requires rather than a lot-selection method it does not.
Every disposal counts, including swaps
As in most jurisdictions that tax gains, every disposal is a taxable event — and the definition is broad. Selling crypto for fiat, swapping one token for another, and spending crypto on goods are all disposals measured against the ACB. A crypto-to-crypto trade realises a gain or loss on the asset given up at that moment, even though no Canadian dollars change hands.
Receipts are treated separately. Staking and mining are generally assessable at fair market value on receipt, recognised as income when the tokens arrive — and that receipt value also becomes the cost base for the later disposal, doing the same double duty it does in other systems.
The superficial-loss rule: a two-directional window
Canada's wash-sale analogue is the superficial-loss rule, and its defining feature is that it spans both directions. A loss is disallowed if the same property is reacquired within 30 days before or after the disposal and is still held at the end of that window. Most wash-sale rules look only forward from the sale; the superficial-loss rule also reaches backward, so a purchase made shortly before a loss sale can disallow the loss just as a repurchase after it would.
To realise a loss cleanly, a holder generally has to stay clear of the asset across the whole sixty-one-day span around the disposal. HQ Wealth applies the superficial-loss window in both directions, so a reacquisition inside the thirty-day boundary is flagged rather than mistaken for a clean harvest.
For holders whose portfolios extend to shares, eligible Canadian dividends are grossed up and carry a dividend tax credit, so the declared figure is larger than the cash received but the credit offsets tax already paid at the corporate level.
Filing and the wider system
Capital gains are reported on Schedule 3, supported by the information slips a holder receives — T5008 for securities transactions, T3 for trust income, and T5 for investment income. Two wrappers shelter holdings under their own rules: the RRSP is tax-deferred, and the TFSA is tax-free on qualifying growth.
The filing deadline is April 30, extended to June 15 for the self-employed — though any balance owing is still due April 30. GST is 5 percent, with provincial sales taxes stacking on top depending on the province. None of this replaces advice on a specific situation; the inclusion-rate proposal alone can move a large-gain result materially, and a holder with significant activity is well served confirming the treatment with a professional. HQ Wealth produces a Canada tax pack with the inclusion-rate calculation applied on top of ACB-based gains, so the figures trace back to the weighted-average basis and the superficial-loss history rather than a generic computation.
Takeaway: Canada taxes only a portion of a gain — half under the long-standing 50 percent inclusion rate, with a proposed 66.67 percent rate on annual gains above C$250,000 still in flux — over a mandatory Adjusted Cost Base average and a superficial-loss rule that disallows a loss reacquired within 30 days before or after the sale.