Filing Tax Returns: Tips and Benefits

Filing a tax return is crucial to calculate and claim deductions, credits, and benefits accurately, ensuring compliance and maximizing returns.

### Filing Your Taxes with the Canada Revenue Agency: Tips, Benefits, and Contacting the CRA
* 💡 Filing an income tax return helps **calculate the tax you owe for the year** and **claim deductions and credits to reduce your tax payable**.
* 💸 Deductions reduce your income, while **non-refundable credits lower the tax you pay**, and **refundable credits can give you money back**.
* 🎓 Students can often claim the **non-refundable tuition tax credit**, which can be **carried forward or transferred to parents**.
* 💰 A "tax return" is the form you fill out to report your income and claim deductions and credits, while a "tax refund" is the **money you get back** after filing your return.
* 📅 Most tax slips, like the T4, are usually issued by the end of February, and it's important to **gather them to file your return**.
* 💻 Registering for CRA My Account allows you to **view and manage your tax and benefit information online**.
* ☎ When contacting the CRA's contact centre, having your **SIN, recent Notice of Assessment, and relevant forms or slips ready** can help the process go smoothly.

CC (Host): Hey there and welcome to the premiere episode of Taxology, the new podcast from the Canada Revenue Agency. I know what you're thinking, but don't turn this off. We promise you're in for a good show. We'll help you prepare for tax season by offering a few tips and tricks you should know when filing your return, and also tell you about the benefits and credits you may qualify for. I'm your host, CC, and on today's episode, we'll be talking about all things tax returns. I know, doing your taxes is not a fun yearly task, but there are benefits to doing your taxes for many Canadians, especially younger filers and those doing their very first return. But on this episode, we'll help make sure you have all of the info and slips you need to actually file yourself. We'll also discuss some tips for contacting the CRA in case you have any questions or need help.

when filing. Joining us on the show are two CRA 
employees to give you their own tax season tips,   like using our online and digital services, common 
tax slips and where you can get them, refundable   and non-refundable credits and so much more.
So with that being said, it's my great pleasure   to turn it over to our guests. Hope you enjoy!
CC: Our first guest is Nathan. Nathan,   tell us a bit about yourself.
Nathan: Hey, it's great to be   here today. I work in headquarters for the CRA 
team that is responsible for our call centres,   or as we call them now, our contact centres, 
because we're answering questions by chat as well.  So our agents help Canadians with their tax 
filing questions. We help make some changes   and requests over the phone. I have been involved 
with this program and with talking to Canadians   about their income tax and benefit questions 
for over 20 years now. So I have answered

our phone calls. I have trained our agents.
I have talked to community outreach groups. I've been part of the community volunteer income 
tax program. Believe it or not, it's a lot of fun for me answering questions about income tax.
CC: That's awesome. I have so much anxiety in just picking up the phone and calling, so I'm 
really, really excited for the online chat. What is something that I should 
know before I get started, like before I call or before I get on a chat?
Nathan: Sure. And you know what I'll say, it's funny that I work in the call centre 
program because I'm the same way. I hate calling. I spoke to taxpayers on the phone 
for years, but I hate picking up the phone. So I am also very excited about chat for 
that reason. I think there are a few key things to know. These days, I mean, software 
is better than ever when it comes to helping

people prepare their tax return. What 
this means is a lot of folks are filing   their tax return without really having 
an understanding of what they're doing.  Like, why am I filing a tax return in the 
first place? So I think the first thing   that I would like to stress is, you know, what 
it is that you're doing when you're filing a   tax return if that's okay to go into.
CC: So what do you have to do? Like,   why are we filing a tax return at all?
Nathan: For sure. A lot of the items   that you include on a tax return, the CRA 
has on file, but we don't have everything.  So the point of filing an income tax return 
is to calculate the amount of tax that you   have to pay for the year. And then compare that 
against all the items that we don't know about.   That could mean that you've already paid tax, 
that you're entitled to get some credits and

