Did you know that Albertans gave around $1.47 billion to charities in 2013?

Out of all the provinces, Alberta taxpayers had the highest median charitable donation amount in the country!

Although there are many reasons you should make a charitable donation, getting relief on your annual personal taxes is one you shouldn’t ignore.

Charitable tax credits can help you reduce your owing tax amount, and we can help you figure it out!

Liu & Associates is here to help you understand how charitable giving affects taxes and how much you should donate to charity this year:

How Does Charitable Giving Affect Taxes?

Charitable donations are non-refundable tax credits and can only reduce the tax you owe – they will not generate a refund for you.

When you make a donation to a charity that is registered with the CRA, a certain percentage of that donation comes back to you as a tax refund (but not a tax credit).

If you don’t owe any taxes, you don’t get a refund, no matter how many donations you have made.

However, your overall tax savings will equal the amount of charitable tax credits that are calculated.

The Charitable Donation Tax Credit is available to individuals who make a donation to a registered charity in the form of money or anything else of value, such as stocks, ecological and cultural gifts, and property.

If you receive something in return for your donation (such as a ticket to a special event), the value of what you received has to be deducted from the amount you donated.

What Donations Are Tax Deductible in Canada?

In order to claim your donations on your taxes, the organization you donate to must be a registered charity.

You can use the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website to check and see if a charity is registered.

Eligible donations include money that is donated to a charitable organization, publicly listed securities donated to charitable organizations, and the excess value of non-cash property (over $500).

How Much of a Charitable Donation Is Tax Deductible?

To calculate the total amount of donations you want to claim, look at donations made by December 31 of the applicable year, any unclaimed donations from the past five years, and any unclaimed donations made by your common-law partner or spouse in the past five years.

The Charitable Tax Credit is 15% of the first $200 you donate and 29% on any amount above that threshold.

Under certain rules, you can even claim 33% if you are in a higher tax bracket!

On top of the federal tax rules for charitable donations, each province offers its own tax credits for donations.

In Alberta, the province offers an additional 10% tax credit on the first $200.

Overall, you can claim eligible donations to a limit of 75% of your net income.

How Do I Claim Charitable Donations on My Taxes?

In order to claim the Charitable Donation Tax Credit, you need to fill out Schedule 9 of your tax return.

To do this properly, you need to keep all of your official donation receipts and any other supporting documents, such as pledge forms, cheques, and bank statements.

Whenever you make a donation, the charitable institute you donated to will send you a tax receipt for the upcoming tax season.

Keeping all of these documents is important since the CRA may request proof of the donations.

Charitable donations are a priority when it comes to CRA post-assessments, and they can often trigger an audit.

To ensure you don’t trigger an audit by claiming your charitable donations, be sure your official donation receipts include the following:

• A statement that identifies the receipt as official and for tax purposes.
• The name and address of the charity (that matches their file with the CRA).
• The charity’s registration number and the serial number of the receipt.
• The place the receipt was issued.
• The day or year the donation was received, as well as the day the receipt was issued.
• Your full name and amount of the donation.
• A description and value of anything you receive in exchange for the donation.
• A signature of the individual authorized by the charity to acknowledge donations.

Ultimately, the details on the receipt must match what the CRA has on file.

You should keep these receipts and any other donation records for at least 6 years in case they are requested by the CRA.

How Much Should I Donate Based on My Income?

How much you donate based on your income is a personal decision and depends on your unique situation and circumstances.

However, since there is always a great need for donations in Canada, it’s important to give what you can.

Here are some things you should consider when it comes to deciding how much you should donate:

A Giving Plan

Create a strategy that includes who you want to give to and how much. Think about the causes you are passionate about and find organizations that fit the CRA’s criteria.

Decide How Much to Give

As a general rule, you can start with 1% of your income. This allows you to give what you can, even if there are changes to your income.

If 1% is a comfortable amount for you, you can increase it every year to maximize your charitable giving.

Automatic Giving

When it comes to including charitable donations in your financial planning, it’s easier to give more when you give small amounts at a time.

