April 8, 2013
The CRA has dedicated a portion of its website to students and the specific tax scenarios that may impact you. www.cra.gc.ca/students covers everything you need to know about your tax return, including how to claim tuition fees, textbook costs, and even moving expenses.
- If you haven’t worked in the past year you might think you don’t need to file a return, but that could be a costly error. You must file to ensure you receive any payments the government owes you, such as a refund, or quarterly GST credit, which you likely qualify for if you are 19 years old, or if you turn 19 by April 1.
- Are you a foreign student who is unclear about whether or not to file? If you are studying at SFU as an international student, you must first determine your residency status at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/internationalstudents. You may owe taxes to the Canadian government, and/or may also qualify for GST credit payments. International students’ personal taxes are due April 30 as well, but are sent to the CRA’s International Tax Services Office. If you have questions, contact the Agency’s International Tax Services office at 1-855-284-5942.
- You can file online using NETFILE and many companies are offering FREE certified filing software. To find out more visit www.netfile.gc.ca
- If you’ve gone through the website and still need help filing your return, there are many community organizations that offer free tax clinics run by trained volunteers. www.cra.gc.ca/volunteer.
To get started on your taxes, visit the CRA Video Gallery and watch a how-to video just for students www.cra.gc.ca/videogallery.
Canada’s deadline to file personal income tax returns is April 30.