some deductions. So what we're doing on 
the tax return is a few different steps.  So a tax return is done in order to calculate 
the amount of tax that you have to pay for   the year. A lot of Canadians, especially if 
they're employees, have tax taken right off   of their income during the year, so they don't 
really have to pay at year-end. But you still   want to do a tax return so that you can compare 
the amount of tax you did pay during the year   with what you really do have to pay at the end, 
right? Once you take into account the deductions,   the credits that you're entitled to claim.
Even if you don't have to pay tax,   it can still be a good idea to file a tax 
return. So you still want to file a return,   especially for younger taxpayers if you are 
a student. You want to get credit for the   tuition that you've paid during the year. We can 
talk a bit more about that later on, why that's

so useful. But you want to make sure you get the 
credits and the benefits you're entitled to. And the only way to do that is by filing a tax return.
So basically what we're doing on the return is we are reporting the income that we've earned 
from all of our sources, right? Whether that's just your employment income, whether 
you had investment income, whether you were self-employed. And then we are claiming items 
that will reduce the amount of tax that we pay on that income. So there are three different 
kinds of things basically that you claim on a tax return that I think it's useful to break down.
Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but they do have a meaningful difference. So there 
are deductions. Deductions are amounts that are subtracted from your income. So, if you have less 
income, that's less income to pay tax on. It also means that if you are deducting amounts from 
your income, if those lower your net income,

that can affect your eligibility for benefits that are based on your income. So deductions can be things like contributing to an RRSP, you know, gives you a deduction. If you pay union dues, that's deducted from your income. Then there are credits, and there are two different kinds of credits. There are what we call non-refundable credits, sort of an awkward term. But a non-refundable credit lowers the amount of tax you pay. It doesn't reduce your income, but it does lower the amount of tax you pay, but it doesn't give you a refund on its own. So a non-refundable credit can reduce your income to zero. And that is items like the medical expense tax credit, the tuition credit, the different types of credits that can be claimed for dependents that you're supporting during the year if you are a single parent, for instance, claiming an eligible dependent. The other type of credit is a refundable credit.

So a refundable credit can give you a refund. 
It can give you money back in your pocket. So, it reduces the amount of tax you pay if you had 
any. And, you know, can just give you money back. The big refundable credit for most people is the 
tax that they've already paid during the year, right? Tax withheld from your paycheck. 
That's a refundable credit. It also can be, if it's the first year you've claimed it, 
something like the Canada workers benefit or the Canada training credit. Those 
directly provide refunds back to you. So you want to file a tax return so that we've 
taken into account all of these items that the CRA may not know about until you claim them. 
All of your deductions, all of your credits, so that you get all the credits and 
benefits that you're entitled to receive. CC: So are you saying that I can claim my tuition?
Nathan: I am saying that you can claim your

tuition. And that is absolutely one of the most common tax credits that younger people in general and students specifically can claim. So there is a tuition tax credit on the tax return. It is a non-refundable tax credit. So like we said before, that's something that can reduce the amount of tax that you have to pay for the year. It doesn't necessarily give you a refund though. Now with the tuition tax credit, there are a few items to consider. So the tuition tax credit, because it's non-refundable, doesn't necessarily give you a tax advantage if you don't have taxable income that you would have to pay tax on, right? So if you're a student, if you're not working or if you have only a small amount of income that you wouldn't have to pay tax on, it might not actually give you a benefit for the year. You should still file a return and you should still claim that tuition credit because two

different things can happen. A tuition credit, if you don't need it, can be transferred to an individual who's supporting you, right? So most often, that will be parents who are helping a student with their living expenses with their tuition, right? So a lot of students will transfer the tuition credit that they don't need to their parents. Their parents claim that transfer on their return and get to use that credit to reduce their tax payable. If you don't use it in the year and you don't transfer it, it will be carried forward for you, right? So that can accumulate over the years that you don't use it and provide you a benefit once you start working. Once you have income that you're paying tax on that you need to offset, sort of give you a break that first year or two.
CC: What is the difference between a tax return and a tax refund? I always get those terms mixed up.

