Restricted farm loss

If you run your farm as a business, you may be able to deduct a farm loss in the year. However, if your main source of income is neither from farming nor from a combination of farming and some other source of income, you can only deduct a portion of your farm loss for the year. 

For more information, see the following guides:

• T4002, Self-employed Business, Professional, Commission, Farming, and Fishing Income
• RC4060, Farming Income and the AgriStability and AgriInvest Programs Guide
• RC4408, Farming Income and the AgriStability and AgriInvest Programs Harmonized Guide

The portion of the loss that you cannot deduct becomes a restricted farm loss (RFL). You can carry an RFL incurred in tax years ending before 2006 back 3 years and forward up to 10 years.

You can now carry an RFL incurred in tax years ending after 2005, back 3 years and forward up to 20 years.

However, the amount you can deduct in any year cannot be more than your net farming income for that year. For more information on determining your main source of income and how to calculate an RFL, see Guide T4002, RC4060, or RC4408.

You may have RFLs that you incurred in your farming operation that you could not deduct when you calculated your income for previous years. You can apply part of these RFLs against any capital gain you may have when you sell your farmland. The amount of RFLs that you can apply cannot be more than the property taxes and interest on money you borrowed to buy the farmland that were included in the calculation of the RFLs for each year. Reduce your capital gain by adding these amounts to the adjusted cost base (ACB) of your farmland. Also, you have to reduce your RFL balance by these amounts.

You can only use RFLs to reduce any capital gain from selling your farmland to zero. You cannot use an RFL to create or increase a capital loss from selling farmland.

Completing your Schedule 3

Do not report your restricted farm losses on Schedule 3. For instructions on how to report the RFL on your income tax return see the farming guides below.

Forms and publications

• Guide T4002, Self-employed Business, Professional, Commission, Farming, and Fishing Income
• Guide RC4060, Farming Income and the AgriStability and AgriInvest Programs Guide
• Guide RC4408, Farming Income and the AgriStability and AgriInvest Programs Harmonized Guide
• Income Tax Package
• Form T1A, Request for Loss Carryback
• Archived Interpretation Bulletin IT-322R, Farm Losses

Related links

• Reporting income and loss – farmers and fishers
• Summary of loss application rules