Frequently Asked Questions

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is the federal agency responsible for administering tax laws for most of the provinces and territories. The CRA is also responsible for a variety of social and economic benefit and incentive programs through the tax system, as well as international trade legislation.

That depends. You need to file a tax return if you answer ‘yes’ to the following situations:

• You owe tax to the CRA

• You are self-employed and have to pay your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) premiums and/or Employment Insurance (EI) premiums

• You and your spouse or common-law partner want to split your pension income

• You participated in the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) or Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) and have repayments owing.

• You dispose of capital property (sold your home)

• You have to repay any of your Old Age Security or Empkoyment Insurance Benefits

• You received a Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) advance payments during the current tax year

• The CRA has sent you a Request to File

• The CRA has sent you a Demand to File

Description text goes hereSometimes it’s in your best interest to file a return, even if you aren’t required to do so. Here are some possible reasons why you might want to file a return:

• You want to claim a refund

• There are entries on your tax return that have determined you’re eligible for certain federal and provincial benefit programs, such as the GST/HST Credit.

• Your RRSP contribution limit grows as soon as you earn income

• You want to claim the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB)

• You want to receive/continue receiving the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

• You attended school and have eligible tuition fees (you must declare these on your tax return, even if you aren’t planning to use them. If you want to be able to carryforward or transfer them, you need to report these on your current tax year return)

• You or your spouse want to continue to receive Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) on your Old Age Security payments.

Here are some common supporting documents you may require to file your taxes:

• Personal Information (SIN, date-of-birth, past notices of assessments, etc)

• Income Slips

  • T4s - Statement of Renumeration Paid

  • T4002 or T5013 if self-employed

  • T5 - Statement of Investment Income

  • T3 - Statement of Trust Income Allocations and Designations

  • T5008 - Statement of Securities Transactions

  • T4A - Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity and Other Income

  • T4A(P) - Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits

  • T4A(OAS) - Statement of Old Age Security

  • T4RSP - Statement of RRSP Income

  • T4RIF - Statement of income from a Registered Retirement Income Fund

  • T4E - Statement of Employment Insurance and Other Benefits

  • T5007 - Statement of Benefits - Workers Compensation or Social Assistance Benefit

  • T4A - COVID-19 Benefits Received (CERB, CRB, CRCB, etc)

• Expense Receipts

  • Work-Related Expenses

    • T2200 - Employment Expenses

    • In-home office expenses

    • Tool expenses

    • Union due

  • Family Related Expenses

    • Childcare expenses

    • Adoption expenses

    • Support payments made

  • Homeowner/Landlord Expenses

    • Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)

    • Home Accessibility expenses

    • Moving expenses

  • Student Expenses

    • Tuition Slips

    • Student Loan Interest Amounts

  • Other Common Expenses

    • Charitable Donations

    • Medical Expenses

    • Personal Attendant/Facility Care Expenses

    • Political Contributions

    • Exams for Professional Certification

    • Digital News Subscription Expenses

    • Receipts for Classroom/School Supplies (Teachers and Early Childhood Educators)

  • Other Documents

    • Last year’s notice of assessment from the CRA

    • Tuition carry forward amounts

    • RRSP deduction limit and unused amounts

    • Loss carry forward amounts

    • Other carry forward amounts (business-use-of-home, donations, etc)

    • Other CRA correspondence

By filing your tax return, you may be eligible for one of more of the following:

• Canada Child Benefit (a tax-free monthly payment for families with children under 18 years)

• GST/HST Credit (a tax-free payment offered every 3 months for individuals over 19 years with low and modest incomes)

• Canada Training Credit (a refundable tax credit to help Canadians with the cost of eligible training fees)

• Canada’s Workers Benefit (CWB) (a refundable tax credit that provides tax relief for eligible low-income individuals in the workforce)

• Pension Income Splitting (let’s pensioners split up to 50% of their eligible pension with their spouse/common-law partner)

• Child Care Expense Deduction (parents can deduct some of their eligible child care expenses from their income to lower their taxes)

• Northern Residents Deductions (for those who permanently live in a prescribed northern zone & intermediate zone for at least 6 months)

• Canada Caregiver Credit (a non-refundable tax credit for those who support a spouse, common-law partner or dependant with a physical or mental impairment)

• Disability Tax Credit (a non-refundable tax credit for eligible people with a disability or their supporting family members

• Volunteer Firefighters’ and Search and Rescue Volunteers’ Tax Credit (a non-refundable tax credit of $450 for eligible volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteer workers)