Nathan: That is a fantastic question. I’ll tell you what, I have been talking to people about income taxes for about 20 years now. I've been seeing people talk on social media about income tax issues for years and I think more and more people are getting confused about what those terms mean, right? So I see a lot of people say “tax return”, when what they mean is the thing that the CRA calls a “tax refund”. When the CRA says “tax return”, we mean the form that you fill out in paper or electronically using software to report all of your income, to claim all of your deductions and your credits and you return that information to us. You are filing a tax return. And then a refund is the amount of money you get back after filing your return, right? We refund you the difference between the tax that you are due to pay for the year and the tax that you've already paid, right? Adding in all of the

deductions and credits that you're entitled to get. Refund is the money you get back. CC: Nice. What is the first thing that you would want to tell someone for the first time they're filing their taxes? Nathan: Okay. For the first time that someone is filing, you want to make sure that you have all the information you need to complete a tax return, right? So we talk a lot in our publications and on our website about slips, right? Get all of your slips. Once upon a time, these were paper slips. Not so much the case anymore. And the slip that most people would be familiar with is their T4 slip, right? So that is the statement from your employer about the amounts that you earned during the year and all of the payroll deductions that were taken, right? So the Canada pension plan contributions, the employment insurance contributions, union dues if you had any, that the tax that was withheld off your paycheck and that's

totaled up at the end of the year and sent 
to you. Once upon a time as a physical slip,   more and more now just as something online 
that's emailed to you or that you log in and get.  And those types of slips are required for most 
of the types of income that are paid. If you   have investment income, you maybe get a T5 slip 
from your financial institution. There are also   slips that are used to report amounts that you 
paid like the tuition receipt that is issued   by a university or a college, the T2202 slip.
So there are a variety of types of slips that   you want to make sure that you have. Now, most of 
these slips are available in your CRA My Account,   but if you've never filed a tax return, you won't 
be able to use My Account for the first time,   right? You have to file first. So try to get 
all of your slips so that you have a picture

of everything that you earned during the year and 
any amounts that you paid that might entitle you   to claim a deduction or a credit. Most of those 
slips are due to be issued by the end of February.   So there is a bit of a lag usually from the end of 
the tax year, but usually you'll have enough time   to file your return by April 30th.
CC: What if I don't get my T4   by the end of February, then what?
Nathan: If you don't get your T4, there are a   few different things that you can do. So if you've 
already filed before, you can find that slip   probably on My Account, right? So if it got lost 
in the mail, or if you didn't get the email from   your employer, employers, all issuers of slips are 
required to send copies of those to us as well.  Whether it's a T4, a T4A, a T5, there are a lot 
of them. But if it's required to be issued to you,

it's required to be issued to us as well, to the CRA. So you should be able to get most of those in CRA My Account. If the employer hasn't issued a slip at all, if it hasn't gone to you, if it hasn't been sent to the CRA, there is a process to, you know, notify the CRA that this hasn't happened so you would want to call us at our 1-800 individual tax inquiries number. CC: I keep seeing these terms online like My Account and NETFILE. What do these mean? Nathan: Great question. Once you have filed your first tax return, registering for My Account is absolutely something you should do. I always recommend that people register for a CRA My Account. So that is a way to view your account information with the CRA online, right? So it gives you a picture of what is happening with your account information so

you can verify what bank account does the CRA have for me, what address, what marital status, what information do they have about my children for benefit purposes? And you can see all of your benefit and tax details right there. You can also make changes, right? So it's possible if you made a mistake on your tax return to go in to make a change to your tax return. It's possible to see what the status is of something that you filed that maybe hasn't been processed yet, so you can stay updated. It's a way to stay on top of any changes that are being made to your returns or to your information that you didn't request, right? So when you've signed up for My Account, you can receive all of your notices right online and you can receive a notification of any changes that are made. So there are multiple potential benefits to using My Account. Now I started using My Account early and

my experience with My Account was that I myself 
only needed to log in a couple of times a year, right? I only logged in around tax time to see 
if my T4 slip was there, to see whether my refund had been processed, and I forgot my username and 
password every year. I had to call every time. So my number one tip for My Account if you do 
online banking, which I'm in my online banking every single week, it's possible to log in 
with most financial institutions as what we call a Sign-In Partner. I log into My Account 
with my online banking password, and I've never forgotten that one. So that's maybe my number 
one tip. If you already do online banking, you can use that to get into your CRA My Account.
CC: Awesome, that's one less thing to have to remember.
Nathan: Exactly, right? Now NETFILE is the service that we use to 
actually receive your tax return. So My Account

