Frequently Asked Questions
I heard the tax filing deadline is April 30th? Does that mean I can't file taxes after that?
April 30th is the deadline for individual tax payments; late payments will incur penalties. However, if you do not need to pay any additional taxes, you can still file your taxes normally after April 30th.
It's said that students can receive around $500-$1000 a year when they file taxes. Is this a subsidy or a tax refund? Are they the same thing?
Tax rebates and subsidies are two different things. A tax rebate is only given if taxes are prepaid and overpaid. Since most students have no wage income, or their employers do not withhold taxes when paying wages, they do not receive a tax rebate when filing their personal tax return. This is why many students with no income find "Balance: Nil" at the bottom of the first page of their Notice of Assessment from the tax authorities, meaning no tax rebate and no tax to pay.
Although students with no income do not receive a tax rebate when filing their personal tax return, they can receive two types of subsidies, totaling around $500 to $1000. The first is the Goods and Services Tax (GST/HST) Credits, and the second is the Ontario Trillium Benefits.
Although students with no income do not receive a tax rebate when filing their personal tax return, they can receive two types of subsidies, totaling around $500 to $1000. The first is the Goods and Services Tax (GST/HST) Credits, and the second is the Ontario Trillium Benefits.
I am a student with no income. After filing my 2017 personal tax return, when can I receive these two.
subsidies?
subsidies?
The 2017 subsidies were uniformly distributed from July 2018 to June 2019. The GST subsidy was distributed quarterly, in July and October 2018; and January and April 2019. The housing subsidy was distributed monthly, from July 2018 to June 2019. If the total housing subsidy was less than $360, the IRS would make a lump-sum payment in July. The IRS
would send a subsidy letter with the first payment for each subsidy, clearly stating the total subsidy for the year as $XX, the amount paid so far as $XX, and the remaining subsidies to be paid on [date] as $XX. The letter is very detailed and requires careful reading. The specific payment date will be provided in the IRS letter. (A helpful
guide to remembering subsidy years .)
If you are filing your personal tax return for 201X, the subsidy for that year will be paid from July of 201(X+1) to June of 201(X+2), regardless of when you file your tax return.
For example, if you filed your 2015 individual tax return in 2018, the normal period for receiving subsidies would be from July 2016 to June 2017. Since this period has already passed, the tax bureau will issue the subsidies due in a lump sum after processing your 2015 individual tax returns.
would send a subsidy letter with the first payment for each subsidy, clearly stating the total subsidy for the year as $XX, the amount paid so far as $XX, and the remaining subsidies to be paid on [date] as $XX. The letter is very detailed and requires careful reading. The specific payment date will be provided in the IRS letter. (A helpful
guide to remembering subsidy years .)
If you are filing your personal tax return for 201X, the subsidy for that year will be paid from July of 201(X+1) to June of 201(X+2), regardless of when you file your tax return.
For example, if you filed your 2015 individual tax return in 2018, the normal period for receiving subsidies would be from July 2016 to June 2017. Since this period has already passed, the tax bureau will issue the subsidies due in a lump sum after processing your 2015 individual tax returns.
If I apply for tuition fees, will I receive a tax refund?
Declaring tuition fees will not affect the tax outcome for students with no income, and they will not receive any additional subsidies for declaring tuition fees.
If I don't report my rent, am I not eligible for housing subsidies?
The amount of the subsidy is related to income and rent/property tax payments. Even without filing rent or property tax returns, taxpayers can receive Ontario's minimum housing subsidy of approximately $290 per year.
I have a rental agreement, so I can get my rent reimbursed, right ?
The tax bureau requires rental receipts as supporting documentation (copies of rent checks are also acceptable), but does not accept rental agreements or e-transfer records.
Currently, personal taxes are filed electronically, so rent receipts (or property tax bills) and tuition bills are not required at the time of filing. However, the tax bureau will conduct routine audits, sending audit letters by mail and requesting relevant documents. If audited, taxpayers are obligated to respond promptly to the audit letter. Failure to respond, delayed response, or failure to provide relevant documents will result in adjustments to personal taxes and subsidies by the tax bureau, which is why many students receive unpaid bills from the tax bureau.
Currently, personal taxes are filed electronically, so rent receipts (or property tax bills) and tuition bills are not required at the time of filing. However, the tax bureau will conduct routine audits, sending audit letters by mail and requesting relevant documents. If audited, taxpayers are obligated to respond promptly to the audit letter. Failure to respond, delayed response, or failure to provide relevant documents will result in adjustments to personal taxes and subsidies by the tax bureau, which is why many students receive unpaid bills from the tax bureau.
After responding to the CRA's tax audit letter, why did I still receive a balance due letter from the
CRA urging me to pay?
CRA urging me to pay?
The Inland Revenue Department handles individual tax audits and subsidy disbursements separately through three departments, which can lead to communication delays. Therefore, after a taxpayer responds to an audit letter, the submitted documents are first processed by the audit department, which typically takes about two months. During this period, the subsidy disbursement department is unaware of the outstanding payments and will continue to send follow-up letters. Only after the audit department completes its review and updates the results with the individual tax and subsidy departments will they reassess, calculate the subsidy status, and mail the results to the taxpayer.
After filing my taxes, I received a letter from the tax office requesting my world income; otherwise,they cannot calculate my GST/HST Credits and Ontario Trillium Benefits. Is this because my taxreturn was unsuccessful, or was it not submitted at all?
For those who file their personal taxes in their first year in Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) needs to know their global income prior to their initial arrival in Canada to calculate their GST and housing allowance eligibility for that year. If you receive a similar letter, you can directly call the CRA's GST allowance hotline: 1-800-387-1193, provide your global income amount, and the CRA will update the information, calculate the allowance amount, and disburse all allowances accordingly. Failure to respond to this letter will result in the CRA not disbursing the allowance for the year of arrival.