What is The New Canada Caregiver Tax Credit?

April 05, 2018, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The new Canada caregiver credit is a non-refundable tax credit that may be available to you if you support a spouse, common-law partner or a dependent with a physical or mental impairment. It combines the old caregiver credit, the family caregiver credit and the credit for infirm dependants age 18 or older. It is meant to simplify the process of applying the credits for those who qualify.

You can read the entire page from Canada Revenue Agency’s website here, and I’ve copies and pasted the relevant sections onto this post. Remember that you can call or Contact the Government of Canada and Revenue Canada through their website or your MP and they will give you accurate information for free, and will answer your questions for you.

Who can you claim this credit for?

You may be able to claim the CCC if you support your spouse or common-law partner with a physical or mental impairment.

You may also be able to claim the CCC for one or more of the following individuals if they depend on you for support because of a physical or mental impairment:

• your or your spouse's or common-law partner's child or grandchild

• your or your spouse's or common-law partner's parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew (if resident in Canada at any time in the year)

An individual is considered to depend on you for support if they rely on you to regularly and consistently provide them with some or all of the basic necessities of life, such as food, shelter and clothing. 

What amount can you claim?

The amount you can claim depends on your relationship to the person for whom you are claiming the CCC, your circumstances, the person’s net income, and whether other credits are being claimed for that person.

For your spouse or common-law partner, you may be entitled to claim an amount of $2,150 in the calculation of line 303. You could also claim an amount up to a maximum of $6,883 on line 304.

For an eligible dependant 18 years of age or older, you may be entitled to claim an amount of $2,150 in the calculation of line 305. You could also claim an amount up to a maximum of $6,883 on line 304. See Note below.

For an eligible dependant under 18 years of age at the end of the year, you may be entitled to claim an amount of $2,150 in the calculation of line 305 or on line 367 for your child. See Note below.

For each of your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s children under 18 years of age at the end of the year, you may be entitled to claim an amount of $2,150 on line 367. See Note below.

For each other dependant 18 years of age or older, who is not an eligible dependant for whom an amount is claimed on line 305, you may be entitled to claim an amount up to a maximum of $6,883 on line 307.

 

Note 

If you are required to pay child support or have shared custody of the child, additional rules may apply. See lines 305 and 367 for more information.

What documents do you need to support your claim?

When you file your income tax return, do not send any documents. Keep them in case we ask to see them.

The CRA may ask for a signed statement from a medical practitioner showing when the impairment began and what the duration of the impairment is expected to be.

For children under 18 years of age, the statement should also show that the child, because of the impairment in physical or mental functions, is, and will likely continue to be, dependent on others for an indefinite duration. Dependent on others means they need much more assistance for their personal needs and care compared to children of the same age.

You do not need a signed statement from a medical practitioner if the CRA already has an approved Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, for a specified period.

Completing your tax return

For lines 303, 304, 305 and 307, complete the appropriate part of Schedule 5, Amounts for Spouse or Common Law Partner and Dependants.

For line 367, complete the appropriate lines on Schedule 1.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.