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SmartTaxTips
SangitaTulsiani,PayLessTaxes
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
2
TableofContents
Introduction 3
FilingTips 4
EmploymentIncome 5
Deductions&Credits 6
ClaimingYourDeductions&Credits 7
ShouldIIncorporate 9
OfficeExpenses 10
VehicleExpenses 11
BusinessIncome 12
CPPfortheSelf‐Employed 13
NewEmploymentInsuranceRules 14
IncomeSplitting 15
RRSPs 17
TFSAs 19
YouNeedaWill 21
Conclusion 22
AbouttheAuthor 23
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
3
Introduction
Thisbookwaswrittentohelpyougetreadyfortaxseasonand
tohelpyousavetaxes.Istartoffwithimportanttipsabout
filingyourtaxes.
Thenwediscussissuesimportanttoemployeeswhohave
employmentincomewithdeductionsandtaxcredits.Wewill
lookathowtouseataxdeductionwaivertoincreaseyour
monthlyincome.
Nextwelookatselfemployedpeopleandsmallbusiness
owners.Theyhavedeductionswhichmustbehandled
correctlyinordertomaximizetheirbenefit.
Togetherwe’llexaminesomecommoninvestmentpitfallsand
reviewthebestwaytomaximizeyourassetswhileminimizing
yourtaxes.
Finallywewilllookatsomequestionsthatareimportantto
yourfinancialplanandhowtheyaffectyourtaxsituation.
Remember–althoughit’sillegaltoavoidorevadetaxes,it’s
perfectlyokaytominimizetheamountyoumustpay.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
4
FilingTips
Ourfirstfilingtipisthemostimportant.Fileearly.
Individualsdon’thavetofileuntilApril30th,andifyouare
registeredasasmallbusiness,youhaveuntilJune15thto
completeyourtaxes.Youwillgetafasterrefundfasterifyou
haveoverpaid,andthegovernmentowesyou.Avoid
penalties’andinterestbyplanningaheadandpayingbefore
thedeadline.
Secondly,haveallyourpaperworkinorder.Separateyour
personalandbusinessexpenses.Youmightbechargedextra
bookkeepingfeesifyoudumpabigenvelopeofunsorted
receiptsonyourtaxpreparer’sdesk.
Thirdly,ifyouwillbetransferringcertaincreditsbetween
spousesorchildren,bringeveryone’staxpackagesintobe
completedatthesametime.Ifyouusebookkeepingsoftware,
giveyourtaxpreparerbothanelectroniccopyandaprintout.
Don’tforgettobringalonglastyear’snoticeofassessmentto
helpinpickingupdeductionscarriedforwards.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
5
EmploymentIncome
Makeyouremploymentincometaxefficientbynegotiating
non‐taxablebenefitsfromyouremployer.Someofthese
benefitscouldbe:educationcost(foremployer’sbenefit),
premiumforprivatehealthservicesplan,loansfrom
employers(interestbenefittaxed),incity/outofcitytravel
mealallowance,recreational,sportingordiningclubfees(for
employer’sbenefit),homecomputerandinternetservices,
personalcounselling(foryouandyourfamily),contributions
toaregisteredpensionplan,inhousedaycarefacilities,
parkingspace(carneededforemployment),$10000.00death
benefit.Useloyaltyprogrambenefitsearnedthrough
employmentforpersonaluse.
Ifyouareoneofthosepeoplewhogetahugetaxrefund
everyyear,it’spossiblethatyouhavemoredeductionsthan
theaverage.
Alotofpeopleliketogetthatbigrefund,butit’snot
necessarilyagoodthing.Ataxrefundisyourmoneywhichthe
governmentgivesback.Insteadofgivingthegovernmentan
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
6
interestfreeloaneveryyear,youmaybebetterofftokeep
thatmoney,andgetabiggerpaychequeeverymonth.
Ifthereasonforyourbigrefundisaregulardeductionthat
reducesyourtaxes,likeacompanypensionplan,uniondues
ormonthlyRRSPcontributions,thenyoumightbeeligibleto
completeaformT1213SourceDeductionWaiver,andhave
theamountoftaxdeductedfromyourpaychequereduced.
Deductions&Credits
Mostpeopleconfusethedifferencebetweenataxdeduction
andataxcredit.Alotofthingsyoumightthinkarea
deductionareactuallyacredit.