Once you’re used to donating on a regular basis, incorporating your donations into your budget becomes a seamless process!

Review Your Plan

Every 6 to 12 months, you should take a look at your giving plan and figure out if you are spending too much on donations or if you can give more.

Or perhaps you want to diversify your donations and give to different charities.

Should I Donate Once Annually or Monthly?

Ultimately, it makes no difference on your personal tax return whether you donate once a year or every month.

However, as we mentioned above, donating on a monthly basis is a more congruent way to incorporate charitable giving into your financial planning or budget.

But donating annually can be beneficial if you receive a significant sum of money once per year, such as a tax return.

Whether or not you should donate once annually or monthly is a choice you need to make based on your unique circumstances.

While everyone is encouraged to give, you need to make sure you are doing what is best for your financial health!

No One Has Ever Become Poor By Giving!

The above words were spoken by the young Anne Frank, and we couldn’t agree more.

At Liu & Associates, we appreciate your efforts to make positive changes in the world!

Charitable donations are an amazing way to give back to your community and make a wonderful impact on individual lives.

If making and claiming donations seems like a complicated process, our team of expert accountants is here to help!

We can help you step-by-step when it comes to claiming charitable donations on your taxes to ensure you benefit from your generosity and the taxes are done right.

Book an appointment or contact us today for more information!

Tuition tax credits are non-refundable credits, meaning that they will work toward lowering the amount of taxes you owe but they will not be contributed to any refunds.

This means that they will help keep your owing taxes low but will not increase the amount you get back on your taxes.

Sometimes, however, it works out that the tuition you are claiming exceeds the amount you owe. So what happens to the rest of the tuition tax credit? Does it disappear into obscurity?

It doesn’t and the good news is that you can carry forward or transfer any unused credits!

Before we discuss how transferring and carrying forward works, let’s look at how you can go about claiming your tuition tax credits – and don’t forget to read to the end for some important considerations you should know about.

Claiming Tuition Tax Credits

Any student over the age of 16 who is enrolled in a post-secondary designated educational institution in Canada can claim tuition credits on their tax return. If you are studying abroad, you are eligible as long as you are studying full-time for at least three weeks.

However, if your employer pays or reimburses your tuition, you are not eligible to claim the tuition credit unless the tuition amount is included in your earnings. Or, if the employer pays tuition to your parent on your behalf.

In order to claim the tuition tax credit, you will need a T2202 (Tuition and Enrolment Certificate) issued by your school to certify that you qualify for the tax credit as well as provide you with the amount to claim on your taxes.

Unused Tuition Tax Credit Options

In order to find out how much you have in unused tuition, log in to your CRA My Account. From there, click “Go to Tax Returns” in the Tax Returns section.

Scroll down on that page and look for the “Carryover Amounts” section and click “View Carryover Amounts”.

Keep scrolling until you find the “Federal Tuition Amounts” and the “Provincial Tuition Amounts”. This is where you’ll see if you have any unused amounts in the first column for last year’s row.

If that row is blank, you don’t have any unused amounts that you can carry forward or transfer. 

You can also find this information on your Notice of Assessment from last year or on your federal and provincial Schedule 11 from last year’s tax return.

Carrying Forward Tuition

If you have unused tuition tax credits for the current tax year (that you have not transferred), you can carry them forward to claim in future years – but you have to claim your carry forward in the first year that you pay income tax.

In order to calculate the amount you are carrying forward, you have to file a tax return and fill out federal Schedule 11.

As far as carrying forward your unused tuition tax credits, this is done automatically by the CRA. They will apply the available tuition amount to your taxes every year until it has been all used.

Transferring Tuition

Another option you have for unused tuition tax credits is to transfer the amount to qualifying relatives such as parents, grandparents, spouses, and common-law partners. 

In order to do so, you must designate the individual receiving the transfer, as well as the amount of the transfer, with form T2202 and Schedule 11. 

It’s important to note that your parents or grandparents are not qualified recipients if your spouse or partner claims an amount for you on lines 30300 or 32600 on their tax return.

