Are credit card fees tax-deductible?

CRA tax rules allow you to get a tax deduction for credit card fees, including the annual fee, cash advance fees, foreign transaction fees and balance transfer fees. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to all credit cards.

Can I tax deduct credit card fees?

If you use your credit card for personal expenses, your card fees aren’t tax-deductible. But if you use your credit card for business expenses — you can get tax deductions on most of your credit card fees. That’s because you can generally deduct any necessary expense used for earning income.

The following are credit card fees that may be tax-deductible, but check with a certified tax consultant to verify what is deductible for your business:

Note: If your business accepts credit card payments, you can get a tax deduction for fees charged by your payment processor.

Criteria for deducting credit card fees

To deduct your credit card fees, you need to:

• Have a business. A sole proprietorship or a corporation are both eligible to get tax deductions on your business-related credit card purchases.
• Separate your business expenses. If you use your personal credit card for business purchases, you can’t deduct your entire card’s annual fee because you’ll need to calculate how much money you spend on business purchases as opposed to your personal purchases. To simplify bookkeeping, use a business credit card exclusively for your business purchases.
• Keep clear records. This is important, especially if you mix personal and business purchases. With good record-keeping, you can easily find which fees were incurred on your business-related purchases.

Finder survey: Which credit card features do Canadians of different ages feel they have a strong understanding of?

Bottom line

Most credit card fees incurred on your business-related purchases are tax-deductible. This includes the annual fee, cash advance fees, foreign transaction fees, balance transfer fees and most other credit card fees.

Frequently asked questions

• Is credit card interest tax-deductible?

  Yes, you can deduct credit card interest but only for business-related purchases.

• Are PayPal fees tax-deductible?

  If your business is accepting PayPal purchases, your PayPal fees are tax-deductible.

Written by

Kliment Dukovski

Writer

Kliment Dukovski was a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in investments and cryptocurrency. He's written more than 700 articles to help readers compare the best trading platforms, understand complex investment terms and find the best credit cards for their needs. His expert commentary has been featured in such digital publications as Fox Business, MSN Money and MediaFeed. He’s also well-versed in money transfers, home loans and more — breaking down these topics into simple concepts anyone can understand. In another life, Kliment ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies. See full bio

Kliment's expertise

Kliment has written 32 Finder guides across topics including:

• Investing
• Day trading
• Stock market technical analysis
• Personal and business credit cards

Co-written by

Chelsey Hurst

Publisher

Chelsey Hurst is a publisher at Finder, specializing in banking and investments. She loves empowering people to avoid financial pitfalls and make better decisions with their money. Chelsey has a Bachelor of Science from Redeemer University, a Master of Science from McMaster University, and has won multiple awards for research communication. In her spare time, Chelsey enjoys cooking and taking long walks in nature. See full bio