As part of effective estate planning, discover your final tax bite with this Taxes at Death Calculator. While there is no estate tax in Canada, it is important to plan carefully so that your heirs do not have to pay a large tax bill prior to receiving their inheritance.
Upon death, assets can be transferred to the surviving spouse or common-law partner without taxes being paid. However, if there is no surviving spouse, the estate must pay any taxes owing. The executor of the estate is responsible for ensuring that taxes at death have been paid. Depending on the size of the estate and the type of the assets, this can be quite complicated.