If you do choose a parent or grandparent to receive your unused tuition tax credits, they will claim the transfer amount on line 32400 of their tax return. Transfers to your spouse or partner can be claimed on line 36000 of Schedule 2.

When it comes to transferring your tuition tax credits, you can only transfer up to $5,000 of the current year’s tuition. You can only transfer your provincial tuition from this year – carry-forward amounts from a past year cannot be transferred.

Why Would I Transfer My Unused Tuition Tax Credits?

While you can certainly carry over your unused tax credits to benefit future tax returns, there are some benefits to transferring the amount to a spouse or family member:

• You get the money earlier.
• If there is a change in tax law, tuition tax rates will likely go down meaning that they will be worth less on your tax return.
• You have to use your tuition credits until you reduce your taxes to zero, regardless of any applicable tax credits (based on your income). For this reason, you would be simply wasting your tuition tax credits when other income-based benefits would reduce your amount owing anyway.

Important Considerations for Tuition Tax Credits

Before you carry forward or transfer your tuition tax credits, here are some important considerations to keep in mind:

• For 2018 and later years, there is no tuition transfer available in New Brunswick, Ontario, or Saskatchewan because these provinces no longer have the tuition-education tax credits.
• If you move to another province after carrying forward your tuition, you have to use the federal unused tuition amounts from your Notice of Assessment (or CRA account) when completing the provincial Schedule 11 for your new province of residence (unless you moved to Ontario, Québed or PEI).
• Students must have taxable income in order to claim tuition tax credits. 
• There is a Federal tax credit as well as a Provincial tax credit for tuition, so to claim or transfer these amounts you have to complete both the Federal Schedule 11 and the Provincial Schedule 11.

Get the Most Out of Your Tuition Tax Credits

Instead of attempting to navigate through the process of transferring or carrying forward your unused tuition tax credits, why not let the professionals do the work for you?

Our professional team at Liu & Associates has years of experience providing expert personal accounting services to clients in Edmonton and Calgary. 

Contact us today!

Do you ever find that when tax lingo starts flying around at tax time, most of it goes right over your head? 

Filing and paying taxes involves more than reporting your income to the government. There are a lot of nuances to consider when it comes to preparing your taxes properly as well as ensuring you are taking advantage of eligible credits and deductions.

In order to manage your finances in a more tax-friendly way, it’s helpful to know what many of these terms mean. Here is a list, from A to Z, of some common tax terms explained:

After-Tax Income

This is the income leftover after you subtract all of your federal and provincial taxes and employment deductions such as CPP (Canadian Pension Plan) and EI (Employment Insurance).

Audit

A tax audit occurs when the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) examines your tax return to verify that your income and deductions are accurate. 

Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a tax-free monthly payment received by eligible families with children under the age of 18. It helps to offset the costs of raising children and may also include the child disability credit if applicable.

Canada Pension Plan/Québec Pension Plan Benefits (CPP/QPP)

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Québed Pension Plan (QPP) replaces part of your income after you retire. This is a taxable benefit and the amount you receive depends on your average earnings while you worked.

Dependent

A dependent is an individual who relies on your income. You can claim the dependent tax credit for spouses (if their net income is less than $13,808), children under the age of 18 (unless they are older and have a mental or physical infirmity), and parents/grandparents (if they are dependent on you and live in your home).

Employment Insurance Benefits (EI)

Employment Insurance Benefits (EI) is available to individuals who have lost their job through no fault of their own. It is also used to cover maternity/parental leave, sick leave and, recently, CERB payments. These benefits are taxable in the year in which thhey are received.

GST/HST Credit

The GST/HST credit is paid out to individuals depending on how much money they earn. Those with lower incomes may receive this payment quarterly (four times per year) to offset the GST/HST they pay. This credit is tax-free.

Information Slips

Information slips are forms used by employers, trusts, and businesses to inform taxpayers and the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) of how much income was earned and how much tax was deducted.

Investment Income

The CRA takes into consideration interest earned on investments along with annual earnings. This includes foreign interest, dividend income, foreign income, and foreign non-business income.

