A practical pre-tax-filing checklist for Canadian investors to verify adjusted cost base, T5008 slips, ETF return of capital, USD trades, DRIPs, transfer-in cost basis, and multi-broker holdings before completing Schedule 3.
If you hold stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, or other securities in a Canadian taxable account, your adjusted cost base is not something you should leave until the day you file your tax return. Your broker may provide a book value. Your T5008 slip may include a cost or book value. Your tax software may import the slip automatically. None of that guarantees your capital gain or loss is correct.
Adjusted cost base is your record. It follows the security across taxable accounts, broker transfers, reinvested distributions, return-of-capital adjustments, foreign exchange conversions, and partial sales. This checklist is designed to help you review those records before filing. For the ongoing habit of tracking this throughout the year, see ACB Recordkeeping Checklist for Canadian Investors.
Use it before you complete Schedule 3, before you send your documents to a tax preparer, or before you rely on the numbers imported from a brokerage tax slip.
This guide is for general educational purposes only. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice. If your situation involves multi-leg options strategies (spreads, straddles, collars), short sales, corporate reorganizations, estate transfers, superficial losses, business income treatment, or other complex transactions, speak with a qualified tax professional.
Written and researched by myCostBase. Last reviewed: September 2, 2026. This checklist was checked against the CRA, the Income Tax Act and the primary sources listed below. The checklist, worksheets and downloads can be used without the product.
Free downloads
Two spreadsheet templates — no signup required.
- ACB ledger CSV — 30-column structured file for pooled multi-broker tracking with T5008 reconciliation, FX conversion, DRIP, and ROC fields. Open in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Simple ACB tracker Excel workbook — four-sheet template for straightforward buy, sell, DRIP, and ACB summary records. Open in Excel or Google Sheets.
The T5008 reconciliation worksheet and pre-filing review worksheet are formatted for print within this page.
Free to download — no account required.
Who should use this checklist?
Use this checklist if any of the following apply:
- You sold stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, or other securities in a non-registered account.
- You received one or more T5008 slips.
- You hold the same security at more than one brokerage.
- You transferred positions from one brokerage to another.
- You hold Canadian ETFs or mutual funds that report return of capital.
- You participate in a dividend reinvestment plan.
- You bought or sold U.S.-listed securities in a taxable account.
- You rely on broker book value but have not verified it against your own ledger.
- You are preparing Schedule 3 for capital gains or losses.
You may not need a detailed ACB review for every account. Registered accounts such as TFSAs, RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs, and FHSAs generally do not require ACB tracking for annual capital gains reporting. This checklist is focused on taxable, non-registered investment accounts.
1. What records to collect before tax season
Before calculating capital gains, collect the source documents. Do not start with the T5008 alone. The T5008 is useful, but it is not a complete ACB ledger.
Collect these documents
For each taxable brokerage account, gather:
- Annual trading summary
- Monthly or quarterly statements
- Trade confirmations for buys and sells
- T5008 slips
- T3 slips for ETFs, mutual funds, and trusts
- T5 slips, where applicable
- Account transfer documents
- DRIP confirmations or reinvestment records
- Corporate action notices
- Stock split or consolidation notices
- Return-of-capital details from ETF or fund providers
- Prior-year ACB ledger or spreadsheet
- Prior-year Schedule 3 records
- Notes from your tax preparer, if any
For each security, confirm you have:
- Full security name
- Ticker symbol
- CUSIP or ISIN, if available
- Account ownership
- Brokerage account
- Currency
- Complete buy history
- Complete sell history
- DRIP transactions
- Return-of-capital adjustments
- Reinvested capital gains distributions
- Transfers in or out
- Current share balance
- Total ACB
- ACB per share
From source documents to Schedule 3
Keep the source evidence, calculation and filing output distinct. A tax slip can support a calculation, but it does not replace the chronological ledger.