is where you see your account information, where you see your tax return details, but you don't actually file a tax return through My Account. You can file through NETFILE. There are a few other possibilities. You could go to a professional tax preparer, still can actually mail in a paper tax return to the CRA if mailing is something that you're into, but a lot of people use the NETFILE service. So you use a third party software provider to prepare your tax return. And then NETFILE is the service that the CRA owns that receives that file from the software. When you NETFILE a return, in most cases, your return will be processed in near real time. So you should receive an express Notice of Assessment. So the notice is our formal statement of what we processed for you, and you'll receive a simplified version of that very, very quickly. And in most cases, we will process your return within about five business days.

CC: How long do I need to keep my receipts for?
Nathan: You generally need to keep your receipts, your books and records in air quotes, for six years after the tax year. In most cases, the CRA, when we're interested in reviewing a tax return, will definitely not wait six years before we ask for it. So when that question comes up, it's usually just before we assess your tax return, before we process it, or within a short period afterwards. But we do ask that you hold onto your paperwork for six years.
CC: So I have a couple of jobs. So how do I make sure that that's reflected in my taxes?
Nathan: So if you worked multiple jobs last year, you should have gotten T4 slips for each of those jobs. But if you are still working multiple jobs now, definitely something that I've talked to younger taxpayers over the years about in particular, is issues with the amounts.

withheld from their pay when they have multiple 
employers. So there is a form, the TD1, that most   employers will provide to you when you start.
Now what the TD1 form does is tell the employer,   basically, what you will be able to claim on 
your tax return that will have an impact on   what your payroll deductions should be. So, if 
you have one employer, this is straightforward,   right? That TD1 form will show that you're 
entitled to claim your basic personal   exemption. If you have dependents that you might 
be claiming a credit for, you'll input that there.  The problem that people with multiple jobs 
can run into is when you work a second job,   you need to tell that second employer how much 
money you're expecting to make from the first   employer. And here's why that's important, right?
It's because of the basic personal exemption. So   every Canadian on their tax return has this basic 
personal exemption amount that you don't pay tax

on. So the basic personal amount is about $14,000. 
It changes a little bit every year, and you don't pay income tax on the first $14,000 you own. 
Now, if you have filled out your TD1 form for your second employer, and you did not tell them 
that you've already filled out another TD1 with your first employer and how much money you made at 
the first employer, the second employer might also give you credit for that basic personal exemption.
So now you have two employers who are each assuming that you're not paying any tax 
on about the first $14,000 you make, but you only get to claim that exemption one 
time when you complete your tax return. So you end up in a situation where between the 
two employers, they're both not withholding enough tax and you owe money at tax time, right?
So if we're talking about last year, your T4 slips

may or may not have had enough tax withheld from 
your pay at source. And that is something that I   do see all the time. So make sure when you're 
filling out your second or your third or your   fourth TD1 slip that you do indicate that you've 
had other sources of employment during the year.  That's on the second page of the form so that you 
don't end up in that sort of shortfall. That is a   surprise that no one likes to run into.
CC: Why do I need to file my taxes if   the CRA already has all of my information?
Nathan: I suppose the short answer is that the   CRA doesn't have all of your information, right?
There are things that we don't know about. So   we don't necessarily know if you are 
supporting a dependent. We don't know   if you've donated to charity. These 
are amounts that you need to actually

report on your tax return to tell us about. Also, and this isn't a very satisfying answer, but it's legally correct. There are items where you are required to actually file the tax return. Maybe at some point in the future, the CRA will be able to automatically take care of those pieces for you. But in order for you to receive your quarterly GST credit, in order for you to receive the monthly Canada child benefit if you have a child, you have to file the return and that's baked into the law. So there are practical reasons, the CRA doesn't know everything. And there are certain reasons where it is officially a requirement, partly because the CRA doesn't always know everything. We need to get that information to make sure that we are up to date with what's going on with your situation. CC: This is so awesome, Nathan. Do you have any last minute tips for filers?

