If you’re an individual investor and you purchased eligible shares in 2017 (that you didn’t already claim in 2016), you can earn a non-refundable tax credit worth 50% of your investment (up to $125,000 including unused credits) per year. Alternatively, as a corporate or trust investor, your tax credit is equivalent to 15% of your investment, up to $75,000 per year. You’ll need to complete form T1258 to claim your credit.

You can claim this credit if you’re a resident of New Brunswick and:

• You’re at least 19
• As an individual, you invested no less than $1,000, or as a corporation or trust, you invested no less than $50,000
• You received a tax credit certificate (to receive one of these, your investments during the year as an individual can’t be more than $250,000; as a trust or corporation, this limit is set at $500,000)
• Your shares were purchased, held, or disposed of by a qualifying trust
• You held the investment for at least four years and
• You didn’t use financial assistance from any government or public authority to acquire your shares

When completing your return, you can claim this credit for the shares you bought in 2017 (that you didn’t claim on your return in 2016) and those purchased in the first 60 days of 2018. If you don’t need to use the full tax credit in a given tax year, you can carry it forward 7 years, or back 3 years.

If you’re filing a paper return, you’ll need to attach a copy of your NB-SBITC-1 tax credit certificate. If you’re filing electronically, make sure you keep all of your supporting documents in case the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asks to see them later.