Personal tax Quick guide
BC renter's tax credit: who qualifies and what records to keep
You can claim up to $400 if you lived in BC on December 31. You must also have rented an eligible unit in BC for at least six months of the year.
Tax updates, explained clearly
Short answers to the questions we hear most, with the official sources linked. Each guide says who it is for, what to do, and what to bring if you want help.
Or start with what happened
Personal tax
Personal tax: topic page with all 9 guides
Personal tax Practical guide
I forgot a tax slip or a receipt. Can I change my return?
Yes. Wait for your Notice of Assessment, then request a change. Online, through CRA My Account or tax software, it takes about two weeks.
Personal tax Practical guide
The CRA has asked for my receipts. Is this an audit?
Usually not. A letter asking for receipts is a review, and the CRA says a review is not an audit.
Personal tax Quick guide
Someone has died. 5 things the person handling the taxes should know
The executor or administrator is the legal representative and files the final return.
Personal tax Quick guide
Just married or moved in together? 5 tax things that change
Five things change. You must tell the CRA about the marriage by the end of the following month.
Personal tax Quick guide
How marginal tax brackets actually work
Canada taxes income in layers. Each bracket's rate applies only to the dollars inside that bracket.
Personal tax Practical guide
Will I get a refund or owe tax? What decides it
It depends on one comparison: the tax already taken off your pay during the year against the tax you actually owe for the year.
Personal tax Practical guide
Filing your taxes in Surrey: what to bring and when it is due
Bring your photo ID, your Social Insurance Number and every tax slip you received.
Personal tax Practical guide
I have not filed taxes for several years. Where do I start?
Start by listing the years you have not filed, then gather whatever slips and records you have.
Small business, GST and payroll
Small business, GST and payroll: topic page with all 7 guides
Small business, GST and payroll Quick guide
5 business expenses you should not assume are 100% deductible
Not every business cost comes off income in full. Meals and entertainment are generally limited to 50%.
Small business, GST and payroll Quick guide
What goes into a business plan for a commercial loan? 7 parts lenders look for
A plan for a lender needs seven things. A clear description of the business. The owner's background.
Small business, GST and payroll Quick guide
7 GST rules small business owners get wrong about the $30,000 threshold
The threshold is $30,000 of taxable sales, not profit. Cross it in one calendar quarter and GST applies from the sale that took you over.
Small business, GST and payroll Practical guide
Do I need to register for GST if I earned less than $30,000?
Usually not, but check two things. First, the $30,000 means your total sales, not your profit.
Small business, GST and payroll Quick guide
You paid yourself a salary from your corporation. Did you forget the payroll remittances?
If your corporation pays you a salary, it is an employer. It must open a payroll account and take CPP and income tax off each pay.
Small business, GST and payroll Quick guide
Uber, Lyft and food delivery: are the GST rules the same?
No. If you drive passengers for a rideshare app, you must register for GST the moment you start earning.
Small business, GST and payroll Quick guide
7 vehicle records business owners should start keeping today
Keep a log of every business trip with the date, where you went, why, and the kilometres.
Corporations
Corporations: topic page with all 7 guides
Corporations Practical guide
Corporate year end: what should you give your tax preparer?
Bring your bookkeeping records for the year. Bring bank and credit card statements.
Corporations Quick guide
Life insurance inside a corporation: 5 tax questions owners should understand
A private corporation that receives life insurance proceeds as beneficiary can add the proceeds, minus the policy's adjusted cost basis, to its capital dividend account.
Corporations Quick guide
What records should a corporation keep before year end? A 10-item check
Have ten things ready before your year end. Every bank and credit card statement.
Corporations Quick guide
7 things to do in the first 30 days after incorporating in BC
Open a bank account in the company's name. Decide how the books will be kept. Set up the CRA accounts the company needs.
Corporations Practical guide
Does an inactive corporation still need to file a T2 return?
Yes. Every resident corporation must file a T2 return for every tax year, even if it had no income, no activity and no tax to pay.