Ataxdeductionissomethingwhichisdeductedfromyour
grossincomebeforetheamountoftaxyouoweiscalculated
includinguniondues,childcareexpenses,RRSPs(Registered
RetirementSavingsPlan),RPPs(RegisteredPensionPlan),etc
aredeductionsfromyourtotalincome.Theyhavedollarto
dollarvalue.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
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Ataxcreditisanamountwhichisdeductedfromthetaxyou
owe.Liketheeducationtaxcreditorthepoliticalcontribution
credit.Theyworklikeyouareapplyingagiftcardforacertain
amounttoreducehowmuchyouneedtopay.Taxcreditsare
sameforeveryone,whereastaxdeductionsarenotsamefor
everyone.
Youusethedeductionstogetyourincomedowntoit’slowest
taxbracket,perhapsbymakingalargeRRSPcontribution.
Thenyoureducetheamountoftaxyouowebyapplyingthe
creditsavailablefromyourcharitablecontributions.
Therearemanytaxcreditsthatyoucantransfertoyour
spouseorfamilymemberifyoudon’tneedthem.
ClaimingyourDeductions&Credits
Whichdeductionsandcreditsyoucanclaimwilldependon
yourownpersonalsituation.Doyouhavechildren?Arethey
inschool?OrUniversity?Areyouresponsibleforadisabled
person?Doyouoryourspousehavemedicalbills?Doyou
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
8
makepoliticalcontributions?Ordonatetoyourchurchor
charity?
Childcareexpensesareusuallyclaimedbythelowerincome
spouse.Don’tforgettoclaimtheChildren’sFitnesstaxcredit.
Ifyouhaveadisabledchild,askaboutthevariousdisability
creditsandbenefitsyoumightbeabletoclaim.Universityand
collegestudentscantransferextracreditstotheirparents.
Medicalexpensescanbecombinedbetweentwospousesand
claimedonthetaxreturnofthelowerincomeearnerasthey
havetobeover3%ofnetyournetincome.Maximizeyour
charitabletaxcreditbycombiningyourdonationswithyour
spouse’sorcombining2yearsworthofdonationstogeta
biggercredit.
Ifyoumovedclosertoworkthisyear,claimthattoo.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
9
ShouldIIncorporate?
Incorporationisahottopic.Andtheansweris–Itdepends.
Ifyouhaveacompanywithanumberofemployees,buildings
andequipment,allofwhichneedtobekeptseparatefrom
yourpersonalproperty,thenyes,youprobablyshould
incorporate.
Ifyouareinabusinessthatmightleaveyouopentotherisk
ofbeingsuedbyacustomer,yes,youshouldincorporate.
Ifyourbusinessismakinglotsofmoney,andyouwouldprefer
toleaveitinthecompanywhereitistaxedatalowerrate,or
payitoutasdividendstaxedatalowerrate,yes,youshould
incorporate.
Ifyouplantobuildupyourbusinessandsellitasasingle
entitytosomeoneelseinthefuture,yes,byallmeans,you
maywanttoincorporate.
Ifyouareasmallbusiness,andalltheincomegoestoyouand
yourspouse,andyoucandeductabunchofpersonalthings
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
10
likeyourhomeoffice,orcars,thenitmaynotbetoyour
benefitto(no,don’t)incorporate.
OfficeExpenses
Ahomeofficeisonlydeductibleifitisyourprincipalplaceof
businessandisused“regularlyandcontinuously”exclusively
foryourbusiness.
CommissionedSalesPeople–Ifyouarerequiredtopaya
shareofthecommonofficeexpenses,supplies,andthecost
ofanassistant,youcandeductallofthese.
Ifyouremployerrequiresyoutomaintainahomeoffice,they
willhavetofilloutaT2200foryou.Thehomeofficewillneed
tobewhereyoucompletethemajorityofyourwork.
IncorporatedorSmallBusinesses–Inadditiontotheusual
suppliesandequipmentexpenses,youcanclaimhomeoffice
expensesequaltothepercentageofyourhomethatisused
forbusiness.Ifyouuse15%ofthesquarefootageofyour
home,thenyoucanclaim15%oftheheat,hydro,cellphone,
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
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businessphone(nothomephone),propertytaxesand15%of
theinterestonyourmortgage.*Note;thisistheinterestonly,
nottheprincipal.Youwillhavetogetanannualstatementof
interestfromyourmortgageprovidereveryyear.
VehicleExpenses
Youmustkeepavehiclelog.Thisshouldincludebusiness
miles(kilometres)driven,dates,namesandeventsattended.