Nathan: You know, I think my last sort of 
tips for anyone looking to file a return,   but especially to the younger folks, is 
to definitely check our website all the   time for both the latest information about 
the newest tax credits, the new deductions.  There are changes every year to the tax rules. 
There are new things that can be claimed and to   find answers to the questions that you have 
about what you might be able to claim or not   claim. Keep an eye out in the future for the chat 
service that we're going to be including on more   pages for that website with contact center agents 
who will be able to answer your questions by chat   and absolutely go register for my account, 
right? Stay on top of your tax situation and   use a service that allows you to make any changes 
that you need as quickly as possible right online. CC: And follow the CRA social media accounts?
Nathan: And always follow the CRA.

social media accounts, for sure!
CC: Next up, we'll be speaking with Lauren, a strategic program advisor from the contact centre. Lauren considers herself a jack of all trades as she engages with contact centre employees across the agency on a daily basis. Today, Lauren will take us through some tips when calling the CRA, as well as some exciting new services and innovations we'll soon offer. Without further ado, I'll pass it on to Lauren. Lauren: Thank you so much for having me. CC: Lauren, tell us what you do. Lauren: So, I like to joke that I cause problems for people at the office. But generally, my role, I work in a Director General's office in the Contact Centre Services Directorate. I just make sure that everything is running, making sure that if there are any problems coming up, either for our employees or for Canadians who are trying to get the benefits that they need, that

we're able to solve those issues quickly for them.
CC: Awesome. So basically you have all the answers to all the questions.
Lauren: Not always, but I know who to find. And generally, that might be Nathan!
CC: If I have a question for the CRA, what's the best way to contact the contact centre?
Lauren: So it depends on what sort of question you have. We do have, for our work, we have three separate lines. We have a Benefits line. So if you have questions about your GSTC or your GST credit, for example, or your Canada child benefit, they would be the best people to call. Whether it would be how to apply for your benefit or whether you're missing a payment or wondering when you'll get your payment. You can also check My Account for that.
Our Business line deals with questions for businesses. We do get a lot of questions from accountants, for example, and our Individual

line is generally who you'll call if you 
have questions about filing your taxes.  CC: Before I call, what do I need to get in 
order to make sure everything runs smoothly?  Lauren: So, I would say the most important 
thing you need is your SIN. We are going to   ask for it to make sure that we are talking to 
the right person. I'd also recommend having your   Notice of Assessment, your most recent one. It 
would be handy if you had your previous one as   well. Any T4s that you may have alongside any 
other forms that you may have questions about,   whether or not it’s slips relating to your 
benefit payments, your TFSAs or your RRSPs,   just so they're easy for you so you're not having 
to run and get them when you're on the call.  CC: The contact centre has a reputation for being 
really busy, but what is something that I can do

on my own online that would not need a call?
Lauren: So a couple of things you can do. My Account, you can set up your direct deposit. You can change your address. You can check your NOA, your notice of assessment. You can check and see the status of your return and your rebates. What you can also do, we have something called PIN when contacting our contact centres, which is a six-digit numeric code that you can use to help verify your identity and prove that you are you. You'll be able to set that up online. Our agents can assist you with it, but it's another step that you can do through your My Account just to make it a little bit quicker when you're calling us.
CC: I keep losing my password to my My Account. What is something that I can do? Like, should I write it down somewhere? What should I do?

Lauren: Please don't write your password down! If you are forgetting your password and you do need it reset, our agents can assist with that.
CC: Or a Sign-In Partner? Lauren: Yes, or if you have a Sign-In partner!
CC: What is a Sign-In partner? Lauren: So Sign-In Partners are primarily banks. So you'll be able to log in the same way you would log in as though you were logging in through your bank, and it helps verify your identity.
CC: Oh, well I have my bank password memorized. Lauren: But you don't have it written down, right? CC: I don't have it written down! What's something that I don't know about the contact centre that would help me?
Lauren: So our contact centre agents, they are there to help. They don't want to catch you up. They don't want to get you in trouble.

