Do the renos now & get $1350 Tax Credit from The Federal Government – catch – you must do them in the next 12 months


Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Other

THIS IS THE YEAR TO DO THOSE RENOVATIONS YOU HAVE WANTED TO DO!!!!!
INTEREST RATES ARE AGAIN AT 1958 YEAR LOWS, AND TAX CREDITS MAKE IT MORE AFFORDABLE THAN EVER!
 
  • As part of the 2009 budget you may qualify for the Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) of up to $1,350 for renovations completed within the next 12 months.
  • Did you know that you can apply for a 10% rebate on the mortgage insurance premium (CMHC/GE) if you refinance your home to make it more energy efficient?  Plus, the extended amortization without surcharge may be available to you. Note: this rebate also applies to customers who purchase an energy efficient home
  • In addition to the 10% rebate, you may be eligible for additional federal and provincial grants of up to $10,000 under the Canada ecoEnergy Retrofit grant

 Additional benefits of the above programs: 

  • Simple, energy efficient improvements are attractive because they offer lower monthly utility bills
  • This translates into income for you, allowing you to free up income to qualify or buy a more expensive home (increasing your borrowing power)
  • You’ll increase the resale value of your home—an official EnerGuide label proves you’ve done the work
 

 

Rebate/Grant Program

 

 

Description

 

 

1. Mortgage Insurer Premium Rebate

The rebate on the mortgage insurance premium applies to both Genworth and CMHC insured mortgages.

 

The rebate process is simple and can be done is 3 simple steps (see below):

 

1)       Determine how energy efficient the home is:

a)       If your client is purchasing a home:

§  An energy efficient R-2000 model or an energy rating of 77+

§  Documentation certifying your client’s home was built under either a Genworth or CMHC eligible energy efficient building program (Built Green Gold Label Homes AB, Novoclimat, Energy Star, Power Smart, R-2000) **Please refer to the CMHC and Genworth website for a more detailed list.

 

Click here for CMHC

Click here for Genworth

 

b)       If your client is renovating their existing home:

§  Contact an NRCan qualified energy advisor to obtain the current energy rating for your client’s home.  The NRCan energy advisor will provide a list of straightforward recommendations to increase your client’s energy rating.

§  Documentation certifying that the improvements to your client’s home has made to increase the EnerGuide rating by at least 5 points to a minimum rating of 40.

 

2) Apply for the Premium Refund

You will find attached both the CMHC and Genworth Premium Refund form attached to this email. 

 

3) Submit the application along with the below documents

a)       Purchasing a home:

Provide a copy of the first page of your client’s EnerGuide evaluation report or R-2000 certificate.

 

b)       Renovated existing homes:

Provide a copy of the first page of both your client’s pre-improvement and post-improvement EnerGuide evaluation report.

 

 

 

2. ecoENERGY Retrofit

 

Similar to the above Mortgage Insurer rebate, the ecoENERGY Retrofit grant is based on the type and number of energy efficient improvements made, and how energy efficient the improvements are.  (This grant is applied once per house).

 

The best part is that the improvements are not complicated!  For example, installing energy-efficient windows or basement insulation and purchase like high efficiency air conditioners and hot water heaters are eligible.

 

  1. Obtain a home energy assessment before and after your upgrades
  2. Complete the improvements either on your own or hire a contractor (Document your renovations with receipts, photos, product guides)
  3. Your client has 18 months from the date of the first assessment to complete the upgrades and complete a second energy assessment

 

Click here for more info on the ecoENERGY Retrofit grant.

 

 

 

3. Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC)

 

The 2009 federal budget provides a temporary incentive for Canadians to implement new renovation projects or accelerate planned future projects.

 

The temporary HRTC provides a 15% income tax credit on eligible home renovation expenses for work performed or goods acquired after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010.

 

The credit may be claimed for the 2009 tax year on eligible expenses over $1,000 but not exceeding $10,000 and will provide up to $1,350 tax relief.

 

 

Examples of HRTC Eligible and Ineligible Expenditures*

 

Eligible

Ineligible

§  Renovating a kitchen, bathroom or basement

§  New carpet or hardwood floors

§  Building an addition, deck, fence ore retaining wall

§  A new furnace or water heater

§  Painting the interior or exterior of a house

§  Resurfacing a driveway

§  Laying new sod

§  Purchase of furniture and appliances (ex: refrigerator, stove and couch)

§  Purchase of tools

§  Carpet cleaning

§  Maintenance contracts (ex: furnace cleaning, snow removal, lawn care, and pool cleaning)

 

*Source: Canada’s Economic Action Plan Budget 2009 Jan 27, 2009

 

Click here for more info on the HRTC.

Attached is the official HRTC brochure.

 

 

Details on Rebates and Incentives for Selected Energy Star Qualified Products in Canada by click here
Energy Star – Home Appliances click here
Find out more about the EnerGuide and R-2000 ratings click here

Bullfrog Power click here



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