Finance for Humans
The Perfect Guide to Every Annoying Tax Question You Have
Or at least the 13 most common, thorny questions. We assembled our Wealthsimple Tax team to answer everything you were afraid to look up on the internet — and we promise the answers are easy to understand.
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2022 was an extraordinary year, and by “extraordinary” we mean, of course, terrible. Congratulations on hanging on. Your reward for making it to 2023? Doing your 2022 taxes. To help you get ready, we have harnessed the brainpower of our pleasantly nerdy team at Wealthsimple Tax to address some frequently asked tax questions (FATQs?).
1. Are COVID-19 deductions still a thing? I’m still working from home and would love to claim those expenses.
Although the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) ended in 2021, pandemic-related deductions still exist. There are two different ways to claim work-from-home expenses on your 2022 return:
The temporary flat rate method. They should have just called this the “easy way.” If you worked at home for at least 50% of your time, for a period of at least four consecutive weeks, the CRA will allow you to claim a deduction of $2 dollars per day, up to a maximum deduction of $500. You don’t even need to provide any receipts.
The detailed method. This one’s more involved but will allow you to claim eligible expenses over and above the $500 cap. First, you’ll need a form from your employer called T2200S: Declaration of Conditions of Employment for Working at Home Due to COVID-19. Then, you’ll need receipts and supporting documents. Before filing, you’ll want to bone up on the CRA’s comprehensive list of allowable expenses. Examples of things that can be claimed: rent, cell phone and internet service plans. Examples of things that cannot be claimed: office equipment, mortgage interest and your daily 5 p.m. negroni.
2. Where is the provincial tuition credit I used to receive each year as a student? I don’t see it calculated.
Beginning in 2016, several provinces, including Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, started eliminating their provincial tuition credit, meaning that depending on where you live, there may not be one calculated for you for 2022. (This also means that, sadly, there are no provincial tuition credits available for transfer to a parent or spouse). The federal tuition tax credit is still available, which allows students enrolled in post-secondary education to claim their tuition in order to reduce their taxable income. They can also transfer up to $5,000 of their tuition credit to a spouse, parent or grandparent.
3. I heard about something called the digital news subscription tax credit. How do I get it?
In 2019, to promote journalism in Canada, the government introduced this mouthful of a tax credit to benefits. It goes to Canadian digital journalistic organizations that create original written news, and to their subscribers. Any Canadian taxpayer who subscribes to a so-called “qualified Canadian journalism organization” (QCJO) can receive a 15% tax credit of up to $300 dollars in subscriptions for the years 2020-2024. (For the math disinclined, that’s a maximum annual credit of $45.) If you’re not sure whether a subscription qualifies, check your receipt — qualifying news agencies must provide their QCJO designation number in every subscription receipt.
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4. What’s the Canada training credit. And am I eligible?
The Canada training credit (CTC), introduced in 2019, provides support for Canadians to learn new job skills. In order to qualify, workers must have been between the ages of 26 and 65 at the end of 2020, and meet certain criteria. If you qualify, you’ll accumulate $250 a year of tax credits every year until they reach the maximum $5,000. (You don’t have to keep track of this balance yourself, the info will be in your Notice of Assessment and your CRA My Account. You can claim up to half the cost of the courses for a given year or your accumulated CTC limit on your Notice of Assessment, whichever is less. If you’re using Wealthsimple Tax, just enter the Canada training credit amount from your Notice of Assessment when prompted and the software will take care of the math.
5. I started driving for Skip The Dishes/Uber/Lyft. How do I report my income and expenses in Wealthsimple Tax?
Well, for starters, may we recommend that you don’t try to do anything tax-related while your car is moving? The type of income earned from your side hustle, whatever it may be, is considered self-employment income, so you just put the amount of your income in the Business Income section of your return. Form T2125, aka the Statement of Business Activities form, which every driver will be required to fill out, will not only have boxes for your income, but also itemized deductions for relevant operating expenses, such as mileage and fuel. For further guidance, you may want to make a short pit stop between fares at our detailed T2125 guide.