Land Transfer Tax (LTT)

Land Transfer Tax (LTT) is a one-time tax you pay when you purchase a home in all provinces and territories except for Alberta and Saskatchewan. In these provinces, there is only a small transfer fee. The tax amount varies by province but is usually calculated based on a percentage of the property value.

NetFile

NetFile is an electronic tax-filing service that allows you to do your personal taxes using NetFile-certified tax software and send your return directly to the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency). 

Non-Refundable Tax Credits

Non-refundable tax credits are used to reduce the amount of federal tax you pay. However, these credits do not contribute to your tax refund if you are eligible for you. In Canada, you can claim the non-refundable tax credit for their personal amount.

Non-Taxable Earnings

There are some incomes, such as the GST/HST credit or CCB (Canada Child Benefit) that are not considered taxable. These are known as non-taxable earnings.

Refundable Tax Credits

Refundable tax credits reduce the total amount of tax you pay and can contribute to your tax refund. Examples of this would be the GST/HST credit and the Working Income Tax credit.

Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)

A Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) is a savings plan for retirement in which the amount you contribute is deducted from your taxable income. However, any amounts you withdraw from your RRSP are added to your taxable income.

Self-Employment Income

When you earn an income from a business that you operate or from freelancing contracts, whether you are a sole proprietor or work with a partner, this is considered self-employment income.

Tax Brackets

There are four income tax brackets you may fall into depending on your income. This determines your rate of tax. Up until a certain amount is taxed at 15% and anything beyond that amount is taxed at a higher rate.

Tax Credits and Deductions

Any amount that reduces the amount of tax you have to pay is considered to be a tax credit. They can be refundable or non-refundable.

A deduction, on the other hand, can lower your taxable income as well as the tax rate used to calculate your tax. 

Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)

A tax-free savings account (TFSA) is an account that allows Canadians over the age of 18 to save money and earn tax-free interest. You are also not charged taxes on the amounts you withdrawal. However, you can’t use contributions to a TFSA to lower your taxable income.

Taxable Income

Your taxable income is your total income and determines how much income tax you need to pay. This includes wages, capital gains, and other earnings for the tax year, minus deductions and losses. 

Tuition Deductions and Education Credits

The Tuition Tax Credit allows students 17 years and older enrolled in a higher education institution to use their school tuition fees to reduce their taxable income. They can also transfer up to $5000 worth of credits to a spouse/common-law partner or parent/grandparent.

The Student Loan Interest deduction applies to government student loans and allows you to deduct the interest on those loans from your taxes. 

Have More Questions?

If ever you come across a tax term you don’t understand, or struggle to comprehend your finances and tax returns, don’t hesitate to contact our expert accountants at Liu & Associates!

We are ready and dedicated to helping you file your personal, corporate, and estate taxes as well as help you understand the entire process.

Let’s chat! 

Did you know that you can claim medical expenses on your income tax?

In Canada, you can take advantage of the Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC). This is a non-refundable tax credit that allows you to claim eligible medical expenses for yourself, your spouse or your dependents.

The process isn’t as straightforward as simply plugging in your numbers, however. First, you need to determine if your expenses are eligible and if you meet the cost threshold to claim them.

It can be confusing but, here at Liu & Associates, we want to help you understand the process. Keep reading to learn more about claiming medical expenses:

How Does the Medical Expenses Tax Credit Work?

The Medical Expenses Tax Credit is available as a non-refundable credit – meaning that you can’t get money back from it but it will apply to and lower any taxes owing.

You can claim your medical expenses as a tax credit during the year that you paid for them for yourself, your spouse or a dependent. These expenses include prescription medication, prescribed medical tests, etc.

You can view an entire list of eligible medical expenses on the Government of Canada’s website.

However, there is a threshold when it comes to claiming these expenses. The medical expenses must amount to 3% or more of your net income during the taxation period or higher. You can only claim amounts that exceed this percentage.

Alternatively, there is a predetermined base amount for each tax year so the amount you are looking for is the lesser of the two.

For example, this amount for the 2020 tax year was $2397. So if your net income was $40,000, you can deduct any expenses in excess of $1200. However, if your income was over $79,900, you only claim expenses over that $2397.

