Standard B4 Explained

Definition: Registered Charity Information Return (T3010)¹
The annual information form required by Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) annually by all charities.

Why is it important to file the T3010 on time? Filing the T3010 is required by law for all Canadian charities. The board of directors must make certain that their organization complies with all relevant legislation, and are responsible for ensuring that the T3010 is filed accurately and on time.² The T3010 contains financial information as well as information about your organization’s governance, programs, and political or business activities.³ If you do not file your Registered Charity Information Return (T3010), CRA will revoke your organization’s charitable status. As CRA makes pubic a list of all organizations that have had their charitable status revoked,³ this will negatively impact your organization’s reputation and may discourage funders and donors from supporting your organization in the future. CRA also makes the information available on the T3010 public, so failing to provide this information is a missed opportunity to communicate with your organization’s stakeholders. Increasingly, granting agencies, corporations, and individual donors are considering this information as they decide which organizations to fund.³

See also : Ten Questions Directors of Charities Should Ask About the T3010

How do I file the T3010? See “Reporting and Receipting,” for detailed instructions on how to file the T3010 form.

Information for nonprofits: Nonprofit organizations are required by law to file “Corporation Income Tax (T2) Return,” within six months of year-end. Please visit the Canada Revenue Agency for details on how to submit the T2.

From "Accreditation Preparation Workbook Section B: Financial Accountability & Transparency,"  Katharine Zywert, Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo at the University of Waterloo, 2013.

1. “Standards Program Definitions,” Imagine Canada, May 2011.
2. “10 Questions Directors of Charities Should ask About the T3010,” blog by Lisa Hartford for Imagine Canada, September 4th 2012.
3. “The In’s and Out’s of Reporting to CRA,” William Harper, CA for William Harper Associates, December 2009.