If you qualify for the Care Giver Credit and have not been using it, we may be able to recapture up to $8.000.00 in credits for you. Contact Ken Pope for further details.
Prior to 2017, the caregiver amount, comes into effect when there is a person, older that 18 years of age, who resides with you at some point during the year, is dependant on you, due to mental or physical infirmity, has an income of less than $14,000.00 per year for you to receive the maximum tax credit, and must be a family member.
Starting in 2017 the caregiver amount can be used whether or not your family member lived with you during the year. As our population ages, more and more people found themselves caring for their elderly parents whom did not live in the same household, as such, starting in 2017, the reside with criteria was removed and now anyone who cares for a family member with a mental or physical infirmity is able to use the caregiver amount.
The eligibility for the caregiver amount is effected by the dependant’s net income, and conflicts with the use of other tax credits. Only one of the credits can be used in most family situations. If a child over 18 receives Ontario Disability Support Program payments or a senior gets the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the persons modest income will not erode the tax credit used by the caregiver, but the same modest income will completely erode other tax credits that may be being used.
What the booklet does not tell you is that, if you failed to apply for the caregiver amount, you may backfile, going back as far as 10 previous years, presuming the person with disabilities was over 18 for all of those years. With the taxation system as complicated as it is, it is good to know that you have another kick at the can. It doesn’t have to be Tax time. Any time is the time to revise past omissions or errors. Using line 315 should put about $600 a year in your pocket.