Big and sad news for you: getting a big refund when filing your taxes is not always a good thing for you. Sometimes is due to lack of planning. Imagine if with each paycheque you could pay less taxes and get more money! It's a possibility.

Canadian Tax Law based its rule on fairness, you pay what is fair for your personal and family situation. There credits and benefits you can apply to depending on your amount of income. Then, let's do that, pay only what's fair, no more, no less. 

When getting your paycheque you have some deductions applied, that is way your earned amount is not the same as your collected amount (net pay). The basic ones are: Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Employment Insurance (EI) and Income Tax (IT). There are additional benefits depending on your job: Pension Plan, Group insurance plan, RRSP savings Plan, etc. 

EI and CPP contributions are calculated on earned income and usually you can't change them due to tax rules. But you can calculate the exact amount of Income Tax you would pay at year end and this is the way to increase your paycheque. How?

• Via your employer: make sure every year you sign the appropriate forms regarding your personal and family situation
  • There are federal and provincial forms. TD1 Personal Tax Credit Forms: This form will allow you to report your current situation and calculate the right amount of taxes to pay.
  • It’s important to file this form if you change your marital status, have a new child, you have more than one job, or you are a student
  • This form will recalculate the tax to pay and help you get ore money now instead of waiting to get a big refund
• Via CRA: there are situation when you can directly request CRA to reduce your tax bill:
  • If you are excepting significant deductions as: Huge RRSP investments, rental losses, child care expenses, employment and medical expenses. Use this form only for situations not contained on the TD1
  • You can file then the form T1213 Request to Reduce Tax Deductions at source and if approved CRA can give authorization to reduce your paycheque tax bill.

You always need to update your current situation with your employer and CRA to get a fair deal. If you get marry, or divorced, or got sick or have a child. Don’t wait until the tax season time to declare your changes and receive a refund. On the other side of the spectrum, you can also fill out the TD1 and provincial forms if you always have a bill to pay at the end, you can increase the amounts by each paycheque and the you won’t have a debt to CRA.

As you see, having a great refund is not always good news, you can plan and have more money on your side during the whole year, then you can use it to save on RRSP, TFSA, pay old debts or going on holidays with your family. 

Here are the 4 tips to avoid paying more taxes during the year and save/gain money:

1. Always update your personal/family situation with CRA
2. Ask your employer to calculate your tax expenses using the TD1 Personal Tax Credit Forms 
3. If your situation is changing dramatically ask CRA for an adjust with the T1213 Request to Reduce Tax Deductions
4. The extra money you get on each paycheque save it for the future using RRSP, TFSA or buying the insurance you need to protect you and your family

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Hope this can help you plan better for the next tax season. Contact us today for an appointment and we can help you plan for your tax bill. 
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Yes, we are here again: getting ready for the 2018 Tax Season. It's that time of the year when we start to panic if we are not organized or we don't like dealing with paperwork. We'll be helping your during this month to plan and be ready!

The best way to deal with tax season is to be one step ahead, then you can take your time, plan and compile all the documents you may need to file properly. Why is so important to get ready and file your taxes the earliest possible?

• You can get faster refunds if you overpaid taxes during the year with your paycheque (I'll be taking about this next week: how to reduce the tax taken from your paycheque)
• If you owe taxes, then you'll have time to plan for the payments. Due date is April 30, any payment you can make before that date is not subjected to interest or penalties. You can pay your debt by instalments and avoid the extra charges.
• You can avoid delays receiving tax credits and benefits: Canada Child Benefit, GST/HST tax credit, Working Income Tax benefit and Guaranteed income supplement. You can find more information on how to apply here:  https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/income-tax/personal-income-tax/doing-your-taxes.html
• You have more time for reviewing the rules and changes, then you can find all the documents you need and do it right.

The due dates for this 2018 tax season is April 30, 2019. This date apply to most of the taxpayers, except for self-employed individuals and their spouse or common-law partner. If you are in this situation you both have until June 15 to file, but any owing balance must be paid on or before April 30. Then we go back to the beginning: the best way is to file the earliest and always plan for your taxes.

This month I'll be sharing due dates, benefits of planning for this season, examples, check lists and tips on how to navigate this tax season pain-free. Follow our blog and let us know if you have any question. 

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