Registered journalism organizations

As per other qualified donees, two of the main obligations of registered journalism organizations (RJO) are issuing official donation receipts that meet the requirements of the Income Tax Act and keeping reliable and complete books and records. See below for more information about what these requirements are.

For more information, see Guidance on the income tax measures to support journalism. 

Issuing official donation receipts

RJOs can issue official donation receipts for gifts they receive.

To do so, they must determine whether they have received a gift for the purposes of the Act and the eligible amount of the gift. For more information, go to What is a gift and see P113, Gifts and Income Tax.

Official donation receipts must be legible and cannot be readily altered.

Receipts for cash gifts must include the following:

• a statement that it is an official receipt for income tax purposes
• the name and address of the RJO as on file with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
• a unique serial number
• the registration number issued by the CRA
• the location where the receipt was issued (city, town, municipality)
• the date or year the gift was received
• the date the receipt was issued
• the full name, including middle initial, and address of the donor
• the amount of the gift
• the amount and description of any advantage received by the donor
• the eligible amount of the gift
• the signature of an individual authorized by the RJO to acknowledge gifts
• the name and website address of the CRA

Receipts for non-cash gifts must also include:

• the date the gift was received (if not already included)
• a brief description of the gift received by the RJO
• the name and address of the appraiser (if the gift was appraised)

The amount of a non-cash gift must be its fair market value at the time the gift was made.

Books and records

To maintain its qualified donee status, an RJO must keep books and records that include:

• information to allow the CRA to verify amounts that donors can claim for tax credits or deductions
• information to allow the CRA to confirm that the entity meets the requirements for qualified donee status under the Income Tax Act
• a duplicate of each official donation receipt issued, containing prescribed information for the gift received

Books and records must be kept at the Canadian address that the RJO has on file with the CRA and must be provided to the CRA on request.

Books and records include, but are not limited to:

• governing documents (corporation, partnership, or trust document)
• bylaws
• financial statements
• copies of annual information returns
• written agreements
• contracts
• board and staff meeting minutes
• annual reports
• ledgers
• bank statements
• expense accounts
• inventories
• investment agreements
• accountant's working papers
• payroll records
• promotional materials
• fundraising materials

Books and records also include source documents, such as:

• invoices
• vouchers
• formal contracts
• work orders
• delivery slips
• purchase orders
• bank deposit slips

For more information about keeping books and records, including the types of records that should be kept, retention periods, and electronic records, go to Keeping Records.

Related links

• Applying to become a registered journalism organization
• Advantages and obligations of applying for qualified donee status
• Compliance for registered journalism organizations
• Penalties and suspensions for RJOs