Autumn is here and with both Coffee Break and the holidays coming up, you might be planning on making a donation to the Alzheimer Society to help us continue to provide programs and services in your community and support dementia research in Canada.

And if this is your first gift, or you haven’t made a charitable gift since 2007, there’s never been a better time to donate! The federal government’s First-Time Donor’s Super Credit means a greater tax credit on your donation.

Here’s how it works:

The standard federal tax credit is 15% of the first $200 donated, and 29% for amounts beyond that. However, this super credit adds another 25% tax credit for donations up to $1,000!

This means that if you’re a first time donor, you could be eligible for:

• Donation of $200 or less: 40% federal tax credit
• Donation of $201 to $1,000: 54% federal tax credit

On top of that, when you add on provincial tax credits, your donation goes even further! In Quebec, your total credits earned on $1000 donation would be $744. In Ontario, it would be $611.

What else should I know about the First-time Donor Super Credit?

• It’s important to act quickly. The credit is only available until 2017.
• The credit can be shared between spouses and common-law partners, but the total claimed cannot exceed $1,000. Single Canadians can claim donations for up to $1,000 each.
• Non-cash donations, such as property or investments do not qualify.
• Only donations made in the same year of the claim qualify.

Make your donation today at alzheimer.ca/donatenow

Check out this cool infographic and First Time Donor’s Super Credit Calculator at: www.ativa.com/first-time-donors-tax-credit

Learn more about the credit from the Canada Revenue Agency at: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gncy/bdgt/2013/qa01-eng.html