Keep in mind as well that medical expenses do not have to follow a calendar year, only a 12 month period. This means that as long as the end of the 12 months falls within the tax year you are filing for, you can choose which 12 month period to claim.

For instance, if you had more medical bills between August and February, you can make your 12 month period from August 1st to February 28th and claim all of the expenses in the year February falls into.

Claiming medical expenses in a way that benefits you financially can be tricky. It’s recommended that you speak with a professional accountant in order to maximize your return.

Commonly Overlooked Medical Expenses You Can Claim on Your Tax Return

Apart from prescriptions and medication, there are many health-related costs you can claim under the Medical Expenses Tax Credit.

While Canada.ca does list every eligible expense, here are some common ones you may be overlooking:

Health Plans

The premiums you pay for medical and dental plans, along with any co-pay portions of your coverage, can be claimed on your taxes. 

Any premiums paid by payroll deductions will appear on your T4 under “other information” (box 85).

If you pay for private health care coverage, make sure you claim these amounts as well. Your provider should send you a letter stating how much you paid into the plan the previous year.

Gluten-Free Products

If you, your spouse or your dependent suffer from Celiac disease, you can claim the costs of gluten-free products – but only for that individual, not the entire family.

To calculate the eligible expense, take the product cost and minus the cost of a comparable product with gluten. This is the amount you can claim.

Travel Expenses

If you are required to travel more than 40km one way to receive medical services, you can claim your travel expenses.

However, in order to qualify, you must prove that equivalent services are not available closer to your home.

Moving Expenses or Renovations

If you suffer from a severe and prolonged impairment mobility-wise, you can claim up to $2000 to move to a more accessible home. 

Likewise, you can also claim construction and renovation costs to changes made to your current resident to better accommodate a mobility or functioning issue. However, the cost must be reasonable.

Private School/Tutoring

If you have a child with a physical or mental impairment that requires special schooling (such as staff, facilities or equipment), you may be eligible to claim tuition costs.

Also, you can claim tutoring services for those with learning disabilities or impaired mental function. 

In either case, you need to have a medical practitioner certify the need.

Foreign Medical Expenses

If you require medical services while traveling outside of Canada, either in a public or private hospital, you may be able to claim these expenses.

How to Claim Medical Expenses on Your Tax Return

The first thing you need to do when claiming medical expenses on your tax return is to determine if you have an eligible amount. Again, you can always speak to an expert accountant to help you figure this out.

Once that has been determined, it’s important to gather and keep track of all of your receipts. Although you are required to submit them, you need to make sure your totals are accurate.

Plus, should you experience an audit by the CRA, you need to provide proof of your claims.

On your tax return, look for the following lines to enter your amounts:

• Line 33099 – Medical expenses for self, spouse or common-law partner, and your dependent children
• Line 33199 – Allowable amount of medical expenses for other dependents

That’s it! Figuring out what to claim is the hard part – actually claiming it is straightforward.

If you have any questions about which medical expenses are eligible and how you should claim them on your taxes, do not hesitate to contact our knowledgeable team of accountants at Liu & Associates.

We can help guide you through the process and ensure that you get the most out of your tax return!

Let’s chat today.

Whatever your situation in life, it may be possible that you do not work and earn an income. Perhaps you lost your job or chose to stay home and care for your children.

No matter your situation, you’re probably wondering whether or not you have to file your taxes at all. 

While federals laws do not require you to file a tax return if you have no income to claim, it’s important to determine if there are other situations that may require you to.

The last thing you want is to face an audit or pay the interest and fees for a late tax return.

Even if no situation applies to you where you are required to file a tax return with no income, there are many benefits to doing so anyway.

So, if you find yourself facing tax time with no income to claim, here are a few things you should consider before not filing:

Reasons to File Your Taxes With No Income

Even if you’ve earned no income for the year, there are certain situations where you definitely need to file your taxes:

• You owe taxes.
• The CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) has requested that you file a tax return.
• You received any CWB (Canada’s Worker Benefit) payments.
• You sold any real estate or investment shares – whether or not you made a profit from them.
• You had to repay any OAS (Old Age Security) or EI (Employment Insurance) benefits.
• You used some of your RRSPs (Registered Retirement Savings Plan).
• You contributed to CPP (Canada Pension Plan).
• You paid any EI premiums on self-employment earnings.
• You are splitting a pension income.

