Client Checkli$t
To maximize all tax benefits for you, we need to ensure that you are getting all the tax credits and deductions you are entitled to. So before you come in to see us, please make sure that you have all the necessary documents, receipts, and income records for our volunteers to minimize your tax obligations.
Basic Information, if applicable:
Valid (not expired) government-issued photo ID
Valid Proof of Vaccination (in-person clinics)
2021 Tax Return(s) (or latest)
2021 Notice of Assessment/Reassessment(s) (or latest)
Social Insurance Number (SIN) or Individual Tax Number (ITN). If you need one, you can contact Service Canada. Click here for more info.
Date of Birth Information for all dependants (under 19, 65, and over, or dependants with disabilities). A dependant can be an uncle, aunt, grandparent, parent, etc. Generally, dependants live with you or depend upon you for some sort of support.
Details of spouse and dependant income, if applicable particularly if spouse or dependant is overseas (i.e. not living with you). You will need to provide us with Net Income - the credits and benefits are calculated properly on your tax return.
If you are participating in the Home Buyer's Plan (HBP) or Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP), please provide volunteers with details of your total withdrawal and minimum payment plan as per your latest Notice of Assessment/Reassessment from the previous year.
All applicable 2021 tax document(s) - see below for a non-exhaustive list of tax documents to help you determine what you may need to bring to your session. You can compare what you received last year with what you have currently received to see if you are missing any possible slips. Depending on which slips you are missing, you may be able to call Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-959-8281 (press 5 key, 4 key) to get the missing information either over the phone or via mail. If you have access to the CRA My Account Service and/or App, you can also retrieve missing information that way.
If you are: a domestic or international student, newcomer to Canada, senior, a person with disabilities, or a member of the First Nations, please see additional notes below for more information regarding your specific situation.
Principal Residence. If you sold your principal residence (the house you lived in) after 2016 you must report the sale on your tax return even though the sale is not taxable. We require the year you purchased your residence, the gross proceeds on the sale, and the address of the property. You may also have to report a deemed disposition if you started renting your principal residence or if a property you were renting became your principal residence.
Please also inform the volunteer if the following “life-changing” event happened in the last calendar year (i.e. before December 31):
marital status change
had a new baby
change of address
change jobs
change of name
purchased a new home (must not have previously owned one in the past four years)
common T-Slips (tax slips)
All Employment Income (T4) slips - salary and wages from each employer, if applicable. If you were not issued a T4 slip, you can bring us copies of your cheque stubs to calculate income. Note: tips and gratuities are not included in the T4 slip, please provide the volunteer with an estimate (always overestimate and never underestimate).
Employment Insurance Benefits (T4E), include: EI benefits associated with COVID-19
Mutual funds, ETF, Income Trust, Limited Partnerships, REITs (T3) - (Note: these forms do not have to be issued until the end of March so if you are expecting these please do not make an appointment earlier than April)
Investment, annuity, and Canada Savings Bond (T5)
Workers' compensation benefits, BC social assistance or disability assistance (T5007)
RRSP Withdrawals (T4RSP)
Contract Payments (T5018)
Pension, or Annuities, Other Income (T4A), include: CERB, CESB, CRB, CRCB, CRSB
All other Information Slips
Common Receipts
Eligible medical receipts. Refer to this non-exhaustive list from the CRA. If you obtain all your prescription drugs from one pharmacy, please obtain a yearly summary from the pharmacy instead of presenting all the receipts for the individual purchases. If you are planning to claim medical receipts for one calendar year, just total everything up and provide us with the grand total.
RRSP receipts for the current tax year. The deadline for the 2021 tax year is March 1st, 2022. Be careful not to over contribute by more than $2,000 over what is indicated on your notice of assessment/reassessment. If you are late contributing this year, double-check to make sure you have all of your receipts (some may not come until later on in the year, if this is the case just indicate this to us).
Professional or Union Dues receipts.
Political donation receipts.
Charitable donation receipts. Note: Not all "charitable" donee organizations are registered and recognized, please check the CRA registry by clicking here. Beginning January 1st, 2018, Federal First-time Donor Super Credit is canceled. GoFundMe or similar donations are not considered valid charitable donations.
Tools Expenses (Tradesperson only). If you are claiming this deduction, you will need a completed and employer T2200 - see below.
Carrying charges and interest expenses (DO NOT include safety deposit box charges)
Moving Expenses (see here for more information), if applicable
Exam Fees for professional certification
Work from Home Expenses - please here for details, particularly if you work from home during COVID-19. If you are electing to use the temporary simplified method - you must tell us how many workdays did you work from home last year. The simplified method does not require receipts, square footage of your workspace, or a signed T2200s or T2200 from your employer. However, your claim will be limited to $500 maximum (new for 2021 and 2022 tax year, 2020 tax year remains at $400 max.) or 200 workdays at $2 per day.