| Source document | What to verify or calculate | Resulting record or filing output |
|---|---|---|
| Trade confirmation | Quantity, price, commission, currency and transaction date | CAD acquisition cost or sale proceeds in the ledger |
| T3 details and issuer tax information | Positive or negative cost-base adjustments and reinvested distributions | Dated ACB adjustment with source attached |
| T5008 | Security, quantity, Box 20 and Box 21 | Sale cross-check and documented reconciliation difference |
| Monthly or annual statement | Unit balance, transfers, DRIPs and corporate actions | Quantity reconciliation and missing-item list |
| Complete ACB ledger | Pooled ACB immediately before each disposition | Schedule 3 ACB for the units sold |
| Sale confirmation | Gross proceeds and selling commission | Schedule 3 proceeds and outlays or expenses |
CRA’s Schedule 3 instructions separate proceeds, adjusted cost base and outlays or expenses. Preserve enough detail to trace each filed amount back to the source documents.
Important record-keeping rule
Do not rebuild ACB only from the year you sold. ACB depends on the full history of the position. If you bought shares in 2018, transferred them in 2021, received DRIPs from 2022 to 2025, and sold in 2026, your 2026 gain depends on all of those earlier events.
A clean ACB file should answer this question:
For every sale during the year, what was the pooled ACB per share immediately before the sale?
If you cannot answer that, do not file based only on the broker’s book value without reviewing the difference.
CRA’s general rule is to keep supporting records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. CRA separately says records concerning long-term acquisitions and dispositions, along with other historical information that can affect a later sale, should be kept indefinitely. That includes the older purchase and adjustment records needed to support a future ACB calculation (CRA guidance on keeping records).
2. T5008 Box 20 / Box 21 reconciliation checklist
Your T5008 reports securities transactions to you and to CRA. It is one of the most important documents to review, but it is also one of the easiest documents to misuse. According to the CRA’s T5008 guide, Box 20 is cost or book value and may or may not reflect the investor’s adjusted cost base.
CRA tells T5008 preparers to take reasonable measures to include purchase transaction charges and adjustments for reinvested distributions, return of capital and reorganizations. A difference can still arise when the broker lacks external holdings or complete historical information, or when an adjustment has not yet been posted.
The boxes to verify
On a T5008:
- Box 20 is cost or book value.
- Box 21 is proceeds of disposition or settlement amount.
Do not reverse these boxes.
Box 21 is the sale proceeds reported by the broker. Box 20 is the broker’s cost or book value. Box 20 may be blank, zero, incomplete, or different from your actual adjusted cost base.
Check Box 21 against the trade confirmation. CRA instructs T5008 preparers not to deduct disposition expenses from Box 21, but reporting practices can differ. Confirm whether a selling commission is already netted before entering it separately on Schedule 3 so the expense is not deducted twice.
Why Box 20 may not match your ACB
T5008 Box 20 can differ from your correct ACB because the broker may not have all the information needed to calculate your full cost base. Common reasons include:
- You bought the same security at another brokerage.
- You transferred the position from another broker.
- Complete transferred book-cost information was missing, estimated, or required correction.
- You had DRIP reinvestments that were missing or not yet posted.
- You held ETFs with return-of-capital adjustments.
- You had reinvested capital gains distributions.
- You paid commissions that were treated differently.
- You traded in USD and need CAD conversions by transaction date.
- Your broker tracks book value per account, while your taxable ACB may need to be pooled across accounts under the same ownership.
T5008 reconciliation steps
For each T5008 line:
- Match the T5008 security to your ledger.
- Confirm the sale date.
- Confirm the quantity sold.
- Confirm the proceeds in Box 21.
- Calculate your ACB per share immediately before the sale.
- Multiply your ACB per share by the number of shares sold.
- Compare that amount to Box 20.
- Record the difference.
- Document the likely reason for the difference.
- Use the amount supported by your own ACB records when completing your capital gain calculation.