Corporations Quick guide
You incorporated. The CRA could still treat you like an employee: 5 questions about personal services businesses
Having a corporation does not by itself decide how the CRA taxes the income.
Corporations Quick guide
Salary or dividends? 5 questions to ask before paying yourself from your corporation
It depends on you and the company, not on a rule of thumb. Salary is employment income: it builds RRSP room and CPP, but it needs a payroll account and deductions through the year.
Creators and online income
Creators and online income: topic page with all 5 guides
Creators and online income Quick guide
Do I charge GST to a US brand that hired me for content?
Not automatically. Many services supplied to a non-resident person are zero-rated, which means 0% GST.
Creators and online income Quick guide
Paid by brands in the US, India or overseas? 6 tax things Canadian creators should know
If you live in Canada, income from a brand in the US, India or anywhere else goes on your Canadian return.
Creators and online income Quick guide
Does the CRA know what I earned online? Digital platform reporting explained
Increasingly, yes. Reporting rules have been in force since 2024.
Creators and online income Quick guide
When does an influencer need a GST number? 5 things to watch
You must register once your taxable sales pass $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or across the last four quarters together.
Creators and online income Quick guide
Influencer taxes in Canada: 7 types of income creators forget to report
If you live in Canada and earn from content, all of it is reportable. That includes money from platforms, brands and followers.
Food and hospitality
Food and hospitality: topic page with all 9 guides
Food and hospitality Quick guide
Buying an oven, POS system or refrigeration equipment in 2026? What to know about the tax treatment
Under the current rules, a commercial oven, fridge, dishwasher or point-of-sale system is deducted over several years through capital cost allowance.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
Starting a food business from a commissary kitchen? 7 tax and bookkeeping things to set up first
Open a separate business account and track each sales channel on its own. Keep every commissary and storage invoice.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
I sold $100,000 of food but only $65,000 hit my bank. Which number is my revenue?
Your revenue is what customers paid, $100,000 in this example. The $35,000 that never reached the bank is a set of expenses: delivery app commissions, card processing fees, refunds and promotions.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
Is there GST on my food product? 5 rules small food businesses often miss
It depends on the product, not on the fact that it is food. Most basic groceries are zero-rated, so you charge no GST.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
The 50% meal rule has exceptions. What restaurant and hospitality owners should know
The general rule limits meals and entertainment to 50% of the lesser of what you paid and a reasonable amount.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
Opening a second location? 5 accounting systems to fix before you do
Before a second location opens, make sure five systems work at the first one. Sales and costs tracked by location.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
7 numbers every restaurant owner should review before year end
Before year end, look at seven numbers. Sales by channel against the platform reports.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
5 bookkeeping mistakes that make restaurant numbers hard to trust
Restaurant numbers stop being trustworthy for five common reasons. Sales recorded from bank deposits instead of sales reports.
Food and hospitality Quick guide
Restaurant tips: direct tips, controlled tips, and what each means for payroll
It depends on who controls the tip. If the employer collects or decides how tips are shared, they are controlled tips.
Real estate and PREC
Real estate and PREC: topic page with all 7 guides
Real estate and PREC Quick guide
Commercial realtor taxes: 7 records to keep when deals take months to close
When a deal spans two years, the commission is income when it is earned under your agreement, usually at closing.
Real estate and PREC Quick guide
GST on realtor commissions: 5 things new agents often miss
Commissions are taxable for GST. Once your commissions pass $30,000 in a quarter or over four quarters you must register, and most agents cross that line quickly.
Real estate and PREC Quick guide
PREC or no PREC? 7 questions to ask before incorporating as a BC realtor
It depends on your numbers and your plans. A PREC can make sense when you consistently earn more than you need to live on and can leave the rest in the corporation.
Real estate and PREC Practical guide
Your PREC year end: what to gather for your corporate and personal tax appointment
Two sets of records. For the corporation: commission statements, bank and card statements, expense records, GST filings, and a note of every payment from the company to you.
