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The Ontario regional opportunities investment tax credit pays a qualifying private corporation 10% back on money spent on a commercial or industrial building in a designated region, up to $45,000 a year. It’s refundable. And it has a short life left: Ontario’s page shows it expiring on 1 January 2027, with 31 December 2026 as the last day for eligible spending.
What is the Ontario regional opportunities investment tax credit?
It’s a corporate credit, not a personal one. The province created it in 2020 for parts of Ontario where job growth lagged between 2009 and 2019. Ontario’s own page says that to claim it a corporation must be a Canadian-controlled private corporation for the whole tax year and have a permanent establishment in Ontario.
Your head office can sit anywhere in the province. The building can’t. It has to be in a designated region, which covers all ten districts of Northern Ontario and a list of southern counties, including Essex, Haliburton and Huron.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard rate | 10%, refundable |
| Enhanced rate | 20% from 24 March 2021 to 31 December 2023 |
| Spending needed | More than $50,000 in the year |
| Spending cap | $500,000 a year |
| Maximum credit | $45,000 (and $90,000 at the enhanced rate) |
| Eligible property | Commercial or industrial buildings in CCA class 1 or 6 |
| Form | Schedule 570, with the T2 return |
| Last eligible spending | 31 December 2026 |
What spending qualifies?
Buying, building or renovating a qualifying building. The CRA page adds that if the property is a building, or an addition or alteration to one, at least 90% of the floor space must be used for non-residential purposes at year-end. Residential buildings don’t qualify.
Two rules catch people. First, the work has to fall in the tax year you claim it. Second, associated corporations can’t each take the credit on the same spending. The CRA says each related company has to agree in writing to waive its claim for the overlapping years, so only one company claims.
How much would you actually get?
At the top end it’s simple. Spend $500,000 in a year and the credit is $45,000, which is the maximum.
The tax credit amount applies to expenditures more than $50,000 up to a maximum of $500,000.
Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit, Government of Ontario, ontario.ca
So only the slice above $50,000 earns the credit. The $45,000 cap is 10% of $450,000, which is $500,000 less $50,000. Here’s how that looks in practice for a small manufacturer in Sudbury:
| Eligible spending in the year | Amount earning credit | Credit at 10% |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $0 | $0 |
| $80,000 | $30,000 | $3,000 |
| $200,000 | $150,000 | $15,000 |
| $500,000 or more | $450,000 | $45,000 |
The two official pages also word the $500,000 cap a little differently. Ontario says per eligible property each year, and the CRA says per tax year. If you’re building more than one site, that difference is worth $45,000 to you, so ask the CRA.
Refundable means you get the money even when your corporation owes no tax. You enter the amount on line 472 of Schedule 5. To see what a building project returns after the credit, use the ROI calculator, and the corporate tax calculator for the tax side of the year.
Is the credit ending?
Yes. Ontario’s page says the credit expires effective 1 January 2027, and that spending has to be incurred on or before 31 December 2026 to count. The 2026 Ontario budget was tabled on 26 March 2026 and proposed the same expiry, and the CRA page carries a notice of an important change.
We couldn’t find a final legislative step in the sources we read. So treat the dates as firm for planning and check the enactment status yourself. As of October 2026, less than three months are left.
Here’s the practical edge. Ontario’s page ties the credit to property available for use in the year you claim, so ask your contractor what will be finished and paid by 31 December. Work that slips into January is probably out.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Don’t assume the credit covers a whole region.
Don’t count land or a house. Residential buildings are out, and the page speaks only of buildings and structures in the two asset classes.
And don’t file late out of habit. The claim rides on your corporate return, so the deadline for that return is the deadline for the credit. Run the project through the profit margin calculator with a smaller credit, to see whether it still pays.
This is a corporate-tax matter with real money in it, and the rules around associated companies are fiddly. An accountant who files T2 returns for private corporations is worth a call, mainly to confirm that only one company in your group claims.
Who can’t claim it?
Because the credit is for corporations that are Canadian-controlled private corporations, a sole proprietor filing on a personal return has no way in, and neither does a corporation that is publicly traded or controlled from outside Canada. Someone running a shop in Thunder Bay as a sole proprietor would need to incorporate, and that decision involves far more than this one credit. As a ballpark rule, if your business doesn’t file a T2, this credit isn’t for you.
What should you do before year end?
Three quick checks. Is the building in a designated region, and does it sit in class 1 or 6? Is your corporation a Canadian-controlled private one for the whole tax year? And will the invoices be dated by 31 December? If all three are yes, line up Schedule 570 with your T2 filing.
Where this information comes from
Rates, limits, regions and dates come from the Government of Ontario’s page on the Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit (re-read in October 2026), the Canada Revenue Agency‘s page on the Ontario credit, and Ontario’s 2026 budget as summarised by published sources. Ontario’s page confirms the 10% rate, the $45,000 maximum, the $50,000 floor and the expiry.
Frequently asked questions
Who can claim the Ontario regional opportunities investment tax credit?
A Canadian-controlled private corporation with a permanent establishment in Ontario that invests in an eligible building in a designated region.
How much is the credit?
10% and refundable, with a $45,000 maximum per year at the standard rate. A 20% rate applied from 24 March 2021 to 31 December 2023.
Is the credit ending?
Ontario's page shows it expiring on 1 January 2027, with 31 December 2026 the last day for eligible spending.
Which form do I file?
Schedule 570 with your T2 corporation return. The amount goes on line 472 of Schedule 5.
Do residential buildings qualify?
No. The property must be a commercial or industrial building in CCA class 1 or 6, and at least 90% of a building's floor space must be non-residential.
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