If any of these situations apply to you, you are still responsible for filing a tax return.

The Benefits of Filing a Tax Return With No Income

Even if the above situations do not apply to you, there are benefits to filing a tax return even if you have no income to claim.

Federal and provincial benefits are tied to your tax return and your reported income (even if it’s zero) will determine which ones you are eligible for.

So before you decide to forego filing due to no income, consider these benefits you could miss out on:

GST/HST Credit

If you are eligible to receive the Good and Services Tax or Harmonized Sales Tax credit, you must file a tax return in order to receive these payments.

Canada Child Benefit

If you have children under the age of 18, you qualify for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) – with the amount you receive depending on your children’s ages and your income.

The CCB can also include the Child Disability Benefit and any provincial programs you may be eligible for.

Not filing a tax return excludes you from these payments.

School Credits

If you attended a school, you can claim eligible tuition fees on your tax return. 

While you won’t receive any money back from them (they are a non-refundable credit), they must be reported for the current tax year in order for you to carry them forward or transfer them.

Otherwise, if you don’t file a return and claim them, you cannot use them on future tax returns.

Daycare Subsidies

If you have a child that attends daycare, you could be eligible for a daycare subsidy depending on your income.

The only way to apply for this program is to have a tax return stating your earnings since your eligibility is determined by your reported household income.

This also extends to subsidized sports and extra-curricular activities for your child.

Student Loans

Oftentimes, parents need to submit their reported income in order for their children to secure a student loan.

Since student loans are another needs-based program dependent on your income, it’s important that you have a tax return to include in the application process.

Assisted Living/Nursing Homes

For seniors looking for assisted living or nursing home accommodations, or those with a disability, the payment amount depends on affordability which is determined from reported income.

Without a tax return to prove earnings, seniors and those with disabilities will miss out on reduced payments for living arrangements.

How to File a Tax Return With No Income

When it comes to filing your taxes with no income to claim, the process is pretty simple: File as normal and don’t input an income.

However, the thought of paying someone to file taxes when you earned no income may seem redundant and inspire you to skip out on filing them.

Before you do, consider these options for filing your tax return for free:

• StudioTax
• GenuTax
• SimpleTax

These programs allow you to input your information and send your tax return directly to the CRA through NetFile.

Why are they free? Many of these software and tax companies offer free access to filing your tax return as long as the return is simple and straightforward – as would be the case if you are claiming no income.

Otherwise, more complicated tax returns require a fee to use the software.

Alternatively, you can also file your taxes the old-fashioned way by picking up the necessary forms and mailing your claim directly to the CRA.

To File Or Not To File?

That is the question. The simplified answer is that, if you earned no income and do not need to file, you don’t have to file.

However, it’s important to take the above-mentioned benefits into consideration. If you are eligible for these programs, why not take advantage of them?

Otherwise, if you are not sure if you should file your taxes or not without an income, you can always speak to our professional and knowledgeable accountants at Liu & Associates.

We can help guide you to making the best decisions when it comes to your tax claims as well as your financial health.

Let’s get in touch today!

Last year was an interesting one when it came to employment norms. People accustomed to commuting to an office or workplace every day were offered the opportunity to work from home.

Likewise, many people also decided to start their own businesses at home.

If you fall into either of these categories, your situation drastically changes the way in which you will file your 2020 taxes.

Instead of plugging in your T4’s and calling it a day, you now have to consider your home office expenses and what you can claim as deductions on your taxes.

The process is fairly straightforward and includes only a simple calculation to determine eligible deductions amount.

However, knowing what expenses you can claim can be a bit trickier.

Before we explore how to claim your home office and utilities, here is some information on whether or not you are eligible:

Are You Eligible to Claim Home Office Expenses?