Real estate and PREC Quick guide
Realtor records: what should you keep for 6 years, 7 years, or longer?
For tax, keep your records six years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
Real estate and PREC Quick guide
Realtor vehicle expenses: what your mileage log actually needs
Log every business trip with the date, where you went, why, and the kilometres: showings, listing appointments, open houses, brokerage meetings, inspections, client meetings.
Real estate and PREC Quick guide
Commercial and residential realtors: 7 year-end records to organize before tax season
Have seven things ready. Every brokerage commission statement and referral fee record.
Trucking
Trucking: topic page with all 2 guides
Trucking Tax update
Buying a truck or equipment after September 15, 2026? Do not assume every vehicle gets a 100% write-off
The proposal would let a business deduct the full cost of most equipment in the year it becomes available for use.
Trucking Tax update
CRA reviews of trucking businesses: what owners should know
There are two separate issues. First, if you drive through your own corporation, the CRA may treat it as a personal services business.
Home buyers and property
Home buyers and property: topic page with all 5 guides
Home buyers and property Quick guide
7 basement suite tax mistakes homeowners should avoid
The seven mistakes. Not reporting the rent. Claiming the whole house's costs instead of the suite's share.
Home buyers and property Quick guide
First-time home buyer in BC? 5 tax programs to check before you close
Check five things before you close. The FHSA, where you can save up to $8,000 a year and $40,000 in total, tax free for a first home.
Home buyers and property Quick guide
First-time home buyers' GST rebate: 7 reasons a claim is delayed or refused
Allow about 120 days. The CRA says that from May 11, 2026 it is processing a higher than usual volume of housing rebates, first in, first out.
Home buyers and property Practical guide
Renting out your basement suite: what records should you keep?
Report the rent you receive on your tax return. You can deduct the expenses of the rented part.
Home buyers and property Quick guide
Selling your home? 5 tax things people forget
Even when no tax is owed, the sale of your home must be reported on your tax return for the year of sale.
Family and children
Family and children: topic page with all 4 guides
Family and children Quick guide
Child care costs: 5 rules parents commonly miss at tax time
You can deduct child care paid so you could work, run a business or study, but the claim is capped three ways.
Family and children Quick guide
Your child qualifies for the disability tax credit. What else could that unlock?
Approval of the disability tax credit opens five things. The child disability benefit, up to $3,480 a year for July 2026 to June 2027, paid automatically with the Canada child benefit.
Family and children Quick guide
One child, two children, three: how Canadian family benefits actually change
The Canada child benefit is reduced by a percentage of family income above $38,237.
Family and children Quick guide
Just had a baby in Canada? Your first-year money and tax checklist
Apply for the Canada child benefit as soon as the birth is registered. Keep both parents' tax returns filed every year, because the benefit is recalculated each July from the previous year's income.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP
TFSA, RRSP and RESP: topic page with all 8 guides
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
TFSA, RRSP, RESP or life insurance? Four tools, four different jobs
They solve different problems. A TFSA holds money you have already paid tax on; it grows tax-free and comes out tax-free, and withdrawals do not affect benefits.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
Opened an RESP? How to get the government money you may be entitled to
The basic grant is 20% of the first $2,500 contributed each year, so $500 a year, up to $7,200 in a child's lifetime.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
RRSP in 2026: why the $33,810 limit may not be your limit
Your RRSP deduction limit is personal. It is 18% of your previous year's earned income, up to the annual ceiling ($33,810 for 2026).
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
RRSP refund or bigger child benefit? Why one tax decision can affect another calculation
An RRSP deduction reduces net income on line 23600. The Canada child benefit and BC family benefit are calculated from adjusted family net income, which starts with that line.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
Spousal RRSPs: a useful tax tool with a rule people forget
A spousal RRSP lets the higher-income spouse contribute, within their own room, to a plan the other spouse owns, and take the deduction.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
TFSA in 2026: 7 rules people still get wrong
Seven rules. Your room is the current year's limit plus unused room plus last year's withdrawals minus this year's contributions, so it is personal.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
TFSA or RRSP? Stop asking which one is better
Neither is better in general. An RRSP contribution is deducted from income now and the withdrawal is taxed later.