Includealllicencesandinsurance,gasreceipts,oilchanges,
carwashes,maintenanceandrepairs.
Thepercentageofautomobileexpensesyoucandeductis
basedonthepercentageofkmsyoudriveforbusiness
purposes,comparedtothekmsforpersonaluse.Forexample,
ifyoudrive20,000kmsperyearandyoudrove10,000for
yourbusiness,youmaybeabletodeducthalfofyourtotal
expenses.
CanadaRevenueAgencyhasseta$30,000dollarlimitonthe
deductiblepriceofavehicle.Ifyouaredrivingacompanycar
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
12
worthmorethan$30,000youcanbeonthehookforanextra
taxablebenefit.Ifyouwantafanciercar,youmightactually
bebetterofftopurchaseorleasethecaryourself,andthen
directlydeductthepercentagewhichyouuseforbusiness
purposes.
Ifyouhavepurchasedorleasedanewcarinthepastyear,
makesurethatyougiveyourtaxpreparerthepurchaseor
leasedocumentssothattheycancalculateyourCapitalCost
Allowance(depreciation),orleaseexpense.
BusinessIncome
Oneoftheadvantagesofhavinganincorporatedbusinessis
thatyouhaveanumberofchoicesinhowyoupayyourself.Of
coursethefirstoptionistopayyourselfasalary.Butyoudon’t
wanttopayyourselfsomuchthatyoubumpyourselfintothe
toptaxbracket.
Payingoutcorporateprofitsintheformofadividendcanlet
youpaylesstax.Itisalsoagoodwaytosplitincomeby
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
13
makingyourspouse,childrenandotherfamilymembers
shareholderswhowillalsoreceivedividendpayments.
Ifyouputalotofcapitalintothebusinesstogetitstarted,
youmightconsidertakingarepaymentofcapital,whichcould
betaxfree.
CPPfortheSelfEmployed
SelfemployedpeopledohavetopayCanadaPensionPlan
(CPP),contributionsonemploymentincomefromtheir
business,notincludinginvestmentincomepaidoutas
dividendsorreturnofcapital.It’sabitmorecomplicatedthan
forotheremployees,becauseyoupayitout,andthenclaimit
backasacredit.
Youhavetopaybothemployerandemployeeportionsof
CPP.Thenyoucanclaimbackadeductionequaltothe
employer’sshareonthetaxreturn.Youarealsoentitledto
claimthestandard15%creditontheemployee’sshare.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
14
Thebenefitofcourse,isthatyouwillbeabletoclaimCanada
PensionPlanbenefitswhenyouretire.Youwillalsobeableto
claimCPPdisabilitybenefitsifyouqualifyatsometimeinthe
future.
NewEmploymentInsuranceRules
Itusedtobethatselfemployedpeoplecouldn’tclaim
EmploymentInsurance,andthereforeweren’tsupposedto
payEI.
However–BeginninginJanuary2011,selfemployedpeople
willbeabletopayintoEmploymentInsuranceiftheywish,
andwillbeentitledtoclaimlimitedspecialbenefits.
YoumustpayintoEIforafull12monthsbeforeyouwillbe
eligibletomakeaclaimformaternity,paternal,sicknessand
compassionatecarebenefits.
Sinceyouwillnotbeeligibletoclaimforbeingunemployed,it
isuptoyoutodecideifitisworthwhiletopayintothe
system.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
15
IncomeSplitting
Incomesplittingcanbeaveryeffectivemethodofreducing
taxesinafamilywhereonepersonearnssignificantlymore
moneythantheother.Inorderforittowork,youhaveto
followtherulesverycarefully,andmakesurethatyouwatch
outforacoupleofpitfalls.
TheAttributionRulesaysthatifyoutransferanincome
producingassettoafamilymemberinordertoavoidtaxes
youcangetstuckwiththeirtaxbill.Toavoidthis,theasset
mustbetransferredatfairmarketvalue.Inotherwords,you
can’tjustputarentalpropertyinyourwife’sorchild’sname.
Youmustbecompensatedbyeitheradirectpaymentoraby
aloansecuredbyapromissorynoteonwhichinterestispaid.