They want to make sure that you're able to file 
your taxes, and if you are entitled to benefits, that you are able to get them. So if you're 
confused about something you see on My Account, or you're confused about something the 
agent has said, or a letter you've gotten, please, please, please ask them.
They want to make sure that you understand your tax obligations and the benefits you may be 
entitled to. So don't be afraid to ask questions. CC: What's the best day to call the call centre?
Lauren: So generally Monday and Tuesdays do tend to be a bit busier as well. 
Benefit payment days, for example, the GST credit on the fifth every quarter and 
the Canada Child Benefit on the 20th of every month. Those days do tend to be a bit busier.
You are actually able to check wait times on our website, on our Contact Us page. 
So you can see what the wait times

are like and when the best time to call may be.
CC: What is the actual best time to call, though? Lauren: It depends on the day. That being said, I find Wednesday onwards and less as a benefit payment tends to be a bit quieter.
CC: Would it be easier to get through the call centre during the day or in the evening? Lauren: Depends on the day. Sometimes people do like to call first thing in the morning or over their lunch break. Like I said, you can check the website and see what the times are like.
CC: What is the top call that the call agents tend to get? Lauren: That's actually a great question. And the answer surprisingly is people either wanting to create a My Account or trying to get into their My Account and they're not able to. The second most common questions tend to be about benefit payments. So sort of when can somebody expect their payment.

what the amount is going to be, things like that.
CC: Can I just sign up for My Account online? Lauren: You can! And if you signed up for My Account, our agents can assist you or you can do it online. Like you mentioned, you will be able to see upcoming benefit payment dates as well as the amount that you'll be receiving. You'll also be able to change your direct deposit too, if you've changed banks recently, so that way your money is going right into your account.
CC: What's your favorite part about working in the Contact Centre Services Directorate? Lauren: And so for me, it's twofold. One, I love being able to be in a position where I can help solve problems for people, whether it's getting their benefit payments or somebody, for example, needing a certificate of clearance. It's really satisfying to be able to help them in that regard. The other thing too, is I'm so privileged to be

able to work in the contact centres. We have such a unique group, and I think we have this idea of the contact centre may be a bit stodgy. It's just phones, and that's it, but everybody is constantly working on ways to make things better. For example, we recently launched online chat. Unfortunately, we aren't able to be account specific just yet, but we are able to answer general questions, and it's just really neat that now we have this new thing that we can do that we're going to be expanding on. CC: So we can do an online chat and be talking to an agent in real time? Lauren: Exactly! CC: That's awesome. How do I know I'm not going to be talking to some bot? Lauren: Unfortunately, we don't have a bot that can do that yet at the CRA, but it is our trained contact centre agents who are working the online chat.

CC: What if I have a disability, and I'm trying to contact the CRA? Lauren: So we do have a couple of options. We have several services for people who may have a hearing impairment or people who may not be comfortable speaking. We have a teletypewriter service. We have voiceover relay. We have an operator service. Our agents are trained and are able to help you in that regard. In other cases for people who may not be comfortable speaking in either official language, we do have a third language directory. So these are volunteer CRA employees who speak multiple languages, they're not official translators, but they will be able to help you in the language of your choice if you're just not comfortable speaking about these tax terms in either English or French. CC: Cool. What kind of languages are available? Lauren: I don't have the exact number in front of me.

I think we have over a hundred. For example, we 
have Tamil. We have Punjabi. We have Japanese, I think was the last one I saw. We have Arabic. 
We also have some Indigenous languages as well. CC: Wow. That's super cool.
Lauren: It is cool! I'm very proud of it. It's really great to see that CRA employees are 
so happy to step up to the plate to help people communicate and make sure that people, you know, 
who may be new to this country and aren't familiar or a little scared talking in these tax terms 
because let's be honest, these terms can be scary. Like, I find these terms scary sometimes. I have 
to call to make sure I understand. So making it easier so that people can get the benefits they're 
entitled to. It's just awesome. I'm repeating myself, but it's awesome that the CRA employees 
are doing the best to make sure that happens.