Simple reconciliation table
Use this structure for each sale:
| Field | Amount / note |
|---|---|
| Security | |
| Ticker | |
| Brokerage | |
| Sale date | |
| Quantity sold | |
| T5008 Box 21 proceeds | |
| T5008 Box 20 cost/book value | |
| Your ACB per share before sale | |
| Your ACB for shares sold | |
| Selling outlays or expenses | |
| Difference between Box 20 and your ACB | |
| Reason for difference | |
| Supporting documents | |
| Reviewed by | |
| Review date |
Use the free T5008 ACB Reconciliation Checker to compare Box 20 against your own ACB records for a single disposition.
3. ETF ROC and reinvested distribution checklist
ETF and mutual fund investors need extra care. ACB is not affected only by buys and sells. Annual tax allocations can change your cost base even when you do not trade.
The most common overlooked items are:
- Return of capital
- Reinvested distributions
- Reinvested capital gains distributions
- Phantom distributions
- Non-cash taxable allocations
Return of capital
Return of capital generally reduces your adjusted cost base. For Canadian ETFs and mutual fund trusts, return of capital is commonly reported on a T3 slip in Box 42, per CRA’s guidance on the tax treatment of mutual funds.
A positive Box 42 amount generally reduces ACB. A negative amount may increase ACB. If return of capital reduces ACB below zero, the negative amount may create a capital gain and reset the ACB to zero.
Do not ignore Box 42 because no shares were sold. ROC affects the eventual capital gain when you sell.
Reinvested distributions and phantom income
Some ETFs and mutual funds report taxable distributions that are reinvested or retained by the fund. You may owe tax on the income even though you did not receive cash. For ACB purposes, these amounts may increase your cost base.
This matters because if you pay tax on a reinvested distribution but fail to increase your ACB, you may be taxed again later through a larger capital gain.
ETF review checklist
For each ETF or mutual fund held in a taxable account:
- Confirm whether you received a T3 slip.
- Check whether Box 42 has an amount.
- Review the fund provider’s annual tax breakdown.
- Identify return-of-capital amounts.
- Identify reinvested capital gains distributions.
- Confirm whether any non-cash distributions affect ACB.
- Apply the adjustment to the correct security.
- Apply the adjustment to the correct tax year.
- Keep the supporting T3 slip and provider document.
- Confirm the adjusted year-end ACB per share.
Example: ROC adjustment
You hold 500 units of a Canadian ETF.
After the annual tax information is available:
- Total ACB before adjustment: $12,000
- Positive T3 Box 42 cost-base adjustment: $150
- Units held: 500
ACB after ROC: $12,000 − $150 = $11,850
New ACB per unit: $11,850 ÷ 500 = $23.70
The share count did not change. The total ACB changed.
For a deeper explanation, see ETF Return of Capital and Adjusted Cost Base.
4. USD trade FX checklist
Canadian taxpayers report capital gains and losses in Canadian dollars. If you buy or sell U.S.-listed securities in a taxable account, you need CAD amounts for both cost and proceeds.
Do not calculate the gain in USD and convert only the final result. Convert purchase cost and disposition proceeds separately using a documented rate applicable to each transaction. CRA generally points to Bank of Canada daily rates, while also accepting qualifying alternative sources and averages in certain circumstances.
For each USD buy
Record:
- Trade date
- Settlement date
- Security
- Quantity
- USD price
- USD commission
- Gross USD cost
- FX rate used
- CAD equivalent cost
- Source of FX rate
- Total ACB after the trade
- ACB per share in CAD
For each USD sell
Record:
- Trade date
- Settlement date
- Security
- Quantity sold
- USD sale price
- USD commission
- Gross USD proceeds
- Net USD proceeds
- FX rate used
- CAD equivalent gross proceeds
- CAD selling commission or other outlays
- CAD ACB for shares sold
- CAD gain or loss
Common USD ACB mistakes
Avoid these errors:
- Using today’s FX rate for historical trades.
