Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. Claiming tax credits can help offset the financial burden by putting extra money back in your pocket.
Every dollar you can save on taxes is an extra dollar that can be used to cover your bills and pay for vital expenses.
Below, I’ll share some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
Some tax credits are offered by default and are automatically applied based on the information you provide in your tax returns. A good example of this is the GST/HST tax credit, which is automatically applied based on your household income.
However, you must manually apply for other tax credits (such as the Canada Child Benefit or home office tax credit) when filing your returns.
If you’re caring for a spouse or family member suffering from a mental or physical impairment, you may be able to claim certain expenses with the Canada caregiver credit. This credit must be claimed manually, and to be eligible, you must be able to prove that you’re a caregiver for:
The dependent must also have lived in Canada for the year you claimed the credit. Depending on the dependent in question, you could claim between $2,350 and $7,525.
Working from home is more common than ever, but it also comes with expenses, such as:
Many of these additional expenses can be claimed as a tax credit. You can even claim certain office supplies. Here’s a full list of what you can claim.
Moving to another province or city can come with a host of expenses, such as:
Both employees and self-employed workers can qualify for this tax credit. There are a few stipulations to apply for this credit, but the majority of moving expenses can be deducted from your income tax return.
Note that this isn’t a tax credit that you have to apply for but a tax expense deduction you can use to reduce your income when filing your taxes.
The stock markets performed poorly in 2022, and many Canadians lost money on their investments. The good news is that you can claim these losses against your other capital gains for the year.
Although the capital loss tax credit can’t be used to deduct your income tax liability directly, it can reduce your capital gains tax liability.
If you’ve reduced your capital gains tax liability to $0, you can save the unused capital loss tax credit and apply it to future years (or up to three years prior).
To apply a capital loss to a previous year:
For example, if you sold an asset such as a stock in 2022 and had a capital loss of $10,000, and you also sold a property and had a capital gain of $4,000, you can apply $4,000 of the capital loss to reduce the capital gain to $0. Then you can use the remaining $6,000 capital loss and apply it to prior or future years’ capital gains.
The GST/HST sales tax credit is automatically paid to eligible Canadians on a quarterly basis (every three months). Eligibility for this credit is based on your income reported the previous tax year and is reassessed on an annual basis.
The CCB is a monthly payment issued by the CRA to parents or guardians of children under 18 years old to help with the costs of raising children. The amount you’ll receive depends on your reported income, your living situation, and the number of dependent children you’re caring for.
The federal CCB payment may also be combined with provincial child tax credits as well, which can increase the amount you’re eligible to receive.
This benefit must be applied for manually through birth registration, your CRA My Account, or by mail.
Can you transfer tax credits to your spouse or partner?
Bonus tip here: if you’ve already used tax credits to reduce your income tax liability to $0, then you might be able to transfer a certain amount of your unused tax credits to your spouse or common-law partner to help them reduce their taxes.
This can be done using the "Schedule 2 - Transfer of Amounts from Your Spouse or Common-Law Partner" form. It's important to note that not all tax credits can be split, and some restrictions apply.
Canadians can file their income tax returns by paper or online using NETFILE-certified tax software. Some of these programs may help by suggesting tax credits that you may be eligible for, which can be very helpful.
The reality is that many tax credits go unclaimed, and over $1.4 billion worth of Canadian tax refunds still remained uncashed as of August 2022.
If you’re unsure which tax credits you may be eligible for, it may be a good idea to consider hiring an accountant to help you file. While your accountant may charge money upfront, the amount that they could help you save may be far more.
Christopher Liew is a CFA Charterholder and former financial advisor. He writes personal finance tips for thousands of daily Canadian readers on his Wealth Awesome website.
Do you have a question, tip or story idea about personal finance? Please email us at dotcom@bellmedia.ca.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.