Reporting the Sale of a Personal Residence

On October 3, 2016, the Federal Government announced new rules that will require you to report the sale of your personal residence on your income tax return commencing with the filing of the 2016 return. This is a departure from past practice where the sale of a personal residence did not require reporting. There is still no requirement to pay capital gains tax on the sale of a personal residence however if you fail to report it, the penalties can be rather steep. The transfer of a personal residence without an actual sale (such as changing it from your home to a rental property or business property) will also need to be reported.