- Applying one blended annual average without confirming it is appropriate.
- Calculating the gain in USD and converting only the net result.
- Ignoring USD commissions.
- Using broker FX conversions without documenting the rate.
- Mixing CAD and USD values in the same ACB column.
- Forgetting that the ACB ledger should be maintained in CAD for Canadian tax reporting.
Example: USD trade
Buy: 100 shares at $50 USD, commission $1 USD, FX rate 1.3500 CAD/USD
CAD cost: ($5,000 + $1) × 1.3500 = $6,751.35 CAD
Sell: 100 shares at $70 USD, commission $1 USD, FX rate 1.3000 CAD/USD
CAD gross proceeds: $7,000 × 1.3000 = $9,100.00 CAD
CAD selling commission: $1 × 1.3000 = $1.30 CAD
Capital gain: $9,100.00 − $6,751.35 − $1.30 = $2,347.35 CAD
The USD gain is not the number you report. The CAD gain is.
Use the free USD to CAD Capital Gains Calculator for a single U.S. stock trade.
5. Multi-broker pooling warning
One of the most common ACB errors in Canada happens when investors use one cost base per brokerage account.
For taxable accounts, identical securities held under the same ownership generally need one pooled ACB - the averaging rule comes from the Income Tax Act’s identical property provisions, section 47. If you hold the same ETF at Wealthsimple and Questrade in taxable accounts, you do not have two separate ACBs for tax reporting. You have one pooled ACB for that security.
Example
You buy the same ETF at two brokerages:
- Brokerage A: 100 shares at $20
- Brokerage B: 100 shares at $30
Your pooled ACB:
- Total cost: $2,000 + $3,000 = $5,000
- Total shares: 200
- Pooled ACB per share: $25
If you sell 50 shares at Brokerage A, you do not use Brokerage A’s $20 cost. You use the pooled $25 ACB per share.
Multi-broker review checklist
For each security sold during the year:
- Search all taxable accounts for the same ticker.
- Confirm whether the same security is held at another broker.
- Confirm whether the holdings are under the same taxpayer.
- Combine all taxable holdings under the same ownership into one ACB pool.
- Calculate the pooled ACB per share before the sale.
- Use the pooled ACB for the sale, regardless of which broker executed the sale.
- Keep a note explaining the pooled calculation.
Watch ownership differences
Do not automatically pool everything together. Ownership matters.
Separate review may be needed for:
- Individual taxable accounts
- Joint taxable accounts
- Corporate accounts
- Trust accounts
- Spouse or common-law partner accounts
- Registered accounts
Registered accounts generally do not belong in the taxable ACB pool for Schedule 3 reporting, but transactions involving registered accounts can create other tax issues in some cases. Get tax advice if you are moving securities between taxable and registered accounts.
See Pooled ACB Across Multiple Brokerages for a detailed walkthrough.
6. Transfer-in cost basis review
Broker transfers deserve an ACB review because the receiving institution may not receive complete book-cost information.
If you transfer shares from one taxable brokerage to another, book cost often carries over. When the outgoing institution does not transmit complete information, however, the new broker may display an unknown, estimated or manually supplied value that requires correction. Compare it with the outgoing statement and your ledger.
A transfer between taxable brokerages does not automatically reset your ACB.
Transfer-in checklist
For every transferred position:
- Identify the original acquisition date.
- Find the original trade confirmation or statement.
- Record the original cost.
- Include original commissions.
- Confirm all purchases before the transfer.
- Confirm all sales before the transfer.
- Confirm all DRIPs before the transfer.
- Confirm all return-of-capital adjustments before the transfer.
- Confirm all stock splits or consolidations before the transfer.
- Record the share quantity transferred.
- Record the ACB per share at transfer date.
- Compare this with the receiving broker’s book value.
- Document any difference.
What to avoid
Do not assume:
- The receiving broker’s book value is correct.
