Program directory · Canada Revenue Agency
Charities
- Department
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Program code
- BRA09 (CCRA)
- Core responsibility
- Tax
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
We administer a national program for the regulation of charities, and other qualified donees. We are responsible for activities that span the full spectrum of the compliance continuum, including reviewing applications for registration, processing charity returns, and other compliance activities. We also develop educational products/aids, organize information sessions and consultations, and maintain client accounts. We promote compliance with income tax legislation, informing registered charities and other qualified donees, as well as applicants for those statuses, of their obligations under the law, sharing charity information with the public, detecting and addressing non-compliance using a range of corrective measures, and providing client-centric service. This work safeguards the interests of taxpayer donors and Canadians, and contributes to public trust in the charitable sector and the Canada Revenue Agency.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2017-18. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charities | This program | 2017-18 – 2028-29 | $316M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Indicators added: % of applications for charitable registration that the CRA provided a final decision on within nine months of receiving a complete application | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Indicators dropped: % of applications for charitable registration that the CRA reviewed and responded to within established timeframes (two months for simple applications and six months for regular applications) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 80% | 2020 | 86.5% | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 80% | 2021 | 62% Please note that this Program Inventory indicator is also an external service standard. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) processing times were impacted by an emphasis on implementing Canada’s Economic Response Plan to support Canadians and businesses facing hardship, and by public health measures that limited the number of staff permitted in CRA offi… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 80% | 2022 | 97.9% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 80% | 2023 | 98% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 85% | 2024 | 96% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 85% | 2025 | 89% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 80% | 2019 | 94% The results for this indicator reflect the updated wording and methodology described in the CRA’s 2018-19 service standards: % of applications for charitable registration that the CRA provided an initial response to within six months of receiving a complete application. | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 80% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | — | $36.9M |
| 2018-19 | $35.7M | $32.7M |
| 2019-20 | $37.4M | $39M |
| 2020-21 | $39.2M | $43.2M |
| 2021-22 | $40.8M | $37.8M |
| 2022-23 | $42.2M | $39.4M |
| 2023-24 | $40.7M | $43.5M |
| 2024-25 | $40.4M | $43.1M |
| 2025-26 | $42.1M | — |
| 2026-27 | $36.8M | — |
| 2027-28 | $36.5M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $36.4M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 397 | 315 |
| 2018-19 | 393 | 305 |
| 2019-20 | 370 | 363 |
| 2020-21 | 373 | 346 |
| 2021-22 | 359 | 329 |
| 2022-23 | 358 | 343 |
| 2023-24 | 349 | 337 |
| 2024-25 | 330 | 341 |
| 2025-26 | 331 | — |
| 2026-27 | 291 | — |
| 2027-28 | 289* | — |
| 2028-29 | 289* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $35,722,352 | $32,089,316 | $32,149,791 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $37,353,828 | $36,609,831 | $36,632,408 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $39,179,147 | $39,267,674 | $39,345,062 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $40,784,540 | $40,078,489 | $39,763,260 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $42,236,860 | $41,443,654 | $39,357,685 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $40,679,893 | $38,465,507 | $38,389,955 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $40,374,274 | $40,493,447 | $39,109,071 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $42,055,953 | $40,424,849 | $40,289,258 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $36,793,501 | $36,459,463 | $36,441,338 | ||||||||
| Actual | $32,741,000 | $38,951,233 | $43,235,305 | $37,752,315 | $39,424,928 | $43,522,503 | $43,085,073 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
