Please note that the following document, although believed to be correct at the time of issue, may not represent the current position of the CRA.
Prenez note que ce document, bien qu'exact au moment émis, peut ne pas représenter la position actuelle de l'ARC.
Principal Issues: Whether a lump-sum payment received in settlement of a Human Rights complaint is taxable to recipients?
Position: Question of fact. Payments which compensate employees for lost wages are generally taxable as employment income; payments which represent general damages are non-taxable to employees.
Reasons: Case law (surrogatum principle) and previously published positions
August 1, 2013
XXXXXXXXXX
Dear XXXXXXXXXX:
I am responding to your correspondence sent to my predecessor, the Honourable Gail Shea, about the tax treatment of the lump-sum payments referred to in sections 5.1 and 5.2 of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Attorney General of Canada, who is representing the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), and the medical adjudicators. I apologize for the delay in replying.
To decide how to treat a settlement amount under the Income Tax Act, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) looks at the nature and purpose of the amount. In most cases, the parties to the settlement agreement are in the best position to make this determination. In particular, the employer usually has the necessary information to know what the settlement amount is for.
The information that HRSDC, the employer, gave the CRA suggested that the lump-sum payments were meant to compensate the medical adjudicators for lost wages. The CRA confirmed to HRSDC that compensation for lost wages is taxable as employment income under the Act and that HRSDC was required to issue T4 slips and withhold income tax.
I trust that the information I have provided clarifies the CRA's position on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Bonnie Ruttan-Morillo
905-721-5094
File # 2013-048735
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