TFSA, RRSP and RESP Quick guide
What happens to your TFSA, RRSP and life insurance when you die?
Each account is treated differently. A TFSA passed to a spouse named as successor holder stays tax-free.
Insurance
Insurance: topic page with all 7 guides
Insurance Quick guide
Had a baby, got married or bought a home? Review these 7 beneficiary and protection decisions
Seven decisions. Who is the successor holder of your TFSA. Who is the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF.
Insurance Quick guide
Do you need life insurance if you already have a TFSA, RRSP and workplace coverage?
Maybe. Savings and insurance do different jobs. A TFSA or RRSP is an asset that takes years to build and is worth whatever is in it on the day.
Insurance Quick guide
Title insurance, mortgage default insurance, mortgage life insurance and home insurance: what does each one cover?
Mortgage default insurance protects the lender if you stop paying. It is required when the down payment is under 20%.
Insurance Quick guide
Mortgage life insurance and personal life insurance: what is different?
Mortgage life insurance from your lender is optional. It pays the outstanding mortgage balance to the lender rather than to your family.
Insurance Quick guide
Just had a child? 5 questions to ask about life insurance
Ask five things. What would the household need to replace if one parent died, and for how many years.
Insurance Quick guide
Someone promised you a tax-free insurance strategy? 6 questions to ask before signing
Ask six things. Where exactly does the tax saving come from, in the Income Tax Act.
Insurance Quick guide
Term life and permanent life insurance: what should you compare?
Term life insurance pays a benefit if you die within a fixed period, such as 10 or 20 years, or before a set age.
Canada and India
Canada and India: topic page with all 8 guides
Canada and India Quick guide
Aadhaar from outside India: what can be prepared, and what requires being there in person
Aadhaar enrolment is done in person at an enrolment centre in India, because biometrics are captured there.
Canada and India Quick guide
Foreign income and the T1135 form: two different questions
They are two separate questions. Question one: do you have income from outside Canada?
Canada and India Practical guide
Income from India: what should you bring to your Canadian tax appointment?
Bring the Indian documents that show what you earned and what tax was already paid.
Canada and India Quick guide
Canadian resident with income from several countries: what gets reported?
Everything. A resident of Canada reports income from every country on one Canadian return, converted to Canadian dollars.
Canada and India Quick guide
I moved abroad but never told the CRA I was a non-resident. What does that mean?
There is no form that makes you a non-resident.
Canada and India Quick guide
Moving from India to Canada? 5 tax questions to answer in your first year
Five things decide your first Canadian return after moving from India. The date you became a resident of Canada for tax.
Canada and India Quick guide
Paid tax in India? How a foreign tax credit may work in Canada
If you reported Indian income on your Canadian return and paid Indian income tax on it, you can usually claim a foreign tax credit.
Canada and India Quick guide
PAN applications from Canada: which process applies to you?
It depends on two things. Whether you are an Indian citizen or a foreign citizen, including an OCI holder.
Newcomers to Canada
Newcomers to Canada: topic page with all 2 guides
Newcomers to Canada Practical guide
Your first Canadian tax return: what should you bring?
Bring your Social Insurance Number, the date you arrived to live in Canada, and your Canadian income slips.
Newcomers to Canada Quick guide
New to Canada or back after years abroad? Do not use the TFSA limit you see online
Your TFSA room starts when you become a resident of Canada, if you are 18 or older.
Super Visa and parents
Super Visa and parents: topic page with all 3 guides
Super Visa and parents Quick guide
Super Visa family size: the calculation people often get wrong
Count everyone IRCC lists. That means the parents or grandparents applying (and any spouse applying with them) and the host.
