Completing the Estate Information Return
Congratulations! You have finally received your issued Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee from the court. Now it is time to get your hands dirty and administer the Estate. (While you may have been able to take steps before this time, financial institutions may not recognize your authority until you have a Certificate of Appointment.)
Along with the issued Certificate of Appointment, the court will also provide you with a notice about a form called an Estate information Return (“EIR”). An Estate Information Return must be filed with the Ministry of Finance within 180 days of the date of the Certificate. It is used to enforce compliance with the Estate Administration Tax Act.
The EIR lists details of all the Deceased’s assets and their date of death values. For example, if the Deceased owned a property at the time of their death, you would have to obtain the Deceased’s address, property assessment roll number and property identifier number (PIN). If the Deceased had bank and/or investment accounts, you would need to list the account numbers and contact information for those institutions. If the Deceased had a vehicle, you would have to list the vehicle identification number, make, model and year of that vehicle. The form also requires you to list all other assets such as personal effects and refund cheques that the Deceased may have been entitled to at the time of their passing.
The EIR also gives the estate trustee the opportunity to mention any asset that was missed or discovered after the Application for a Certificate of Appointment was submitted with the court and it allows the estate trustee to pay the applicable estate administration tax for those assets.
It is good practice to diarize the deadline to file the EIR so you won’t miss it!
You can find the form for the EIR along with a guide to assist you here: https://forms.mgcs.gov.on.ca/en/dataset/9955
If you are unable to obtain all asset information within the 180 days deadline, don’t worry, you can file an amended return which would be due within 60 days of the estate trustee becoming aware that the information on the initial return is inaccurate.
If you need help, contact Casey & Moss
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.