- Market value on transfer date becomes your new ACB.
- A transfer document contains all historical ACB adjustments.
- Old records are unnecessary after the transfer completes.
Keep old brokerage statements. If you later sell the transferred position, the gain may depend on records from years before the transfer.
Transfer-in note for your ledger
Use a note like this:
Transferred in from [previous broker] on [date]. ACB carried forward from original purchase records and prior adjustments. Receiving broker book value not used as tax ACB.
If the receiving figure agrees with the supported ledger, note that it was verified rather than assuming it is wrong.
7. DRIP tracking checklist
Dividend reinvestment plans create small purchases that are easy to miss. Each DRIP transaction can affect ACB.
A DRIP is not just a dividend. For ACB purposes, the reinvested amount usually acts like a purchase of additional shares or units. Your share count increases, your total ACB increases, and your ACB per share is recalculated.
DRIP checklist
For each DRIP transaction, record:
- Payment date
- Security
- Dividend or distribution amount
- Number of shares or units acquired
- Reinvestment price
- Fractional shares, if applicable
- Cash in lieu, if any
- Tax slip reporting
- Total share count after reinvestment
- Total ACB after reinvestment
- ACB per share after reinvestment
Common DRIP mistakes
Avoid these errors:
- Recording dividend income but not the reinvested share purchase.
- Entering only whole shares and ignoring fractional shares.
- Ignoring small DRIPs because the amount is minor.
- Missing DRIPs that happened before a broker transfer.
- Treating DRIPs and return of capital as the same thing.
- Failing to reconcile DRIP share counts against year-end statements.
Example: DRIP adjustment
Before DRIP: 100 shares, total ACB $4,000, ACB per share $40.00
DRIP: Reinvested distribution $120, new shares acquired 3.
After DRIP: 103 shares, total ACB $4,120, ACB per share $40.00
In this example, the ACB per share happens to remain the same because the reinvestment price equals the previous ACB per share. In real portfolios, the ACB per share usually changes.
See DRIP and Adjusted Cost Base in Canada for a full walkthrough.
8. Sample ACB ledger columns
A useful ACB ledger should be more than a list of buys and sells. It should preserve enough information to explain the calculation later.
Use these columns as a starting point.
| Column | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Taxpayer | Identifies whose taxable pool the transaction belongs to |
| Account type | Taxable, joint taxable, corporate, etc. |
| Brokerage | Source account |
| Account nickname | Optional internal label |
| Trade date | Date the order was executed; retain it from the confirmation |
| Settlement date | Transaction-completion date used in T5008 Box 14; review year-end differences carefully |
| Security name | Full name of the security |
| Ticker | Trading symbol |
| CUSIP / ISIN | Helps identify identical securities |
| Currency | CAD, USD, or other |
| Transaction type | Buy, sell, DRIP, ROC, split, transfer, adjustment |
| Quantity | Shares or units added or removed |
| Price | Price per share or unit |
| Commission | Trading fee |
| Gross amount | Quantity × price |
| Net amount | Gross amount adjusted for commission |
| FX rate | Required for non-CAD trades |
| CAD cost | CAD amount added to ACB |
| CAD proceeds | CAD proceeds from disposition |
| ACB adjustment | ROC, reinvested distribution, superficial loss adjustment, etc. |
| Shares after transaction | Running share balance |
| Total ACB after transaction | Running total ACB |
| ACB per share after transaction | Total ACB ÷ shares held |
| T5008 Box 20 | Broker cost/book value, if sold |
| T5008 Box 21 | Broker proceeds, if sold |
| Reconciliation difference | Difference between broker figure and your ledger |
| Source document | Statement, slip, trade confirmation, provider PDF |
| Notes | Explanation for adjustments or assumptions |
| Reviewed | Yes / No |
| Review date | Date reviewed before filing |
You may not need every column for a simple portfolio. But if you have ETF distributions, USD trades, transfers, and more than one brokerage, extra columns reduce confusion later.
