FAQ - tsiemens/acb GitHub Wiki

Q: How do I format my transaction files?

A: Check out the page on the transactions file format.

Q: When should I summarize old transactions?

A: At least 30 days after you the last transaction to summarize.

At some point you will likely want to compact old transaction data, particularly those older than 6 years (the recommended record retention time listed by the Canada Revenue Agency.

However, while you should keep your transaction history (as well as outputs from ACB you've used to formulate previous tax returns), you can always summarise these before the 6 year period to reduce clutter in the ACB output. I strongly recommend not summarising until at least 30 days after the last transaction you want to summarise, so that transactions following the summary are properly counted as superficial losses, if applicable.

Q: How should I summarise old transactions?

A: The easiest way is to use the --summarize-before <YYYY-MM-DD> option of acb, which will generate a summary CSV for all transactions before the given date. Optionally add --summarize-annual-gains to include transactions that represent annual capital gains/losses in the summary.

The web app can also do this by setting the 'Mode' to 'Summarize Transactions'.

When generating a summary, you should INCLUDE (provide) all transactions made up to the present (or at minimum, at least 30 days after the summary date). This is important, because transactions in the 30 days after the summary date can change whether sales near the end of the summary period are counted as superficial losses, and it can affect the starting ACB after the summary period. Do NOT cut off your input at the last sell date, because it may cause other sales after to be treated as superficial losses when they should not be.

It is highly recommended to cross-check that your generated summary and original transaction history produce the same final result.

If generating a summary manually, save your old transactions as a single Buy transaction with a memo describing it as a summary. Create a spreadsheet entry with a single buy transaction with the share balance and cost/share equal to the ACB/share at the summary point. It should have the same date as the very last BUY transaction being summarised.

Q: Should I track transactions in my registered accounts (TFSA, RRSP, etc)?

A: If you hold or trade the same or identical properties in both your registered and non-registered accounts, or have moved shares between registered and non-registered, it may be a good idea to track your registered transactions to avoid surprise superficial loss denials. For details see the Affiliated Persons & Registered Accounts page.