Amendments to the Income Tax Act received assent today in the Yukon Legislative Assembly, helping to ease financial pressures for Yukoners who must rely on reproductive technologies to grow their families.
Yukoners seeking fertility treatments or surrogacy services can now access a fertility and surrogacy tax credit. This credit will cover 40 per cent of the costs of fertility treatments, including surrogacy expenses to a maximum of $10,000 per year with unlimited lifetime ability. Yukoners can claim these expenses on their 2025 tax return in 2026, for expenses incurred as early as January 2, 2024. This credit is in addition to the medical travel coverage for fertility treatments announced in fall 2024.
The Government of Yukon has also extended the Yukon Child Benefit for up to six months following the death of a child, bringing the program in line with the Canada Child Benefit.
The amendments also included minor housekeeping amendments, including an adjustment to the Yukon Alternative Minimum Tax rate which will properly align the Yukon’s Income Tax Act with the federal Income Tax Act.
I am proud to fulfill our commitment to making access to fertility and surrogacy treatments more affordable for Yukoners. The Yukon’s fertility and surrogacy expense tax credit offers support that outpaces neighbouring jurisdictions and includes a broader range of procedures and services, including surrogacy services and an unlimited number of IVF cycles. By reducing the financial pressures of these treatments, we are helping more Yukoners pursue their dreams of parenthood.
Expanding access to fertility treatments and surrogacy services is a significant step to support Yukoners on their journeys to building families. With the introduction of the fertility and surrogacy expenses tax credit, alongside existing medical travel coverage, we are helping reduce the financial barriers for Yukon families. These amendments also reflect our commitment to supporting families during times of loss by extending the Yukon Child Benefit, further demonstrating the government’s dedication to the wellbeing of Yukoners.
The Yukon NDP's commitment to the fertility tax credit and the Yukon Child Benefit run so much deeper than numbers on a tax return. They reflect the concerns and often painful struggles of Yukoners who told me how hard it was for them to start families or to have more kids. These tax credits are for them.
-
Creating a refundable tax credit for fertility and surrogacy treatments is part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement between the Yukon Liberal government and the Yukon NDP Caucus.
Laura Seeley
Cabinet Communications
867-332-7627
[email protected]
Eric Clement
Communications, Finance
867-393-6482
[email protected]
Laurie Tritschler
Yukon NDP
867-687-0284
[email protected]