Tips to do your own taxes Canada – Taxes in Canada need doing and you want to do your own? Lets look at some tips….

In many instances in Canada you will find that you need to file your own taxes. Doing them yourself isn’t usually that hard if you keep yourself organised.

Tips to do your own taxes Canada

Tips to do your own taxes Canada

I lived in Canada for two years so had to file for both of these years. As it was a new tax system to me I had to learn from the ground up but the basics are pretty much the same as anywhere in the world just with a few small specific things. Here are some of my tips.

One very important thing to remember is that often in Canada you will have to file two sets of taxes, one to the CRA, Canadian Revenue Agency, and one to your Provincial tax office, for example Revenue Quebec in Quebec. This is a small detail that could be easy to miss!

You need to make sure that you have your documents such as wage slips, tax forms you have been sent and given by your employer and all receipts for any things you are going to claim.

It’s important to read the guidebook for each of your tax forms properly. These are often available (along with the tax return forms) either online or from a local post office. Make sure that you get all supporting documents here.

You should be able to file all your taxes online unless you have special circumstances, often this is the easiest option.

If you are submitting forms by hand you can deliver them straight to the tax offices for quick processing. Post is fine too but just get them in early.

It’s easy to say but doing your taxes early will ensure any mistakes can be corrected before tax becomes due. This is especially good if you have overcalculated how much you need to pay!

It’s in the interest of the tax office for your taxes to be done with as few mistakes as possible so if you have any questions or problems at all give them a phone call. I have called many times and found people very willing to help. In some cases you can even go into the office and have someone help you through some details, it saves costs of an accountant!

Take your time with your taxes, set aside a relaxed day and get some of your favorite treats in with some beer or wine aside as a reward for the completion. We used to have tax days where a few friends would come round and we would all do our taxes together and then celebrate together!

Taxes seem scary and we tend to put them off but really if you read all questions they tend to be pretty easy, just extremely tedious. Keep everything filed as the year goes on and make sure you don’t throw anything away. Of course if it really does get too hard you can enlist some help from an accountant but it’s often good if that can be avoided!

Do you have any additional tips to add for doing your own taxes in Canada?

Related: Canada Inheritance Tax

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