Super Visa and parents Tax update
Super Visa income rules changed in 2026: what hosts and parents need to know
Two routes now exist. The host, with a co-signing spouse or partner if any, can show income at or above the minimum for their family size.
Super Visa and parents Quick guide
Super Visa insurance: 5 questions to ask before buying
Before buying, confirm five things. The policy meets IRCC's minimum of $100,000 in emergency coverage.
CRA updates
CRA updates: topic page with all 7 guides
CRA updates Tax update
Co-signed your child's mortgage? What the 2026 bare trust rules may mean for you
A bare trust exists when one person holds legal title but someone else owns the property in substance.
CRA updates Tax update
Does BC charge PST on accounting and bookkeeping now? Not yet
No. Budget 2026 announced that PST would apply to accounting and certain other professional services from October 1, 2026.
CRA updates Tax update
Did your corporation pay tax on the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses? The CRA may be correcting it
The rebate is now non-taxable for all fuel charge years from 2019-20 to 2024-25, under legislation that received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026.
CRA updates Tax update
Before tax season 2027: fix your CRA account now
Starting with the 2026 tax season, which opens February 22, 2027, the CRA is adding an optional authentication step to online filing.
CRA updates Tax update
Key tax dates for the 2026 tax year
For the 2026 tax year, the RRSP deadline is March 1, 2027. Most people file and pay by April 30, 2027.
CRA updates Tax update
The CRA already contacted you. Is it too late for voluntary disclosure? Not always
Not always. Since October 1, 2025 the CRA's Voluntary Disclosures Program accepts prompted applications.
CRA updates Tax update
Can Canadian businesses really write off 100% of new equipment? The 2026 proposal explained
Possibly, for many purchases, but it is a proposal, not yet law. On September 15, 2026 the federal government proposed a new rule.
Elections and campaign finance
Elections and campaign finance: topic page with all 4 guides
Elections and campaign finance Quick guide
The election is over. Now what? 7 records a municipal candidate still needs
The disclosure statement is due within 90 days of general voting day, which for the 2026 local elections means mid-January 2027.
Elections and campaign finance Quick guide
Hosting a campaign fundraiser? 6 things the financial agent should set up before the first ticket is sold
Decide the ticket price with the contribution rules in mind. Elections BC treats part or all of a ticket above a set amount as a contribution to the campaign.
Elections and campaign finance Quick guide
Municipal vs provincial campaign finances in BC: 7 differences candidates should know
They are two different systems under two different laws, both administered by Elections BC.
Elections and campaign finance Quick guide
Running for local office in BC? 7 money and record-keeping rules to set up early
Appoint a financial agent, which can be yourself. Open a dedicated campaign account.
Nonprofits and fundraising
Nonprofits and fundraising: topic page with all 7 guides
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Charity gala? 7 tax-receipt mistakes to avoid before you sell a ticket
Only a registered charity can issue official donation receipts, and only for the eligible amount.
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Does your nonprofit have to file a T1044? Three numbers board members should know
Three tests, any one of which means the return is required.
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Donation or sponsorship? Why the difference matters at your next fundraiser
A gift is a voluntary transfer with nothing of value coming back. Sponsorship is a payment in return for advertising or promotion of the business.
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Fundraising records every organization should keep
For every fundraising activity keep five records. The donor or payer list with amounts and dates.
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Nonprofit does not automatically mean charity: 7 differences every board member should know
They are not the same thing. A registered charity is registered with the CRA and has a charitable registration number.
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Registered charity? 5 things that can put your status at risk
Five things. Not filing the T3010 within six months of the fiscal year end, which the CRA says can lead to revocation.
Nonprofits and fundraising Quick guide
Silent auction fundraiser? 5 things to work out before bidding starts
Set and display the fair market value of every item before bidding opens; without that no receipt can be issued.
Have a question that is not here?
Call us and ask. If it comes up often, we will write it up. Help is available in English, Punjabi and Hindi.