Beforeyoudoanyofthis,youshouldtalktoyourtaxadvisor
aboutwhetherthiswilltriggeracapitalgainorlossorother
taxableevent.TherearealsoanumberofAntiavoidanceRules
theycantellyouabout,theseaffectthecorrectwayto
transferassetstoFamilyTrusts,ormakeloanstofamily
memberstobuyincomeproducingpropertyorassets.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
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Sowhatisthecorrectwaytosplitincome?Youcanchoosea
numberofmethods,eachofwhichwilldependonyour
family’sspecificcircumstances.
Spouseshavethemostoptions.Ifyouownabusiness,youcan
hireyourspouseorchildren,buttheirpaymustreflectthejob
theyaredoing.Youcan’tpaya12‐year‐old$50,000ayearto
sweepoutthegarageeverySaturday.Giftstoadultchildren
toinvest,andgiftstominorchildrenorgrandchildrentoinvest
canrunafouloftheantiavoidancerules,andtriggeracapital
gaininyourname.
Businessownerscanassignsharestofamilymembers,and
paythemdividendsfromtheprofitsofthebusiness.Youcan
lendyourspouseorchildmoneytobuyanincomeproducing
assetlikestocks,bonds,rentalpropertyoranotherbusiness,
butmakesureyougetpaidinterestontheloan,noorlow
interestloanwon’twork!TheloanmustbeatCRA’s
prescribedrateofinterest,theprescribedcurrentrateof
interestis1%.Lockitinnow!!!!
YoucanalsocontributetoaSpousalRRSPwhichwillhelpeven
outyourincomeinretirement.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
17
Whenyouretire,youcanassignthetaxableportionofyour
pensionincome,includingyourCPPpaymentsbetweentwo
spouse’staxreturnsinordertoloweryourtaxbracketand
paylesstax.Thepensionitselfisnotsplit,justhowitis
reportedonthetaxreturn.
RRSPs
YourRegisteredRetirementSavingsPlanisoneofyourmost
importanttaxplanningandretirementplanningtools.
HowmuchyoucanputintoanRRSPiscalculatedonhow
muchyouearnedlastyear,plusanycontributionroomyou
didn’tusefrompreviousyears.
IfyouhaveanumberofyearsworthofavailableRRSPspace,
maxingoutyourlimitcanreduceyourtaxesallthewayto
zerointheyearthecontributionismade.Ifyouhaveroomto
contributemorethantheamountwhichwillreduceyouto
zero,youcancarrythatovertothenextyear,andclaimit
againstnextyear’staxes.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
18
Sometimesyouknowthatyouaregoingtoreceivealarge
bonus,orbuyoutpackage,orotherincomeinthecoming
year.YoucanmakeyourregularRRSPcontributionsthisyear
anddelayclaimingthemuntilnextyear,whentheycanhelp
reducethetaxwhichwillbedueonthatlargebonus.
Makeyourcontributionearly;youmightaswellhavethe
moneyearningyouinterest.Orarrangeformonthly
contributions.Yourbankorinvestmentadvisorcansetupa
monthlyinvestmentplanthatwillkeepyouontrack.
Someemployersmatchtheiremployee’sRRSPcontributions
orcontributesomuchperhourworked.Ifyouremployerdoes
this,youshouldparticipateintheprogram,it’slikegettinga
monthlyraiseequaltotheamounttheyputintoyour
retirementaccount.
Ifyouarebehindonyourcontributions,youcanborrow
moneytotopupyourRRSPs.Butbeverycareful,youshould
onlydothisifyouknowyoucanpayofftheloanwithinone
year.Thiscanalsobeagoodstrategyifyouknowthatyouwill
beenteringahighertaxbracketnextyear.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
19
Generallyspeaking,withdrawingmoneyfromyourRRSP
beforeretirementmaybeabadidea,andyouwillbecharged
incometaxatyourhighestmarginalrateifyoutakeany
moneyout.Ifyouthinkyoumightneedsomeofthismoney
beforeretirement,youmaywanttoputitinaTaxFree
SavingsAccount(TFSA)instead.
TaxFreeSavingsAccount
TaxFreeSavingsAccounts(TFSA)arenewenoughthatalotof
peoplestilldon’tunderstandhowtheyworkandwhattheir
benefitsare.
BasicallyaTFSAisnottoodifferentfromanRRSP.InaRRSP
youputthemoneyin,andgetataxdeduction.Whenyoutake
themoneyout,youpaythetaxes.
ATFSAworkstheoppositeway.Whenyouputthemoneyin,
thereisnotaxdeduction,andwhenyoutakethemoneyout,
youpaynotaxesontheprincipalorontheinterestandgains
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
20
yourmoneyearned.SoforaRRSP,youpaythetaxeslater,for
aTFSAyoupaythetaxesatthebeginning.
