5 Smart Tax Tips for Families and Individuals Living in Vaughan

Tax season is usually an experience of uncertainty and anxiety among many residents within York Region. As Canada’s tax laws are constantly evolving, there are various methods that would help save more money that people earn and yet many people in Vaughan ignore. No matter if you have two sources of income from working at home in Woodbridge, working remotely using your computer in Maple, or a commuter who works near Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, it is essential to customize your tax plan accordingly through a tax accountant in Vaughan.

Five useful tax tips tailored to Vaughan taxpayers. 

Maximizing the Canada Child Benefit and Childcare Expense: 

The child-specific tax measures in Vaughan provide one of the largest deductions available for families raising their children.

  • Based on: The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a non-taxable cash transfer sent monthly to qualifying families to assist them in raising their children below the age of 18. The CCB is linked directly to the Net Family Income and thus any strategy to reduce your Net Family Income will automatically increase your monthly CCB payments for the next year.
  • Based on: It is important to claim all the eligible childcare expenses such as daycare, extracurricular activity costs, and day camps during school vacation. To get the maximum deduction, childcare expenses should usually be claimed by the spouse with the lowest net income. Receipts from your childcare providers in Vaughan should be kept on hand as the CRA often audits them. 

Leverage Northern Ontario Against Local Realities: 

Take advantage of the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit (OEPTC)Vaughan’s real estate market and cost of living calls for proactive budgeting. Good thing Ontario provides specific credits on energy and property taxes. 

  • The Strategy: The Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit (OEPTC) is a benefit meant for low and moderate-income Ontarians to offset the cost of their property taxes and sales tax on energy in Ontario.
  • The Action Plan: Even if you do not qualify because of your high income from a dual job salary, young professionals who are renting condos near the subway line or older people on fixed incomes need to compute this credit. Homeowners are required to enter the total property tax paid to the City of Vaughan for the entire calendar year. Renters have to determine the total rent paid.

Deduct Vaughan-specific Travel and Commuting Expenses (for Business and Medical Purposes): 

Vaughan is one of the biggest commuter centers where the citizens make use of TTC subways, GO transit, and 400-series highways on a daily basis. However, although the daily commutation expense towards one’s employment place cannot be deducted, certain instances permit deduction of commuting expense. 

  • The Way To Go: In case you are self-employed, freelance, or are an employee who needs to use your personal vehicle due to terms stated in your contract, you can deduct your motor vehicle expense. Also, if you have to go out of town to receive specialized medical attention, you can claim travel expenses. 
  • The Steps to Take: In case you have to travel more than 40 kilometers one-way from your Vaughan residence to receive medical services not available in your locality, you may deduct travel expenses under METC.

Leveraging Registered Accounts Strategically (RRSPs vs. TFSAs): 

In Vaughan, there is a relatively high proportion of professionals and business owners that need to create wealth without being burdened with high taxes. Rather than paying income taxes on your earnings, contributing to an RRSP will help lower your taxable income for the current tax period, thus making RRSP perfect for high-income earners. Unlike RRSP, TFSA is not a tax reduction plan because you make contributions to it from after-tax money; however, your investment grows without any taxation involved. 

  • Action Plan: If your family income is at its peak, contribute to your RRSP in order to receive a good tax refund, which you can reinvest in your TFSA or RESP account. 

Pool Charitable Contributions and Medical Expenses for Your Family: 

Under the CRA guidelines, it is possible to pool certain tax credits on one single tax return to maximize savings. 

  • The Strategy: In the case of charitable donations and medical expenses, there are thresholds beyond which the tax credits improve significantly. For charitable contributions, the percentage improves dramatically after the amount of $200. For medical expenses, you are only able to deduct those which surpass 3% of your income (or the benchmark set out). 
  • The Strategy: Gather all the family donations—charities, community centers, and religious donations in Vaughan—and file them on the tax return of the high-income earning partner, as the tax credit percentage will be improved significantly. When it comes to medical expenses, pool them all on the tax return of the lower-income earning partner. 

Want to maximize your personal deductions or clear up past-due returns? Visit your nearby tax accountant in Mississauga today! 

Conclusion  

Tax planning is not a one-off process, which occurs only in April; rather, it is a round-the-year process. This may be tricky business, and one may miss a single deduction, which would amount to loss of thousands of dollars by the household. It may be worthwhile to consider associating yourself with a Certified Real Accountant in Vaughan. Many experienced teams also feature a dedicated tax accountant in Toronto ready to streamline your corporate filings and protect your small business.