$$$$ 4 Government

February 6, 2009 5:26 PM

Canadian Taxes Filter: I'm a bad citizen who wants to make sure she's paying her taxes if she owes any. Problem is, I haven't the foggiest idea where to start.

Someone once told me that under a certain amount I don't have to file taxes. I'm starting to doubt this. I've never made over $9,600 in a year, since I'm a full time student, so I probably don't owe anything big. However I need to figure out how A) get missing T4s, B) Send in my taxes for the time I lived in New Brunswick despite living in Quebec now and C) make sure I file for Quebec next year, where I intend to live for the next couple of years (and I hope, work).

I'm pretty certain I can figure out the paperwork if I have everything I need, I'm just not sure where I get it and where it goes.

posted by Phalene to work & money (14 comments total)

I am not even Canadian, so this advice is neither professional nor comprehensive, but you can request T4s from pre-2008 years directly from the CRA, as well as tax packages for prior years. If you are missing T4s for 2008, you will have to contact the employer.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:45 PM on February 6 [1 favorite has favorites]

So do I print this out and start plugging in numbers or...?
posted by Phalene at 5:53 PM on February 6

You should almost definitely file anyways, even if you have zero income. As a student (or at least as someone making less than the lowest tax bracket) you qualify for many refunds, from GST rebates to child credits if you're a mom. If you're in an education field where you expect a decent salary upon graduation (IT or financial positions for sure) , hold on to your tuition tax credits as they can really reduce your income later on and get you some nice refunds that will help pay off your student loan.

I wasn't in that position as I had a single mom who claimed them off of her salary (something single parents can do). I couldn't refute as she was paying my tuition! :-)

Things like ufile.ca make it extremely easy to figure out your taxes. It's free if you make less than a certain amount (I can't remember what, but you for sure qualify). You essentially answer all the questions and it computes your refund.
posted by hylaride at 5:57 PM on February 6

You can file your tuition since you're full-time... your university should provide you with a T1022 or something like that. You may need to print it off your student account (I always did).

I was missing a T4 once because I changed addresses and I just contacted the company and asked for a replacement and it was no hassle.

I file with Liberty Tax but I'm sure there are plenty of alternatives. Last year I lived in 2 cities, in 3 apartments, went to school for part of the year and worked 6 different jobs. I handed them a crumpled stack of forms and they fixed me up.

I know you can file for previous years, so I'm sure it's never too late.
posted by cranberrymonger at 5:58 PM on February 6

I know that those electronic programs are easy for some... but I always had a really hard time of it and I wanted you to know that tax services are very helpful and very available... in case you cry (like I do every year).
posted by cranberrymonger at 6:00 PM on February 6

Talk to H&R Block. It's cheap and they will do it all. The problem with trying to play catch up is that it is a major pain in the ass to figure out what forms to turn in, and where those forms are. Although it may cost you some money, it will save you a lot of time, pain and anxiety.

If it makes you feel better, you probably don't owe any back taxes. In fact that, you probably are eligible for a GST refund. That should more than cover H&R Block fees.

Go to H&R block tomorrow (Saturday) and by noon this will all be an unpleasant memory.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:21 PM on February 6

Ufile.ca is free if your income is under $20,000. You can also call CRA and they will help you out - they are really nice (I think Canadians hear the horror stories about the IRS and assume CRA are the same). I can almost guarantee you won't owe money but you are probably due for a refund on the income tax you may have paid (see this for example) because your first $9,600 is tax free. I haven't had any problems doing my own taxes (esp easy since electronic filing) but if it is stressing you out and you are procrastinating then going to a professional like cranberrymonger suggests and just get it over with. Good luck!
posted by saucysault at 6:37 PM on February 6

Oh, and previous years tax returns are listed on the CRA website here. If you are doing basic taxes without any fancy deductions beyond the educational amount then you should be perfectly fine to do it yourself.
posted by saucysault at 6:41 PM on February 6

I should point out that at the income level you mention and with the fact that you're a fulltime student, the reality is more likely that you would have had refunds most years. The government doesn't mind so much holding onto your money for you, it cares a lot more when you owe it money. This is assuming your taxes were automatically deducted from your paychecks. If you're self employed, that could be a different story.
posted by Jupiter Jones at 6:56 PM on February 6

For your future needs, Quebec has a totally separate tax package, and you will be able to pick up this package at most Caisse Desjardins banks, or download it and the guide from Revenue Quebec (in English) It seems that in other provinces, you don't need to actually do 2 packages, you just choose the correct CRA version with forms for your province.

And I agree that you should go ahead and try to do your previous ones yourself. Read each year's guide carefully, etc. But basically, I seem to make some sort of mistake on my return each year, and they just go ahead and fix it, and let me know what changed when I get the notice of assessment (the part that comes with a cheque or a bill).

Good luck!
posted by MissSquare at 5:47 AM on February 7

H&R Block also has a student discount -- they'll file your return for less than half of what they charge for a normal return.
posted by kaudio at 6:36 AM on February 7

Not only are you very unlikely to owe any money (and likely to be due some money), but if you file tax returns back to the start of your university/college career, you are likely to have a tuition deduction (plus an automatic textbook deduction) that you can carry forward until you start to make more money. You'll probably find your tuition tax forms online on your school's website (look for T2202 or T2202A). If you go to school in Quebec, you'll also need the equivalent Relève form.
posted by ssg at 10:11 AM on February 7

Canadian Revenue Agency will provide you with records of all your (reported) income since the year dot.

And even if you don't owe any taxes, you are nevertheless required to file taxes every year. There's a 7- or 10-year grace period or something, though, and they won't go after you for not filing unless it's apparent you were deliberately evading.

I suggest you call CRA. They really are quite astonishingly helpful.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:28 PM on February 7

Hey dirtynumbangelboy, if you see the link I provided to the CRA website they say themselves you aren't required to file every year if you don't owe money. They aren't stupid, they want to keep the money paid erroneously in income taxes and save on GST cheques etc.
posted by saucysault at 6:35 PM on February 7