CC: That is truly awesome. What if I need to call on behalf of someone? What do I do? What do I need to do?
Lauren: So you are going to have to make sure that you are set up properly for that. We're not just going to let you access the account. If you say, I'm so and so's mom or I'm so and so's sibling, there are some security procedures you'll have to go through. We do outline those online so that you can represent your relative or friend. 
CC: Where can I find that information?
Lauren: So you'll be able to find that information online under Represent a Client.
CC: Ah, perfect. What is the weirdest thing that you've ever gotten asked?
Lauren: So the weirdest thing I've ever gotten asked and I've been asked it twice now is what music is on our hold lines.

CC: Like people are liking it?
Lauren: Yes! So, twice now, I think once was through a tweet and one was actually a letter to the minister that was sent that we had to respond to people asking for the playlist.
CC: Well that's a good sign! Lauren: Yeah, it was one of the nicest letters I've ever gotten from a Canadian. CC: Do people who call in ever get rude?
Lauren: Unfortunately, yes. And I know part of it is obviously when people call, oftentimes like I mentioned, they may be locked out of their My Account. They may have been expecting a benefit payment and they didn't get it. So it does tend to be a bit more of a tense conversation.
Our agents are gonna do the best they can, but if somebody is rude or somebody is harassing our agents, they do have the right to hang up and they will do so if they feel that they're being threatened.

CC: So on social media, we get a lot of like, “Oh, I called and I waited for X number of hours and then I just got hung up on,” and then someone from the contact centre told us, “Oh, it's because we're allowed to hang up on them if they're threatening us,” and my whole team, we were like, “Oh….”  
Lauren: There are technical issues sometimes, particularly if somebody is calling on a cell phone that sometimes it may disconnect. But yes, they are allowed to hang up if somebody is being threatening. And we do report those to our security department.  
CC: So let's just try not to be threatening.  
Lauren: Like you said, we do get that nobody, for the most part, nobody wants to call us. You know, people want to get their things sorted out, but our agents are entitled to respect.  
CC: Yeah, of course. Like everybody

else! Lauren, this has all been so amazing. Do you have any other tips or tricks for us to know before calling? Lauren: The only other thing I can think of is actually, like I mentioned previously, sign up for your PIN. It's going to make it easier for you when you call. Double check the wait time so you're not waiting too long and make sure that you do have all of your paperwork handy just so our agents can help you as quickly as possible. We know your time is valuable. We know you don't want to be waiting around. So we want to help you as quickly as we can. CC: What's one thing you want to leave us with? Lauren: I know I'm repeating myself, but we are here to help you and don't be afraid about calling. It's why we're here. CC: Thanks for coming. Thanks for joining us.

Lauren: Thank you so much for having me!
CC: And that's a wrap on our very first episode of the Taxology podcast. If you made it this far in the episode, then thank you. Thanks for staying and thanks for listening. And a big thank you to all of our wonderful guests for taking the time to talk to us today. If you'd like to learn more about anything discussed on today's episode, please visit Canada.ca/taxes or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Our handle is at @CanRevAgency.
I'm your host, CC, and tune in for the next episode where we'll talk about TFSAs, RRSPs, and what really is the difference between them. Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay safe and do your taxes!

Taxology – Episode 1: How to prepare for tax season

Welcome to the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) official YouTube channel! 🇨🇦

We’re an Agency of the Government of Canada responsible for ensuring compliance with Canadian tax law, and delivering various social and economic benefit and incentive programs. We’re on a mission to serve Canadians better, with the goal to be trusted, fair, and helpful by putting people first.

Subscribe to our channel for quick tips, step-by-step instructional videos, and important information to help you file your taxes. Explore our playlists and videos to help make sure you’re receiving the benefits and credits you’re entitled to. 

Check out our French channel: https://www.youtube.com/AgenceRevCan



Canada Revenue Agency

Tips and Tricks for Filing Your Tax Return

Filing a tax return is essential for calculating the amount of tax you owe for the year and claiming any entitled credits and deductions.

