Death is one of the most significant tax events in a client’s life. When an individual passes away, their assets are generally subject to a deemed disposition at fair market value, which can trigger large capital gains, dividend income, or recapture. The seminar illustrates how this applies across common asset classes, including private company shares, trusts, real estate, RRSPs, RRIFs, and investment portfolios. Without advance planning, the estate may face liquidity issues, timing mismatches, or double tax, especially when assets are held in corporations. Visual examples will show how corporate shares can be taxed once at the shareholder level on death and again inside the corporation when assets are later distributed to beneficiaries.

This course provides a clear and practical framework for understanding taxation at death and the full set of post-mortem planning tools available to CPAs. You will learn how to identify tax exposure, how Graduated Rate Estate rules affect planning options, and how to choose between the primary strategies used to eliminate or minimize double taxation. The material covers pipelines, subsection 164(6) loss carryback plans, redemption approaches, and hybrid methods. The program also addresses charitable gifting strategies, life insurance as a funding tool, timing of transactions, and practical matters such as probate, executor responsibilities, and the role of wills and shareholder agreements.

Taxation at Death and Post Mortem Planning explains how death triggers tax and outlines the planning steps needed to preserve after tax value for the next generation. The course begins with a detailed explanation of the deemed disposition rules and how various assets are treated on death. You will learn how capital gains, recapture, RRSP and RRIF inclusions, and the treatment of jointly owned assets affect the overall tax picture. The diagrams in the material illustrate how corporate ownership creates unique challenges, especially the double tax problem that arises when a deceased shareholder owns shares of a corporation with appreciated underlying assets. These issues make it essential for CPAs to assess corporate structure, safe income, and potential liquidity gaps long before death occurs.

The course then moves into the core post mortem strategies used in Canadian tax practice. Participants learn how to carry back losses using subsection 164(6), when pipelines are appropriate, how share redemptions produce different tax results, and how hybrid methods can blend benefits. The material also covers practical estate considerations such as the importance of a Graduated Rate Estate, deadlines for post mortem planning, probate planning, use of multiple wills, and coordination with executors and legal advisors. Charitable giving, life insurance integration, and planning for trusts and disabled beneficiaries are included to help CPAs anticipate the wider financial, family, and tax implications. The goal is to provide a complete roadmap of the decisions, risks, and opportunities present when a client dies and when planning must be done quickly, accurately, and in the right sequence.