Are your clients owed money by CRA? As of March 31, 2025, the CRA holds about 10.2 million uncashed cheques totalling $1.7 billion. In your view, why is this happening? We put that question to our readers last months and as usual, their comments were insightful:
While taxpayers can claim a variety of medical expenses, there are certain costs related to health that are not eligible for claims. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) outlines these exceptions in their Medical Expense Guide RC4065. The list includes:
Employers are required by law to deduct taxes from your pay and remit them on your behalf. That means the first dollars you earn every day go to the federal and provincial governments. Worse, the tax tables employers must use are skewed against you too. Consider how sizable the average tax refund in Canada is: about $2,200 or approximately $184 a month. That’s money you could be putting to use for your own financial future, rather than waiting until four or five months after the end of the year for it.
Congratulations to Alec Lui on the completion of the MFA-P Designation program! Alec started his career in 2020 as an advisor and in 2022 joined the insurance carrier as a wholesaler to partner with advisors to help Canadians protect what matters most to them. Hear what he has to say about his experience with the program:
Bare trusts have been the subject of extensive filing controversies. They have been commonly used to hold family cottages and other properties, to avoid probate, or for privacy purposes. CRA will not require bare trusts to file a T3 Income Tax and Information Return (T3 return), including Schedule 15 (Beneficial Ownership Information of a Trust) for the 2023 or 2024 tax year, unless they make a direct request. But, we are now in 2025 and professionals and their clients need to know the rules.
Statistics Canada has recently released statistics about the incredible opportunities for career starts and advancement in the tax preparation industry.
The RWM™ (Real Wealth Manager) is the designation of choice for independently minded advisors who want to practice in a truly holistic framework using a multi-generational approach to wealth management. It is also the designation that indicates the skills to manage strategic focus within an inter-advisory team required to make joint-decisions with higher net worth clients. Finally, you’ll be connected to an incredibly talented, national network of RWMs. Find out more below:
Do you believe Canada’s tax system based, on self-assessment, has suffered under recent changes at CRA and by Finance Canada? If so, what is the one wish you have for tax reform?