Many Canadians, especially employees, have taxes taken off their income during the year, but it's still important to compare it with what they actually owe, taking into account credits and deductions.

Even if you don't owe any tax, filing a return is beneficial, especially for younger taxpayers and students to claim credit for the tuition they've paid.

Filing a Tax Return: Understanding Income Reporting, Deductions, and Credits

Filing a tax return involves reporting income from all sources and claiming deductions to reduce the taxable amount.

Deductions, such as RRSP contributions, lower the income amount, potentially affecting eligibility for income-based benefits.

Non-refundable credits, like the tuition credit, reduce the amount of tax owed, while refundable credits can provide a refund, such as the tax withheld from paychecks.

The tuition tax credit, common for students, can be transferred to parents if not needed and carried forward to offset future taxable income.

A tax return is the filing of income, deductions, and credits, while a tax refund is the money reimbursed if the tax already paid exceeds the amount owed.

People often confuse the terms "tax return" and "tax refund", but they have different meanings - the return is the form you fill out to report your income, while the refund is the money you get back after filing the return.

When filing taxes for the first time, it's important to gather all necessary slips, such as the T4 slip from your employer and T5 slip for investment income, to have a clear picture of your earnings and potential deductions or credits.

If you don't receive your T4 slip by the end of February, you can find it on CRA My Account or contact the CRA for assistance.

Registering for CRA My Account and understanding terms like NETFILE is crucial after filing your first tax return, as it allows you to view and manage your account information online.

Managing Your CRA My Account and Tax Returns

You can use My Account to verify your bank account, address, marital status, and children's information for benefits.

My Account also allows you to view and update your tax details, make changes to your tax return, and stay updated on the processing status of your filings.

By using My Account, you can receive all your notices online and get notifications of any changes made to your information.

Additionally, if you already do online banking, you can use it to log in to your CRA My Account.

When it comes to filing tax returns, My Account provides the information, but you need to use the NETFILE service to actually file your return, which is processed in near real time, with a Notice of Assessment issued quickly.

It's important to keep your receipts for six years, and if you have multiple jobs, you need to ensure that the TD1 form is accurately filled out for each employer to avoid issues with payroll deductions.

Understanding Canadian Tax Filing: Key Points

- The basic personal amount for income tax is around $14,000, and it's important to accurately fill out the TD1 form for each employer to avoid owing taxes at the end of the year.

- Filing tax returns is necessary because the CRA may not have all the information, and it's a legal requirement to receive benefits such as the GST credit and the Canada child benefit.

- Tips for tax filers include staying updated on the latest tax credits and deductions, using the CRA website for information and support, registering for "My Account," and following CRA's social media for updates.

Efficiently Navigating the CRA Contact Centre

The CRA contact centre has three separate lines for different types of inquiries: Benefits, Business, and Individual tax questions.

To ensure a smooth process when calling, it's important to have your SIN, Notice of Assessment, and any relevant forms or documents ready.

Using My Account, individuals can perform tasks such as setting up direct deposit, changing their address, and managing their PIN, which is a numeric code for identity verification.

If locked out of My Account, agents can assist with password resets, or individuals can use a Sign-In Partner, such as a bank, for login.

The contact centre agents are there to help and encourage individuals to ask questions about their tax obligations and entitled benefits.

It's recommended to avoid calling on Mondays, Tuesdays, or benefit payment days, and instead check the wait times on the CRA website for the best time to call.

Working in the Contact Centre Services Directorate at CRA

The best time to call the CRA is usually Wednesday onwards or during quieter benefit payment times.

The top reasons for calling are to create or access a My Account and to inquire about benefit payments.

The CRA offers online chat with trained agents, as well as services for people with disabilities and those who are more comfortable communicating in languages other than English or French, with over a hundred languages available.

Representing Someone When Calling the Tax Office

When calling on behalf of someone else, you need to go through security procedures to represent them.

The information on how to do this can be found online under "Represent a Client.

" It's important to be respectful when calling the tax office, as their agents have the right to hang up if they feel threatened.

It's also recommended to sign up for a PIN, check wait times, and have all necessary paperwork handy before calling.