6. Since cannabis is legal, can I claim it as a medical expense on my tax return?
Getting paid by the government to smoke weed? A dorm-room fantasy of ten years ago is (if the cannabis is medically prescribed) now a reality. While cannabis is legal, in order to claim it as a medical expense, a few criteria have to be met, as set out here by the CRA. You must have a medical document as defined in the Cannabis Regulations, be registered as a client or holder of a licence for sale, and make your cannabis purchases from that licence holder.
7. I keep trying to get through to the CRA. What is the best time to contact them?
So, you’re not the type that enjoys hearing “your call is important to us” about 300 times? Us neither. Luckily, the CRA now has a nice feature found here in which they not only provide specific toll-free numbers for your particular query, they also provide estimated wait times to speak to a CRA representative.
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8. I’m switching to Wealthsimple Tax. What information do I need from last year’s return?
Very little, we promise. It’s easier than booking a plane ticket (and a whole lot less expensive). For the vast majority of Canadians, switching over to Wealthsimple Tax is super easy. The hardest part of the sign-up process is just filling in your personal information, like name and address and SIN. Those who already have a CRA My Account will find that the auto-fill feature will populate most boxes you need, including your RRSP information.
9. What sort of information is available in CRA My Account?
Want to know the detailed status of your tax return? Or how much room you have in your TFSA? Want to know who’s going to win the Super Bowl? The CRA My Account offers two of three of those things. A full list of available information and documents found in CRA My Account can be accessed here.
10. Do I need a CRA My Account to file my return with Wealthsimple Tax?
No, you don’t need one, but if you like saving time, you’ll probably want one. If you hope to use Wealthsimple Tax’s auto-fill feature to import your CRA tax slips, you’ll need to be signed up with CRA My Account. Sign up here.
11. This is the first tax return I’ve filed in Canada. How do I sign up for CRA My Account?
Congrats on this milestone, you tax filer, you! To sign up, whether you’re new to the country or you’ve lived here your whole life, you will first have to file your return and wait for the CRA to assess it. Once you receive the Notice of Assessment, you can sign uphere for CRA My Account.
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12. I moved to Canada in 2022. What do I do about money I earned before I moved, will it affect my return?
It may affect your tax credits, meaning it could affect how much tax you owe. If you’re filing with Wealthsimple Tax, you’ll need to enter the income earned prior to moving to the country. You’re not taxed on that income, but that amount will be used to determine if you’re eligible for full Canadian tax credits for 2022, or if we need to prorate your tax credits based on when in the year you became a resident. (See this CRA page for more information.)
13. I sold a rental property I owned this year. Do I need to report that in the tax return?
Congratulations! Hope you made a bundle. Yes, indeed, you will need to report the transaction on your tax return. There are a few steps to consider:
If you previously claimed depreciation/capital cost allowance (CCA) on this rental property, you’ll need to enter the amount of the sale in the CCA tab found in Rental Income. You may have Recaptured CCA, which will increase your rental income for the year.
You will need to report the sale to determine if there is a Capital Gain or a Capital Loss. Use the Capital Gains (or Losses) section to enter the details of the rental property sale.
Type will be “Real estate, depreciable property.”
Proceeds of disposition: This is the selling price of the property minus any expenses incurred to sell it (legal fees, etc).
Cost of buying the property.
Outlays: Any other eligible expenses you incurred selling the property that haven’t been claimed anywhere else.
Is it possible we forgot the specific question that you’ve been frequently asking all tax season? Possibly! But you may find the answer somewhere in our amazingly informative (and, given the topic, surprisingly entertaining) collection of tax articles. Still feeling like your particular question remains unaddressed? Don’t hesitate to pass on your nominee for future FAQ to our team of actual humans at tax@wealthsimple.com.
Written By
Andrew Goldman
Andrew Goldman has been writing for over 20 years and investing for the past 10 years. He currently hosts "The Originals" podcast and writes about personal finance and investing for Wealthsimple. Andrew's past work has been published in The New York Times Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Magazine and Wired. He and his wife Robin live in Westport, Connecticut with their two boys and a Bedlington terrier.