ThereareafewotherdifferencesthatmakeTFSAsagoodway
tosave.Everyonegetsa$5,000limitperyear.Thatmeans
thatpeoplewhodon’tearnanincome,orearnmorethanthe
RRSPmaximumcanstillputawaymoney.
YoucantakemoneyoutofaTFSAanytimewithoutpenalty.
Butifyoudon’tneedthemoney,itcansittherehappily
growingtaxfree.
YoucanuseaTFSAtosaveforahouse,buildupanestegg,
investforretirementorputmoneyawaytotakeayearoffto
haveababy.It’suptoyou.
OneofthemajormistakespeoplemakewithTFSAsis
assumingthattheyarejustaplainoldsavingsaccountlikeat
thebankwhichpaysatiny2%interest.Thisisn’ttrue.
YoucanhaveaTFSAGICaccount.YoucanhaveaTFSA
investmentaccountwithStocksandBonds.Youcanhavea
TFSAmutualfundaccount.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
21
Sinceeveryoneovertheageof18getsa$5,000limit,evenif
theyaren’tworking,aTFSAisaperfectwayforgrandparents
tohelpouttheirgrandchildren,bygiftingthemwithupto
$5,000ayearintheiraccounts.
YouNeedaWill
Asthenamesuggests“itmustbeyouwhodecideshowyour
estateisdistributeduponyourdeath.”Ifyoudon’thaveawill,
youareallowingthegovernmenttodecidewhathappensto
yourmoney,yourpropertyandyourminorchildrenifyoudie.
Ifyoumakeawillwithoutconsultingalawyerandyourtax
advisor,youruntheriskofthegovernmentscoopingupmore
thantheirfairshareoftaxesandprobatefees.
Awillmadewithoutproperadvicealsorunstheriskofbeing
declaredinvalid.Yourwillmustbeinaccordancewiththe
FamilyLawActorbeneficiariescangotocourtandpetitionto
getitthrownout.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
22
Ifyouareleavingyourprincipalresidencetosomeone,
considerhavingitmadeinjointtenancywiththem,sothatit
doesn’thavetobeincludedinprobate.Transferringassetsto
acorporation(estatefreeze)andmakingmultiplewillsalso
helpsyou“Liverichanddiepoor”.
Askifan“alterego”or“jointpartner”trustisrightforyour
personalandtaxsituation.Thiscanallowyoutotransfer
assetsoutsidethewill,againavoidinginclusioninprobate.
Conclusion
Ihopeyouenjoyedthisdigitalbook.Mygoalistoremindyou
tofileyourtaxesontime,takeadvantageofallthedeductions
thatofferedbyCRAsoyoucanpaylesstaxesandtoconsult
withyourincometaxexperttofilecorrectly.
Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorneedmyhelp,including,advice
aboutyourpreviousyearstaxes,orhelpingyoucreatea
businessortaxplan–Iwouldlovetohearfromyou.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
23
AbouttheAuthor
SangitaTulsianiisanincometaxexpertwhohashelped
thousandsofherclientssavetaxessince1993.Hergoalisto
workwitheachindividualclienttoreducetheirtaxburden.
Togetherwithherclientssheplans,educatesandensuresyou
paytheleastamountoftaxes.
Sheworkswithsmallbusinesses,RealEstateInvestors,small
corporationsandregularpeople.Hertaxtipshavebeen
publishedinMississaugaNewsandacrossotherwebsites.
Herclientssaythattheyappreciatethepersonaltouch,the
honestyandtherelationshipthatisbuiltovertheyears.
ThisE‐Bookwaswrittentohelpyourealizethatyoutoocan
savetaxes(evenifyoudon’thaveabusiness)justlikemanyof
Sangita’sclientsandyoudonotneedtospendhundredsof
dollarsdoingyourtaxes.
Disclaimer:Thisbookisnotintendedasasubstituteforprofessional,
personal,taxadvice.Pleaseconsultyourtaxpreparerforadvicerelated
toyourownpersonalcircumstances.
SmartTaxTipsbySangitaTulsiani
24
Sangita Tulsiani Pay Less Taxes 38VespahillsCrescentBrampton,OntarioL6P2V2905.915.3399www.pay_less_taxes.comsangita@pay_less_taxes.com
©copyrightSangitaTulsiani2011