We will be holding at least one Advanced Health Care Planning workshop in November. If you are interested in attending, please call or email our office to be contacted when the date(s) and location are determined. Could your documented and well-known end of life...
We have experienced a unusual situation this summer. For some seniors, their income has been reduced but their personal care home fees have gone up! How and why did this happen? Guaranteed Income Supplement The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) has been reduced for...
Several years ago, in a client presentation, a lawyer stated that your Enduring Power of Attorney document may be more important than your Will. At that time, I did not realize how important their statement was. Since then, I have known a few clients who have become a...
Canadian Dental Care Plan– Seniors or Disability or Children Now Qualify Last December 2023, the federal government announced the introduction of the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). The Plan will help make the cost of dental care more affordable for eligible...
Snowbirds US Tax Return Do you travel to the US for the winter for long periods of time? If so, you may need to file an exception to filing a US tax return that is due June 15 each year. If you don’t want to face some possible penalties, you may need to file a form...
Has Your Marital Status Changed? When your marital status changes, it is important to let various government agencies know. There are many benefits and programs that are based on family income, so these programs need to know about your change in marital status. When...
Bare Trusts: Property, Yes; Bank Accounts, No Some late-breaking good news from CRA Canada Revenue Agency. Reporting on most Bare Trusts is no longer required. On Thursday March 28, mid-afternoon, an announcement came from CRA: NEW – Bare trusts are exempt from trust...
You Have a Bare Trust! The 2023 personal income tax season has been underway since February 19 2024 when CRA opened to e-filing. And for most taxpayers, there are not a lot of changes compared to the 2022 tax year. But there is a major change in reporting Bare Trusts...
Twenty years, 36,000 tax returns, and Wisdom February 2004 was the first time I started preparing tax returns for clients. The first year was very modest: only 40 tax returns. I was a financial advisor at the time and my clients had investments and life insurance that...
The New Canadian Dental Care Plan On December 11 2023, the federal government announced it will introduce the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). The new dental plan will help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for eligible Canadian residents....
Were You Added as a Joint Owner? There have been two recent developments with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in the past couple of years and it may have an impact on more taxpayers than we (tax preparers) originally thought. The intention of this article is to put you on...
A reminder to those who qualify that we are in Period 2 of the Canada Dental Benefit and the Province of Manitoba is still accepting applications for the Hearing Aid Grant Canada Dental Benefit Period 2 Applications for period 2 of the Canada Dental Benefit are as of...
The new Underused Housing Tax came in effect January 1, 2022, and is mostly applicable for those who own residential property in Canada and are NOT Canadian Citizens or are NOT permanent residents. In a nutshell, the UHT is a one-percent tax on the value of...
Income Tested Benefits for Seniors There are many benefits mostly related to seniors that are income tested. The higher your income the less benefit you receive. There are three main ones: Guaranteed Income Supplement, Pharmacare, and Personal Care Home fees....
CRA and Estate Administration Estate administration takes time. A lot of the time is waiting for Canada Revenue Agency CRA. I am currently executor for three different estates and all three are getting near the end; and I can pay out the estate to the beneficiaries...
Grocery Rebate, GST credit, Climate Action Incentive, Manitoba Carbon Tax Relief Fund Every household will be receiving some credits or benefits from CRA Canada Revenue Agency in July 2023. Check your bank account in July for credits on July 5 and/or July 15. Grocery...
The previously announced program will open to applications on June 7. We still don’t know if the application format will be on-line or paper and mailed or both. Are you eligible? You need to be: Resident of Manitoba Be age 65 or over Have a household net income below...
Did you receive your annual letter from Manitoba Health that shows what your 2023 / 2024 Pharmacare Deductible is? The letters are dated mid April 2023. The current deductible is based on the 2021 tax year. Pharmacare is the drug benefit program for eligible...
Provincial and Federal Budgets There were many announcements made by both our provincial government and the federal government during the month of March. Here are a few items that will affect our personal income taxes and some benefits tied to taxable income. MANITOBA...
March 31 Deadlines and Tax Changes for Renters There are two benefits and rebates available:: one for low-income renters and one for those who own farmland. But the deadlines are fast approaching; the deadline for both of them is March 31, 2023. And there are some...
White Envelopes and MB Cheques An interesting notice came out mid January from Service Canada: Your mail from Service Canada “Service Canada usually sends mail in beige envelopes. This year, however, we will be sending your 2022 CPP Canada Pension Plan and OAS Old Age...
Lower Your Family Income and Increase Benefits First, Happy New Year to you and your family; I hope 2023 is a better year for everyone; healthy and more affordable; and I am optimistic that the world finds peace in 2023. There are two family benefits provided by the...
Canada Dental and Housing Benefits The federal government finally released some details about how these two new benefits will be administered and how individuals can apply for the benefits. Both benefits will be administered by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and you will...
Extra GST Credit On October 18, the federal government announced that Canadians who receive the GST Good and Services Tax Credit for the benefit year July 2022 to April 2023, will receive their extra payment early November. Individual Canadians that are eligible will...