Which post-mortem tax planning strategy is the most appropriate for you?

Since post-mortem pipelines remain effective estate tax planning tools when executed with reasonable timing and economic substance, it’s important to understand their use in practice. Comparing a pipeline and an alternative plan highlights how the choice of structure affects tax outcomes, audit risks and liquidity management—all while staying mindful of the evolving general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) environment.

When dealing with estate planning, it can be helpful to play out a scenario in which you implement potential strategies and consider all variables before deciding which path is best.

The following simplified, hypothetical scenario demonstrates how post-mortem pipelines and loss carryback plans can be essential tools to mitigate double taxation on death.

Consulting with the appropriate tax advisors can also ensure effective outcomes while remaining compliant with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations.

The scenario

Mr. A, a long-time owner-manager and Ontario resident, died in 2025 owning all shares of Aco, a private corporation valued at $5 million with an adjusted cost base and paid-up capital of $500,000. Upon his death, subsection 70(5) of the Income Tax Act (ITA) deems a $4.5 million capital gain on the shares.

Without proper planning in place, a double layer of tax exists—first on the deemed capital gain at death and again when corporate assets are distributed as taxable dividends to the estate. This results in a tax-inefficient distribution of funds.

By implementing a post-mortem plan, the estate would be able to extract Aco’s value more tax-efficiently.

There are two common planning strategies that are utilized when evaluating a post-mortem plan:

• Post-mortem pipeline: The estate transfers Aco shares to a new company (Newco) in exchange for a promissory note equal to fair market value. Aco and Newco amalgamate, and the note is repaid to the estate gradually over time.

• Loss carryback plan: The shares of Aco are redeemed, creating a loss to Mr. A’s estate to be carried back to Mr. A’s year of death under subsection 164(6).  

The choice between these options generally depends on the estate’s liquidity position, the ongoing business objectives of the corporation, the desired timing of distributions and the overall administrative and compliance considerations.

The following graphic outlines, at a very high level, how implementing a post-mortem pipeline or a subsection 164(6) loss carryback plan could eliminate the second layer of tax and reduce the overall tax burden from approximately 71.83 per cent to 24.09 per cent.

¹ The corporation redeems the shares resulting in two separate tax events. First, a deemed dividend ($4,500,000)—equal to the amount the estate receives ($5,000,000) in excess of the paid-up capital ($500,000). Second, a capital loss is created (A-B-C) if the proceeds of disposition (A $5,000,000), adjusted for the deemed dividend (B $4,500,000), is less than the estate’s ACB (C $5,000,000).

*All calculations assume the deceased was an Ontario resident taxed at the highest marginal personal rate (53.53%) in 2025.

How the strategies work

The post-mortem pipeline eliminates the threat of double taxation and lessens overall burden by converting what would otherwise be a taxable corporate distribution into a tax-free repayment of loan principal through a bona fide promissory note repaid on a phased schedule.

When structured with appropriate timing and demonstrated commercial purpose, such as preserving business continuity or facilitating estate administration, the pipeline removes the second layer of personal tax on distributions rather than merely deferring it.

The s.164(6) loss carryback achieves a comparable after-tax result by realizing an allowable capital loss—for example, on a redemption—that is carried back to offset the deemed capital gain in the deceased’s terminal return.

The loss utilization neutralizes the tax on the gain. When combined with careful sequencing—such as timing of the share redemption and ensuring losses are triggered within the estate’s first taxation year—this approach prevents a separate dividend-level taxation on the same corporate value.

Proper valuation of shares and alignment of timing between the loss recognition and carryback are critical to achieving the intended result.

Best practices for accepted pipelines

Practitioners should consider incorporating certain controls into their planning to ensure compliance and minimize audit exposure. These include:

• Phased repayment: Spread promissory note repayments over time to demonstrate a real debt obligation. The CRA issued several favorable views indicating that the note repayment should be deferred 12 to 24 months after the death of the individual.

• Substantiate commercial intent: Demonstrate that the plan serves a bona fide business or estate purpose beyond tax savings. In a post-mortem pipeline, it could be to ensure business continuity and liquidity for estate obligations; for a loss carryback plan, enabling an orderly wind-up and asset distribution could be cited as a valid justification.

• Hybrid sequencing: Where appropriate, consider a combined approach that uses subsection 164(6) to carry back a capital loss in the estate’s first taxation year (to offset the deemed capital gain on death) followed by a pipeline reorganization to extract any remaining surplus. This sequencing could ensure efficient loss utilization while preserving flexibility for future tax-free note repayments.

• Align with estate instruments: Confirm that wills, shareholder agreements and trust deeds authorize post-mortem reorganizations or share transfers to Newco.

• Plan for liquidity: For corporations with real estate or illiquid holdings, plan refinancing or partial dispositions in advance to ensure timely note repayments.

The GAAR landscape

The 2024 GAAR amendments reshaped the post-mortem planning environment by lowering the threshold for avoidance transactions, introducing a formal economic substance test and adding a 25 per cent penalty regime for abusive tax avoidance.

While the CRA continues to support well-structured pipelines consistent with its guidance, practitioners should anticipate a closer review of cash corporations where post-death activity is minimal.

Practitioners should also be mindful of a heightened focus on timing, particularly where early note repayments are linked to estate obligations are increasingly viewed by the CRA as a key indicator of whether the arrangement reflects genuine repayment terms and commercial purpose.

The revised GAAR may also affect 164(6) loss carryback plans as the CRA could challenge structures lacking real economic impact or undertaken solely to generate artificial losses.

However, where the redemption and loss realization reflect a genuine winding-up of the estate, these plans should continue to withstand GAAR scrutiny.

Future disputes are expected to pivot more on economic reality than technical design.