Digital News Subscription (non-refundable) Credit, must be from a registered Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization. If you subscribed to any of the digital newspapers and journals from these organizations, you can claim a maximum amount of $500 or lower your taxes owing by up to $75. Click here for details. Similarly, if you donated to any of these organizations, you may be eligible to claim those donation receipts.
Note: For employees claiming employment expenses such as mobile phone charges, gas, or tools, you must have your employer complete and sign a (T2200) - Declaration of Employment Conditions. Please present the completed form to the volunteer.
for individual(s) with children under 18
Universal Child Care Benefit (RC62). For children under six years old only. Since 2016, the UCCB has been replaced by the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). If you need to complete prior year returns, you may need to bring this slip.
BC Child Opportunity Benefit replaced BC Early Childhood Credit in 2020, this is a non-taxable amount that is included in your monthly Canada Child Benefit (CCB). For more information on this benefit, you can go here.
Childcare receipts. If you have a private babysitter, make sure you get their Social Insurance Number to claim expenses.
Child care expenses are typically deductible if the child was under 16 years of age or had an impairment in physical or mental functions at some time in 2021, and if the use of child-care services allowed the individual looking after an eligible child to:
earn income from employment;
carry on a business either alone or as an active partner;
attend school under the conditions identified under the Educational program;
carry on research or similar work, for which you or the other person received a grant
the above rules were relaxed for 2020 and 2021 if the individual was entitled to receive, in the year, any federal, provincial, or territorial government COVID-19 payments for which they have received a T4A or T4E slip, employment insurance benefits, employment insurance special benefits, or Quebec parental insurance plan benefits. The child must have lived with them or the other person when the expense was incurred for the expense to qualify.
Children's Fitness and Arts Receipts:
BC Child Fitness Tax Credit is canceled in 2018. For children under 16 or (under 18 with disability) enrolled in a prescribed program for physical activities.
BC Child Fitness Equipment Tax Credit is canceled in 2018. Equipment purchased for children participating in a program that qualifies for the Child Fitness Tax Credit.
BC Education Coaching Credit is canceled in 2018.
BC Child Art Tax Credit is canceled in 2018. For children under 18 enrolled in a prescribed program of artistic, cultural, recreational, or development activity.
Support payments for: child/spouse/or common-law partner. You need to provide us with payment details as per separation or divorce agreements.
Adoption expenses - see here for eligible expenses.
Additional Resources:
RC4092 Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)
for Students
If applicable, you may also need to bring:
Canada Training Credit - a new refundable tax credit up to $250 per year, maximum of $5,000 lifetime. Volunteers may need copies of your Tuition Slips (T2202) - see below and a copy of your last Notice of Assessment/Reassessment from the CRA
Tuition, Textbook Tax Slip (T2202). - If you are not mailed one, you can download it from the student account. Note: Only government-registered and recognized post-secondary institutions can issue these slips.
The bursary, scholarship, or research grant tax slip (T4A) - if you receive a bursary, scholarship, or research grant.
Beginning in 2021, postdoctoral fellowship income would be included as earned income for registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) purposes. This change would provide postdoctoral fellows with additional RRSP contribution room in order to make deductible RRSP, pooled registered pension plan (PRPP), or specified pension plan (SPP) contributions. This measure would apply retroactively to 2011. Student taxpayers can request an adjustment request to the CRA to have their RRSP contribution room adjusted so that they can purchase more RRSPs and deduct taxable income so that they can defer more taxes to the future.
Receipts for moving expenses (i.e. if you are moving from Ontario to BC for school), if applicable.
UPASS or Monthly Transit Pass receipts are no longer needed. Federal Transit Credit for any transit use after July 1, 2017, has been canceled. If you have very old transit pass receipts and need to complete a prior year's return, you may still use them.
Student dental and/or health insurance premiums receipts. Usually, a line item on your tuition receipt.
Student Loan Interest Paid. Downloaded from the National Student Loan Website or sent by your bank.
for international students
In addition to the Students section (above) and the Newcomers to Canada section (below), you may also need to bring:
Your date of arrival to Canada/Date of departure, if applicable.
If you arrived and stayed in Canada for more than six months, you should file an NR74 with the International Tax Office to determine your residency status for tax purposes. Ideally, you should do this prior to your appointment as this can take a number of weeks to determine.
Note: If you are planning to leave Canada for more than six months, you must fill out an NR73 with the International Tax Office to determine if you need to file a future Canadian tax return after you have left the country. International Students that are returning home in 2019, may need to file an NR73 to determine if they need to file a return in 2020 for (the tax year 2019).
Receipts for moving expenses, if applicable.
Important Information for International Students:
Refunds and GST Rebates. If you will be leaving Canada, recommended that you keep your Canadian Bank accounts open until all refunds, and GST rebates have been transferred to you. Payments from some Canadian Government programs are not sent to foreign bank accounts and cashing foreign cheques in your home country may be difficult for some countries.