For simple portfolios, the free ACB Spreadsheet Template provides a ready-to-use version of this structure.
9. Downloadable CSV template
Use this CSV structure as a starting point for your ACB records.
Free to download — no signup required.
Download the Canadian ACB ledger CSV templateCSV header:
| |
Sample rows:
| |
Template notes:
- Keep the column header as the first row. CSV does not have a universal comment-row syntax, so explanatory text belongs outside the downloadable file.
- The sample securities, amounts and FX rate are illustrative; replace them with documented records.
- Use positive quantities for buys and DRIPs.
- Use negative quantities for sells.
- Use zero quantity for ROC adjustments that change ACB but not share count.
- Use a blank settlement date for a non-trade adjustment such as ROC.
- Canadian securities generally settle on T+1; check holidays and the actual confirmation rather than calculating the settlement date mechanically. T5008 Box 14 is the settlement date.
- Keep one chronological running pool for each taxpayer and identical security, even when transactions come from more than one taxable brokerage.
- Record gross CAD sale proceeds in
cad_proceeds; keep the selling commission incommissionso Schedule 3 outlays remain separate. - Record T5008 Box 21 as reported and verify whether it is gross or net before deducting the commission separately.
- Use positive
acb_adjustmentvalues for increases and negative values for reductions. - The sample defines
reconciliation_differenceas T5008 Box 20 minus the supported ACB for the units sold. - Keep CAD ACB fields separate from USD trade values.
- Record and retain the FX source used for every foreign-currency transaction.
- Keep the source document name in the file.
- Do not delete historical rows after a sale. The sale calculation depends on the prior running balance.
10. Sample “ACB review before filing” worksheet
Use this worksheet before filing your return or before sending records to a tax preparer.
Tax year:
Taxpayer:
Reviewed by:
Review date:
Brokerages included: Brokerage 1 / Brokerage 2 / Brokerage 3
Registered accounts excluded from Schedule 3 ACB pool: TFSA / RRSP / RRIF / RESP / FHSA
Step 1: Document collection
| Item | Collected? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual brokerage statements | ||
| Monthly or quarterly statements | ||
| Trade confirmations | ||
| T5008 slips | ||
| T3 slips | ||
| T5 slips | ||
| ETF provider tax breakdowns | ||
| Transfer documents | ||
| DRIP records | ||
| Corporate action notices | ||
| Prior-year ACB ledger | ||
| Prior-year Schedule 3 |
Step 2: Security-level review
| Security | Held at multiple brokers? | USD? | ETF ROC? | DRIP? | Transfer-in? | Needs review? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Step 3: Sale-level review
| Security | Sale date | Quantity sold | Proceeds | ACB used | Outlays / expenses | Gain/loss | T5008 matched? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Step 4: T5008 reconciliation
| Security | T5008 Box 20 | Your ACB | Difference | Reason | Resolved? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Common reason codes:
- DRIP adjustment missing or not yet posted
- ROC adjustment missing or not yet posted
- Transferred book cost missing, estimated or requiring correction
- Multi-broker pooling
- USD FX difference
- Commission treatment
- Missing historical transaction
- Corporate action
- Unknown — needs review
Step 5: Final filing notes
Before filing, confirm:
- Every T5008 sale has been matched to your ledger.
- Every sale has a calculated ACB.
- Every ETF with Box 42 has been reviewed.
- Every USD trade has CAD values.
- Every multi-broker holding has been pooled correctly.
- Every transferred position has been checked against its supported cost history, not accepted solely from the receiving display.
- Every DRIP has been entered as a reinvestment.
- Every unresolved difference has a note.
- The final Schedule 3 amounts can be traced back to the ledger.
Reviewer certification:
I reviewed the ACB records for the securities sold during the tax year and documented the major differences between broker-reported figures and the ACB ledger.
