The Gateway:  Maximizing the Impact of the Disability Tax Credit

In addition to reducing income tax through a non-refundable credit, the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) serves as a gateway to a wide range of additional tax benefits and government programs. Eligibility for the DTC can unlock enhanced credits, financial supplements, and long-term savings opportunities that go well beyond the tax return. Understanding how the DTC connects to these broader supports is essential for maximizing financial stability—both for individuals living with disabilities and the family members who support them.  Unfortunately, many taxpayers miss this credit and their tax and financial advisors can certainly help when this happens.

The Canada Caregiver Credit (CCC), new in 2017, is still poorly understood and a complicated tax break to explain. For these reasons, many Canadians have missed claiming it. Tax and financial advisors who really want to help families under medical stress can make a big financial difference will add it to their year-end review and adjust 2017 tax returns for missed claims.

Resources for family caregivers in Canada are improving— a necessity, considering three in ten people over the age of fifteen have taken on the responsibility of caring for a family member, according to a 2012 Statistics Canada report.* However, the Employment Insurance Family Caregiver Benefit and the Canada Caregiver Credit continue to be underutilized and poorly understood.

Ian Wood, Assistant Vice President, Business Development, at Cardinal Capital Management, Winnipeg, is a graduate of Knowledge Bureau’s Master Financial Advisor (MFA™) and Real Wealth Manager (RWM™) programs. He says that his Knowledge Bureau education has helped him differentiate himself from his competitors, by providing him with a more detailed understanding of tax and financial planning topics. Here’s his story.

Single, self-employed Canadians have struggled with mortgage lending requirements for many years. But that’s all about to get easier starting on October 1, as new guidelines will improve borrowing eligibility of current or aspiring proprietors.

What is the difference between a tax preparer or practitioner and a tax specialist? In a word: advice. The tax preparation industry is in the midst of an enormous transformation, and new entrants must educate toward that change. But, why is that and what does that really mean?

CRA audit activities extended to those who claim Disability Tax Credits (DTCs), especially diabetics and children with autism, has continued to raise the ire of taxpayers. The $1.3 Billion in tax relief has been inconsistently applied and retroactively disallowed. But if you qualify, you could go back and recover that lucrative tax credit – all the way back to 2008.