Generally yes — but “generally” is carrying weight in that sentence.
The deduction comes from paragraph 20(1)(c) of the Income Tax Act: interest paid on money borrowed for the purpose of earning income from a business or property may be deducted. CRA sets out its interpretation in Income Tax Folio S3-F6-C1, Interest Deductibility, which replaced the older IT-533 bulletin.
Whether your interest is deductible depends on how the loan is structured, what the funds actually purchased, and whether your records can prove it. That determination belongs to your accountant, not to us.
The test is the use of the borrowed money — not the type of loan, and not what the paperwork is called. The money must be used for the purpose of earning income from a business or property.
Two exclusions worth knowing
It can, and this is the most common way a deduction quietly shrinks. Many funds distribute return of capital rather than income. When that happens, the portion of your borrowing still considered to be earning income can fall — and the deductible share of your interest can fall with it, proportionally.
Most people never adjust for this. They keep deducting the full interest amount while part of the underlying position has been returned to them. It is the problem we see most often in files that arrive already in progress.
The burden of proof sits with the taxpayer. Borrowed funds mixed with personal money in the same account are difficult to defend years later.
The practical consequence: an investment loan should land in its own account and stay traceable. Where it gets blended, the paper trail is what fails first — not the strategy.
We structure the loan and the account so the deductibility question has a clean answer. We do not give the tax opinion, and we do not prepare returns. For our own clients, filing is covered directly with our partner CPA firm; the opinion stays with them.
How these loans are assessed, what they cost, and where we decline to proceed.
The 40% debt service limit, the net worth cap, and the tests people miss.
Corporate structures, lender minimums, and how the capital dividend account fits.
This page summarises publicly available Canada Revenue Agency material and general mechanics. It is not tax advice, and deductibility depends on individual circumstances and current legislation. Wallace Wang Financial Services does not prepare tax returns or provide tax opinions.