Asking for a fiscal period-end change

A registered charity must get permission from the Charities Directorate before it can change its fiscal period-end, since such a change affects the charity's filing obligations.

To ask for a change, prepare a letter with the following information:

• the new fiscal period-end
• the reason for the change
• the proposed effective year of the change
• the signature of a director/trustee or other authorized representative of the charity

Mail or fax the letter to:

Charities Directorate
Canada Revenue Agency
Ottawa ON K1A 0L5

Fax: 613-954-8037

Note
Do not include the letter with the charity's annual information return since this may cause processing delays.

Filing for the transition period

If a registered charity receives approval to change its fiscal period-end, it will have a transition period that is not a full 12 months. Therefore, it must file a separate information return for the months of transition. For example, if the charity's fiscal period-end was originally December 31, and the charity received approval to change it to March 31, one complete return is required for the original fiscal period of January 1 to December 31, and a separate complete return is required for the transition period from January 1 to March 31.

A registered charity's fiscal period generally should not be more than 12 months.

A return for the transition period or for the new fiscal period cannot be processed until the change in fiscal period-end has been approved. Therefore, the charity should submit a request as soon as it decides to make the change.

The charity may also need to amend its governing document if it includes a fiscal period-end (for example, bylaws state the fiscal period-end is December 31, and the charity is changing the fiscal period-end to March 31). We will still process this change; however, the charity must amend the date in its governing documents and submit a certified copy to the Charities Directorate. For more information, see Changing a charity’s bylaws.

Date modified:

2016-02-22