It's simple to get a GST or HST number in Canada. You can do it over the phone, or you can do it online if you're registered for CRA's online My Business service. But no matter how you register, CRA is going to require you to provide some information and make decisions up front. You [...]
Contributing to an RRSP is always a great move, right? Not so fast. RRSPs reduce your taxes by sheltering income from tax when you contribute. You will pay the income tax later when you withdraw the funds, which is ideally when they’ve had a few years to grow (tax-free), and when you’re in a lower [...]
Video: Overdue Tax Returns - Should You File? The Short Answer Is ‘Yes’ Filing old late tax returns. Should you do it? I know I’m biased. I am a tax professional and I prepare tax returns for a living. Of course I'm going to tell you to file your tax returns. But bias or no, [...]
It is better to give than to receive, but what's even better is getting a tax credit from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for it. Here are three tax tips on how to make the most of your charitable donations on your Canadian income tax return. VIDEO: Charitable Giving and Tax in Canada - Three Things [...]
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asks for tax installments when you establish a tendency to owe tax at the end of the year. But sometimes life gets in the way, income is low or expenses are high, and you don’t get around to paying the tax installments requested by CRA. So what happens if you [...]
Q: I’m a plumber earning less than $30,000 per year. In order to bid on jobs I found I needed to have a GST-HST number, so I registered two years ago. But since then, I haven’t earned over $30,000 per year. Do I still have to charge GST-HST? Do I have to file returns? A: [...]
If you've registered to collect the goods and services or harmonized sales tax (GST-HST) in Canada, you may have come across the term input tax credit or its acronym, ITC, and wondered what it's all about. To understand input tax credits (ITCs) you need to understand the basics of the GST-HST system, which are simply: [...]
As CRA continues on its mission to minimize paper and make more services available online, it becomes increasingly important to register for My Business Account with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and learn how to use it. To make it easier, CRA has created a video explaining how to register for My Business Account. With My [...]
For the 2020 and 2021 tax years, Canadians were allowed a special Work-From-Home credit for time spent working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The credit can be calculated two ways: using a flat rate, or doing a calculation involving a percentage of utilities and/or rent costs. The flat rate requires no additional documentation. Any [...]
So it’s RRSP season again, and you’re trying to decide how much (if anything) to contribute this year. This is especially a question if you didn’t end up earning much. Here are the top three things you need to know about RRSPs in a low-income year. 1. RRSPs are less helpful to people with low [...]