Self-employed individuals and employees who worked from home more than 50% (over a period of at least four weeks) due to the pandemic can claim home office expenses.

These expenses range from office supplies to internet services and rent/mortgage.

Not all work-from-home jobs are created equal. For instance, if you work for yourself you can claim more deductions than someone who is employed and working from home.

What you can claim as an employee may seem convoluted since the CRA has implemented new regulations to accommodate the increase in work-from-home individuals due to COVID-19.

If you need clarification about what you are eligible to claim as an employee or self-employed individual, feel free to contact our team of knowledgeable accountants for more information.

Claiming Home Office Expenses: Self-Employed

For those who are self-employed, you can claim your home office if your workspace is your main place of business or is used to regularly meet with clients, customers or patients.

By comparing the space of your home office to the space of your home to calculate a percentage, you can claim a portion of your household expenses.

For example, if your home office is 200 square feet and your home is 2500 square feet, you would divide the office by the home and get a percentage of 8%. That means you can claim 8% of your household expenses.

These expenses include:

• Telephone
• Utilities (heat, electricity, water, etc.)
• Internet
• Rent/Mortgage
• Property taxes
• Maintenance and repairs
• Insurance
• Mortgage interest

You can also deduct expenses related to your home office such as office supplies (pens, pencils, ink, etc.).

Be sure not to deduct equipment such as chairs, desks and computers – these are considered capital expenses.

Claiming Home Office Expenses: Employed

When you are working at home as an employee, you can only claim your home office if you use your home office exclusively for work or you use the space to complete more than 50% of your work.

In order to qualify as an employee, your employer must require you to maintain a home office as part of your contract of employment.

Also, you cannot claim any expenses that have been reimbursed by your employer.

Lastly, your employer must fill out and sign form T2200 (Declaration of Conditions of Employment).

Once you determine that you do qualify to claim your home office as an employee, you can calculate your claim percentage:

Divide the square footage of your office space by the square footage of your home.

You can use this percentage to determine the portion of your home expenses and utilities that you can claim on your taxes.

These expenses include:

• Telephone
• Utilities (heat, electricity, water, etc.)
• Internet
• Rent/Mortgage
• Property taxes
• Maintenance and repairs

Unlike self-employed individuals, employed workers cannot claim mortgage interest or insurances.

Instead of calculating your home office expenses, the CRA has introduced a new “temporary flat rate method” which allows you to claim $2 per day that you worked at home up to a maximum of $400.

These days only include days worked and not vacation, sick or absent days.

This method is preferred if you only worked from home temporarily.

Otherwise, if you feel you are eligible for more than $400 in deductions, you’ll want to use the percentage mentioned above to calculate your claims.

Common Mistakes When Claiming Home Office Expenses

You have to be very careful when claiming home office expenses so that you don’t trigger an audit by the CRA.

Don’t make the mistake of claiming full expenses related to your home. You need to calculate the percentage and only claim the appropriate portion.

Also, when claiming repairs and maintenance, these costs only apply to your home office. You cannot claim repairs made to other areas of your home.

Be vigilant when claiming your home office expenses. Rounding up the costs can prompt the CRA to take a closer look at your tax return.

You should also break down your home office into different categories. Inputting large numbers in one category could also cause the CRA to question your return.

The CRA’s new “temporary flat method” eliminates the need to track expenses but if you need to calculate the percentage of your space to maximize your return, it’s best to hang on to your receipts.

By following the above tips, you can safely claim your home office and utilities without worrying about facing an audit.

Let Us Help You With Your Tax Return!

To better protect yourself against a CRA audit, why not let the experts take care of your tax return?

Our team at Liu & Associates can ensure that your taxes are filed properly while including all eligible deductions to maximize your return.

There are definitely financial perks to working from home – and we want to help you explore them all!

Let’s chat today!

2020 proved to be an interesting and evolving time as more and more employees worked from home.

When you are no longer working in your company’s workspace, the way in which your file your taxes changes drastically.

If you worked from home during 2020, you may be eligible to make work-related claims and take advantage of additional deductibles on your taxes.