Name: Date:
11. What to send your accountant or tax preparer
Organize the handoff so the source documents, calculations and unresolved questions are easy to distinguish.
For each taxpayer and tax year, provide:
- original T5008, T3 and other relevant slips;
- brokerage statements, trade confirmations and transfer records;
- the complete transaction export or ACB ledger, not only the year of sale;
- a disposition summary showing proceeds, ACB, outlays or expenses, and calculated gain or loss;
- issuer documents supporting ETF cost-base adjustments;
- the FX source and rates used for foreign-currency transactions;
- a short list of assumptions, estimated values and unresolved differences.
Do not hide an unexplained difference by forcing the ledger to match Box 20. Flag the item, show the supporting records available and ask how the preparer wants it resolved.
Frequently asked questions
Is T5008 Box 20 the same as adjusted cost base?
Not always. Box 20 is the broker’s cost or book value. It may match adjusted cost base in simple cases, but it can differ or be incomplete when relevant transfers, DRIPs, ETF adjustments, FX records, or holdings at another taxable brokerage are outside the preparer’s records.
Which T5008 box is proceeds?
Box 21 is proceeds of disposition or settlement amount. Box 20 is cost or book value.
Do I need to track ACB for my TFSA or RRSP?
This checklist is focused on taxable, non-registered accounts. TFSAs, RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs, and FHSAs generally do not require ACB tracking for annual capital gains reporting. Be careful when transferring securities between taxable and registered accounts, because those transfers may have separate tax consequences.
Does return of capital reduce ACB?
Yes, return of capital generally reduces ACB. For many Canadian ETFs and mutual fund trusts, return of capital is reported on T3 Box 42. You should apply the adjustment even if you did not sell the security during the year.
Do DRIPs affect adjusted cost base?
Yes. A DRIP generally adds to your ACB because the distribution is used to buy more shares or units. Record the reinvested amount, the number of shares acquired, and the resulting share balance.
Do I pool ACB across different brokerages?
For identical securities held in taxable accounts under the same ownership, you generally need one pooled ACB. Do not calculate one ACB per brokerage if the same investor owns the same security in multiple taxable accounts.
What should I do if my broker book value is different from my ledger?
Reconcile the difference. Identify whether it comes from DRIPs, ROC, transfers, USD FX, commissions, or multi-broker pooling. Keep your calculation and supporting documents. If the difference is material or unclear, ask a qualified tax professional before filing.
Can I use a spreadsheet?
Yes. A well-designed spreadsheet can track USD trades and ETF adjustments, but the investor must enter the data, preserve transaction order and review the formulas. As portfolios add transfers, multiple brokerages, DRIPs or many adjustments, the manual review burden increases. The free ACB Spreadsheet Template is a starting point.
References
- CRA: Calculating and Reporting Capital Gains and Losses
- CRA: Completing Schedule 3
- CRA: T5008 Guide—Return of Securities Transactions
- CRA: T5008 Slip Information for Individuals
- CRA guidance on T3 Box 42 and return of capital
- CRA: Capital Gains—T4037
- Income Tax Act, section 47—Identical Properties
- CRA: Income Tax Reporting Currency—S5-F4-C1
- CRA: How Long to Keep Your Records
- Canadian Securities Administrators: Move to T+1 Settlement
Corrections or source updates can be reported through the myCostBase contact page.
Ways to maintain the ledger
A spreadsheet can be appropriate when you are comfortable maintaining formulas, entering every adjustment and reviewing the chronology. A qualified tax professional can reconstruct or review difficult histories. Dedicated ACB software can reduce the manual calculation burden, but it still depends on complete source data.
The application can maintain a pooled ledger across taxable accounts, record buys, sells, DRIPs and cost-base adjustments, convert documented foreign-currency transactions and compare recorded ACB with T5008 values. The CSV templates and worksheets on this page remain available without an account.
Choose the tracking method that fits your records
Use the free templates, work with a tax professional, or maintain the ledger in myCostBase.