Most Canadians rarely have reason to interact with the tax authorities, and for most people, that’s the way they like it. In the vast majority of cases, Canadians file their tax returns each spring, receive their refund or pay any balance of taxes owing, and forget about taxes until [...]

Most taxpayers sit down to do their annual tax return, or wait to hear from their tax return preparer, with some degree of trepidation. In most cases taxpayers don’t know, until their return is completed, what the “bottom line” will be, and it’s usually a case of hoping for [...]

Our tax system is, for the most part, a mystery to individual Canadians. The rules surrounding income tax are complicated and it can seem that for each and every rule there is an equal number of exceptions or qualifications. There is, however, one rule which applies to every individual [...]

No one likes paying taxes, but for taxpayers who live on a fixed income having to pay a a large tax bill can mean real financial hardship – and the majority of Canadians who live on fixed incomes are, of course, those who are over 65 and retired. Adding [...]

For the past two years, Canadians have had to continually adjust their household budgets to accommodate price increases for nearly all goods and services. The impact of rising prices is felt most by those who are living on a fixed income and who, of necessity, spend a larger than [...]

Most Canadians don’t turn their attention to their taxes until sometime around the end of March or the beginning of April, in time to complete the return for 2023 ahead of the April 30, 2024 filing deadline. While that approach leaves plenty of time to get the return prepared [...]

While owning one’s own home brings with it many intangible benefits, home ownership also provides some very significant financial advantages. Specifically, it provides the opportunity to accumulate wealth through increases in home equity, and to realize that wealth on a truly tax-free basis. Anyone who was fortunate enough to [...]

While our tax laws require Canadian residents to complete and file a T1 tax return form each spring, that return form is never exactly the same from year to year. Some of the changes found in each year’s T1 are the result of the indexing of many aspects of [...]

Two quarterly newsletters have been added – one dealing with personal issues, and one dealing with corporate issues. They can be accessed below. Corporate: Issue #67 Corporate Personal: Issue #67 Personal The information presented is only of a general nature, may omit many details and special rules, [...]

Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency publishes a statistical summary of the tax filing patterns of Canadians during the previous filing season. The final statistics for 2023 show that the vast majority of Canadian individual income tax returns – just over 92%, or just under 30 million returns – [...]

Income tax is a big-ticket item for most retired Canadians. Especially for those who are no longer paying a mortgage, the annual tax bill may be the single biggest expenditure they are required to make each year. Fortunately, the Canadian tax system provides a number of tax deductions and [...]

If there is one invariable “rule” of financial and retirement planning of which most Canadians are aware, it is the unquestioned wisdom of making regular contributions to one’s registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). And it is true that for several decades the RRSP was the only tax-sheltered savings and [...]

Sometime during the month of February, millions of Canadians will receive some unexpected mail from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). That mail, entitled simply “Instalment Reminder”, will set out the amount of instalment payments of income tax to be paid by the recipient taxpayer by March 15 and June [...]

The Employment Insurance (EI) premium rate for 2024 is set at 1.66%. Yearly maximum insurable earnings are set at $63,200, making the maximum employee premium $1,049.12. As in previous years, employer premiums are 1.4 times the employee premium. The maximum employer premium for 2024 is therefore $1,468.77. [...]

Changes made to the Québec Pension Plan (QPP) beginning in the 2024 calendar year will create a two-tier contribution structure. First-tier contributions for 2024 are set at 6.4% of pensionable earnings between $3,500 and $68,500. Second-tier contributions for 2024 are set at 4.0% of pensionable earnings between $68,500 and [...]

Changes made to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) beginning in the 2024 calendar year will create a two-tier contribution structure. First-tier contributions for 2024 are set at 5.95% of pensionable earnings between $3,500 and $68,500. Second-tier contributions for 2024 are set at 4.0% of pensionable earnings between $68,500 and [...]

Dollar amounts on which individual non-refundable federal tax credits for 2024 are based, and the actual tax credit claimable, will be as follows: Credit amount         Tax credit Basic personal amount*                                  [...]

The indexing factor for federal tax credits and brackets for 2024 is 4.7%. The following federal tax rates and brackets will be in effect for individuals for the 2024 tax year. Income level                    Federal tax rate $15,705 - $55,867    [...]

Each new tax year brings with it a schedule of tax payment and filing deadlines, as well as some changes with respect to tax saving and planning opportunities. Some of the more significant dates and changes for individual taxpayers for 2024 are listed below. Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) [...]

While most taxpayers pay their annual income tax bill in full and by the tax payment deadline of April 30, there are many circumstances that could result in an individual’s being unable to meet their tax payment obligations in full or on time. Individuals who earn income from employment [...]

While almost everyone looks forward to retirement and an end to the day-to-day demands of working life, there’s also no question but that the decision to give up a regular paycheque is a stressful one. Particularly when the cost of life’s necessities – groceries, rent, mortgage interest payments – [...]

During the month of December, it’s customary for employers to provide something “extra” for their employees, whether it’s a compensation bonus, a gift, or an employer-sponsored social event – or all three. And, given the current labour shortages in many sectors, employers may be particularly motivated this year to [...]

Everyone in Canada who earns a salary or wages is familiar with the deduction taken from each paycheque for contributions to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The CPP is one of the two major government-sponsored retirement income programs in Canada – the other being the Old Age Security program. [...]

Two quarterly newsletters have been added – one dealing with personal issues, and one dealing with corporate issues. They can be accessed below. Corporate: Issue #66 Corporate Personal: Issue #66 Personal The information presented is only of a general nature, may omit many details and special rules, [...]

When the pandemic struck in March of 2020 and public health lockdowns were imposed, virtually all Canadian employees were required to work from home, most for the first time. In the nearly four years since then, the work landscape has shifted, as many employees continue to work entirely from [...]