Ontario Trillium Benefit
Ontario Trillium BenefitThrough refundable tax credits, the Province provides relief to low- to moderate-income Ontarians for the taxes and energy costs they face. Through the Ontario Trillium Benefit...

Responding to a tax Instalment Reminder from the CRA (February 2021)
Sometime during the month of February, millions of Canadians will receive mail from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). That mail, a “Tax Instalment Reminder”, will set out the amount of instalment p...

Deducting home office expenses in 2020 (February 2021)
One of the biggest pandemic-related changes in the day-to-day lives of Canadians was the abrupt change to work-from-home arrangements. While such arrangements aren’t new — employees and the self-e...

Employee taxable benefits in a pandemic (February 2021)
Under Canadian tax law, the general rule is that all amounts paid by an employer to his or her employees are treated as taxable income. That rule holds whether those amounts are paid as cash remunerat...

RRSPs and TFSAs – figuring out where to contribute (February 2021)
For most taxpayers, the first few months of the year are a seemingly unending series of bills and payment deadlines. During January and February, many Canadians are still trying to pay off the bills f...

New Quarterly Newsletters (Q4 2020)
Two quarterly newsletters have been added—one dealing with personal issues, and one dealing with corporate issues....

Employment Insurance Premiums for 2021 (January 2021)
The Employment Insurance premium rate for 2021 is unchanged at 1.58%....

Quebec Pension Plan Contributions for 2021 (January 2021)
The Quebec Pension Plan contribution rate for 2021 is set at 5.9% of pensionable earnings for the year....

Canada Pension Plan Contributions for 2021 (January 2021)
The Canada Pension Plan contribution rate for 2021 is set at 5.45% of pensionable earnings for the year....

Federal individual tax credits for 2021 (January 2021)
Dollar amounts on which individual non-refundable federal tax credits for 2021 are based, and the actual tax credit claimable, will be as follows:...

Federal individual tax rates and brackets for 2021 (January 2021)
The indexing factor for federal tax credits and brackets for 2021 is 1.0%. The following federal tax rates and brackets will be in effect for individuals for the 2021 tax year....

Tax deadlines and limits for the 2021 tax year (January 2021)
Each new tax year brings with it a listing of tax payment and filing deadlines, as well as some changes with respect to tax planning strategies. Some of the more significant dates and changes for indi...

Looking ahead to 2021 – getting source deductions right from the start (December 2020)
Planning for – or even thinking about – next year’s taxes when it’s not yet even mid-December may seem more than a little premature. However, most Canadians will start paying their taxes for 2...

Tax consequences of employer holiday gifts and bonuses (December 2020)
During the month of December, it’s customary for employers to provide something “extra” for their employees, by way of a holiday gift, a year-end bonus or an employer-sponsored social event. And...

Year-end planning for medical expense claims (December 2020)
While Canadians benefit from a publicly funded health care system, there are nonetheless a significant (and increasing) number of medical and para-medical expenses which are not covered by provincial ...

Some year-end tax planning considerations for 2020 (December 2020)
Canadian Emergency Response Benefit In March of this year, in response to the pandemic, the federal government announced and rolled out a number of benefit programs to assist individuals who had exper...