ETF phantom distributions / XCNS
iShares · TSX: XCNS

XCNS phantom distributions & ACB adjustments

iShares Core Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio declares its year-end reinvested ("phantom") capital gains distribution each late December. It's taxable income with no cash attached — and it adds to your adjusted cost base. Here are the official per-unit amounts for 2023–2025.

Tax year
Reinvested / unit
Your ACB action
2025
$0.20779
Add $0.20779 × your units to ACB
2024
$0.00000
None declared — nothing to adjust
2023
$0.00000
None declared — nothing to adjust
What does this mean for your ACB?

Enter how many units of XCNS you held on the year-end record date.

$0.20779/unit × 100 units = $20.78 added to your ACB for 2025 — taxable that year even though no cash was paid out.

Does XCNS have a phantom distribution?

Yes. iShares Core Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio paid a reinvested (non-cash) capital gains distribution in 2025 ($0.20779/unit). If you held units on the year-end record date, this amount is taxable in that year and should be ADDED to your adjusted cost base.

What does a reinvested distribution do to my XCNS ACB?

A reinvested (phantom) distribution is taxable income you never receive in cash — the fund reinvests it and immediately consolidates units. Because you already paid tax on it, you add the amount to your adjusted cost base. Forgetting this means paying tax twice on the same gain when you eventually sell.

Where do these XCNS figures come from?

From iShares's official final year-end distribution announcements (linked below). Always cross-check against the T3 slip your broker issues.

What about return of capital (box 42)?

Return of capital works the opposite way — it reduces your ACB. Per-unit ROC comes from the fund's tax-breakdown filing each spring and appears in box 42 of your T3 slip. Take it from your slip, or let Sched3 apply both adjustments to your holdings automatically.

Sources

Educational information, not tax advice. Always cross-check against the T3 slip your broker issues.

Not sure how phantom distributions work?
Our guide explains the double-tax trap, the ACB fix, and how it differs from return of capital.
Read the guide
Hold XCNS? Stop tracking this by hand.

Sched3 pre-fills phantom distributions for 111 Canadian ETFs and applies them to your ACB automatically — alongside superficial-loss detection and Schedule 3 export.

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