If you do not qualify for a Social Insurance Number (SIN) as per Service Canada's criteria. You will need to obtain an Individual Tax Number (ITN) by completing a T1261, which can take a number of months so do this as soon as possible. Social Insurance Numbers are required if you are receiving a bursary, grant, or scholarship, or student has a work permit.
If you are already or plan to study in Canada for more than six months, you should also file an RC151 form to get some of the GST quarterly payments you may be entitled to receive had you filed an income tax return in Canada. Mail this form to the International Tax Office (address towards the bottom of the page).
Additional Resources:
Pamphlet 105 - Students and Income Tax
Canada Revenue Agency Student Information Page
International Tax Office Contact Information
International Students Information
RC4112 Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP)
for newcomers to Canada
If applicable, you may also need to bring:
Documentation or know the arrival date into Canada for all individuals filing a tax return.
Documentation of spousal or child support, if applicable.
Receipts for moving expenses.
Important Information for newcomers to Canada:
Social Insurance Number. If you do not have one, make sure that you get one from Service Canada. You can go in person to your local Service Canada branch, or download the form and mail it to them. The process can take a couple of weeks and you will need this to work in Canada, access Canadian Social Programs, and complete your annual tax return. Please do this prior to coming to see us.
If you came into the country last calendar year and have been in the country for more than six months, please fill out the NR74 form and mail it to the International Tax Office to determine your residency status for tax purposes for last year. This process should be done as early as possible and prior to scheduling an appointment with us if possible. You should also file an RC151 to get all or some of the GST rebates you are entitled to last year. Volunteers can assist in completing these forms but there will be some additional delays with the processing of your return if an NR74 form has not been completed.
If you are planning on leaving the country for more than six months, you will need to fill out an NR73 and file it with the International Tax Office to determine if you need to file a tax return after you have left the country.
If you have up to $250,000 CDN in foreign property or investments, you must declare and complete a T1135. You will not have to complete the T1135 in the year of entry.
You can claim up to $5,000 if you purchased a new home in the current tax year provided that you or your spouse have not owned a principal residence four years prior.
If you have purchased a new home in the last calendar year, please inform our volunteers as you may also qualify for a first-time homeowners tax credit.
for seniors
If applicable, you may also need to bring:
Canada Pension Plan (T4A(P))
Old Age Security (T4OAS)
Registered Retired Income Fund Payments (T4RIF)
Registered Retired Savings Plan Withdrawals (T4RSP)
Foreign Pensions, if applicable
Please bring documentation/receipts of money received. Convert the payments to Canadian dollars using the average annual exchange rate between the foreign currency and the Canadian dollar. Click here for the average annual exchange rate.
If you are currently paying taxes by instalment, please bring your instalment schedule or inform the volunteer that you are already paying taxes by instalment so that the volunteer will put this information in your return.
Receipts for eligible home renovation expenses for both the Federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit and BC Senior's Home Renovation Tax Credit. - up to $10,000 of eligible expenses.
The one-time payment provided financial support through a taxable payment of $500 to older seniors in August 2021 included already in your T4(OAS), no need to look for receipt
Additional Resources:
Canada Revenue Agency's Seniors Information Page
Information for Residents of British Columbia
for person(s) with disabilities
If applicable, you may also need to bring:
Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) (T4A) - for more information on RDSP, click here.
Eligible medical expenses. If alterations/renovations are needed to modify your home (i.e. ramp installed, or lowering of kitchen cabinets, etc.), some of these may qualify as eligible medical expenses, please bring receipts and speak with one of our volunteers.
Important Information for person(s) with disabilities:
If claiming the disability tax credit (DTC), make sure you have already completed a T2201 - Disability Tax Certificate, send, approved, and on record at the CRA. If you DO NOT, you will need to have your family physician or specialist complete the form and send it to Canada Revenue Agency for approval prior to claiming the credit on your tax return. You can select on the form to have the CRA retroactively adjust any prior years necessary. We recommend not claiming this credit if you do not have a valid T2201 form with the CRA or you are not sure (receiving disability social benefits doesn’t mean you have a disability tax certificate or qualify for it), as claiming it would result in processing delays until it has been received and approved. If you have already completed this, please let the volunteer know to claim the disability tax credit on your return. Note: Disability Tax Certificates do expire depending on the severity of the disability and CRA approval. As a taxpayer, you need to know the expiry date and if you do not know, please call the CRA to make sure before you come into doing your taxes.
Disability Tax Credit - digital application for medical practitioners. NEW. For medical practitioners to apply for the DTC by completing the application electronically for their patients; patients do not need to obtain a paper copy of the form and bring it directly to their medical practitioners to complete and mail into the CRA.
For First Nations
If applicable, you may also need to bring:
Indian Status Card
If you are a member of the Nisga Nation, you need to inform our volunteers.
If you received any income related to COVID-19 that was tax-exempt under section 87 of the Indian Act, you will need to complete Form T90 (Income Exempt from Tax under the Indian Act). To claim the tax withheld on these payments, you will need to present a completed T90 form to the volunteer.