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Golf tournament fee calculator: what to charge, and what qualifies for a receipt.
Tell us what each golfer gets and how much you want to raise from each one. This golf tournament fee calculator works out the fee to charge, the lowest fee that qualifies for any tax receipt under the CRA’s 80% test, and the receipt amount. Already have a fee? Switch to check it. It takes about a minute.
Golf tournament fee calculator: what does each golfer get?
Enter regular prices, not what your event pays. All figures are in Canadian dollars, per golfer. Nothing you type leaves this page.
This is the receiptable part of the fee. We add it to what the golfer receives, then make sure the total still passes the CRA's 80% test.
The rate the course normally charges non-members at the time of the event, group or individual.
Its regular cost.
What the restaurant or caterer charges for the meal, without tips or taxes.
Retail value per golfer: shirt, towel, balls, and so on.
These always count, however small.
Add up every prize and we spread it across the tickets.
Needed only if you entered prizes.
Shown so you can see the rule. It is not counted.
How we counted your golf tournament fee
Keep this golf tournament fee calculation for your records
Copy this into your event file. Also keep the course's rate sheet, or an email from the course dated near the event.
Not tax advice. This golf tournament fee calculator summarizes the CRA's published guidance for general information. Have an accountant check your final numbers. It applies to registered charities in Canada issuing official donation receipts. Our "lowest fee" figure is our own arithmetic from the 80% rule, not a CRA statement, and counting an over-limit small gift toward the 80% test is our reading of the CRA's approach.
Sources (Canada Revenue Agency): Fundraising events, issuing receipts · Split receipting · Golf tournaments. Read the full guide to setting a golf tournament fee: golf tournament tax receipts in Canada.
How the golf tournament fee calculator works
Most charities pick an entry fee that feels right and sort out receipts afterward. The CRA's rules work the other way round, so this golf tournament fee calculator starts with what each golfer gets and works back to the fee. That order is what keeps a charity from announcing a price and then finding out, after golfers have registered, that no receipt is possible.
Enter the regular price of the round, the cart, the meal and any gifts, then say how much you want each golfer to give to your cause. The calculator returns the fee to charge, the lowest fee that qualifies for any receipt and the receipt amount per golfer. If you already have a fee, switch to the second mode to check it. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is stored or sent.
It follows the CRA's guidance for charity golf tournaments. For the full walkthrough with worked examples, read our guide to golf tournament tax receipts in Canada, and for the cost side of the fee, see how to set your golf tournament entry fee.
How the CRA's rules work for a golf tournament
The receipt can only cover the gift part of what a golfer pays: the fee minus the fair market value of what they get back. If those advantages are worth more than 80% of the fee, the CRA generally considers there is no true intention to make a gift, and the charity cannot issue a receipt at all. A fee calculator for a golf tournament has to apply both steps, and this one does.
- Green fee: the rate normally charged to non-members at the time of the event, group or individual. A host-club member who normally pays nothing counts as $0.
- Cart: its regular cost, divided by two if shared.
- Meal: the restaurant's or caterer's charge, without tips.
- Gift cards and vouchers: always an advantage.
- Small gifts and door prizes: not subtracted if their total is no more than the lesser of $75 or 10% of the fee. Over that, the whole total counts. The exception never applies to the round, cart or meal.
- Hole-in-one prizes: not counted, because the chance of winning is nominal.
Common questions about golf tournament receipts
What is the 80% rule for a golf tournament receipt?
If what the golfer receives is worth more than 80% of what they paid, the charity cannot issue a receipt at all, not even a smaller one. At exactly 80% it still passes.
Why can a shirt change my golf tournament receipt?
Small gifts and door prizes are not subtracted only while their total stays within the lesser of $75 or 10% of the fee. Go over it and the whole amount counts, which can push a ticket past 80%.
Do club members get a receipt?
Often yes, and for a larger amount, because their green fee is already covered by membership. Use the member option in the calculator. The CRA's own $200 example gives $65 for a non-member and $115 for a member.
Is a hole-in-one prize an advantage?
No. The CRA accepts that the chance of winning is nominal, so it is left out.
Sources (Canada Revenue Agency): Fundraising events, issuing receipts · Golf tournaments (CRA).
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