To understand whether you are eligible to claim your home offices expenses, and what you can claim on your 2020 taxes, keep reading our tax guide to your first year working from home:

Who Can Claim Home Office Expenses?

Employees who worked from home more than 50% of the time over a period of at least four consecutive weeks due to COVID-19 can claim home office expenses.

This applies to 2020 only.

Instead of tracking expenses and having your employer certify your requirement to work from home, the CRA has simplified this method by offering a temporary flat rate of $2 per day for each day at home – to a maximum of $400.

This eliminates the need for an employer to sign the T2200 or T2200S slips.

To calculate your workdays, you must use the days that you worked full-time or part-time, not vacation days, sick days or other days off.

But if your employer has reimbursed you for all your home office expenses, you cannot claim these on your taxes.

What Expenses Can Be Claimed?

If you are eligible to claim expenses for working from home, what you can claim depends on the type of income you earn.

The type of work is divided into three categories: Employment, Commission and Self-Employment.

This table will help you understand what you are eligible to claim:

	Employment	Commission	Self-Employed
Heat	✔	✔	✔
Electricity	✔	✔	✔
Phone	✖	✔	✔
Internet	✔	✔	✔
Rent	✔	✔	✔
Repairs/Maintenance	✔	✔	✔
Mortgage Interest	✖	✖	✔
Property Tax	✖	✔	✔
Insurance	✖	✔	✔
Capital Cost Allowance	✖	✖	✔
Water, Security, Etc.	✔	✔	✔

For more information on what is considered capital cost allowance, and what repairs and maintenance, are eligible for deductions, get in touch with our expert accountants today!

How to Calculate Your Home Office Portion of Expenses

Once you know what you are eligible to claim while working from home, you need to figure out what percentage of these costs relate to your home office – you cannot claim the entire amount.

This is done by considering the percentage of time you use your home office space for work as well as the proportion of your home used for the workspace.

The CRA determines this on a “reasonable basis”, meaning that they take the square footage of your home office and divide it by the total square footage of your home.

If you use a common space, such as a kitchen or dining area, you can claim your home office based on the number of hours your space is used for work.

Because many people worked both from home and at work, these situations may require you to prorate your expenses based on the number of months out of twelve in which you worked from home.

Other Deductible Expenses

When claiming your home office space on your 2020 taxes, don’t forget that you can also include other deductible expenses such as supplies that are necessary for doing your job.

These supplies can include pens, pencils, file folders and ink cartridges, for example.

Also, if you use your personal phone to make business calls, you can also claim long-distance charges and minutes used on your cell phone (if these incur additional charges on your bill).

However, this doesn’t mean you can simply buy supplies just to save money on your taxes!

There has to be an understanding between you and your employer that you were required to purchase these items in order to fulfill your employment duties.

Employer Allowances and Reimbursements

Any allowances received for your home office expenses from your employer are considered to be a taxable employee benefit and should be included in your income on your T4 or T4A slips.

However, direct reimbursements made by your employer do not need to be included in your income – except in the case where there is a potential for personal use of the expense. The portion related to personal use is then included in your income as a taxable benefit.

For example, if your employer gives you the money to purchase a computer for work, that amount is considered to be taxable income.

(Except in the case of computers, the CRA has implemented a new exception that allows you to claim a $500 reimbursement if the equipment was purchased during the pandemic for work).

Alternatively, if your employer has you purchase a computer and then reimburses you for it afterward, this is not considered taxable income.

In the case of personal use, if your employer gives you a cell phone, but you are allowed to use it personally after hours, you would have to consider the time the phone is used personally and claim that percentage on your taxes.

Don’t Miss an Opportunity to Save on Your Taxes!

While we certainly don’t recommend you make claims on your 2020 taxes beyond what you are eligible for, there is definitely an opportunity to save on your taxes when you work from home.

To gain a more thorough understanding of the claims you can make on your taxes related to having a home office, we recommend speaking to a knowledgeable accountant.

Our team at Liu & Associates is more than happy to help you navigate your taxes after your first year of working from home.

Let’s talk today!