# Ontario Childrens Tax Credit



## fryman (May 28, 2009)

I have learned that there will be an Ontario tax credit of up to $500 dollars per child for activities beyond the scope of the federal credit. Anyone know if one can claim for sport and arts now or is it an "either or" claim.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

This is a slightly confusing post. I'm not sure what you mean when you say there "will be" a (future?) tax credit for children. 

There are two Ontario-specific tax credits for kids in low-income families, and neither of them have anything to do with the Children's Fitness Tax Credit (a federal tax credit). 

There is the Ontario Child Benefit, and the Ontario Child Care Supplement for Working Families (a true misnomer, as this credit has nothing to do with child care costs). 

The links I provided are to the relevant pages. Application for either program is straightforward and is computed as part of your federal tax return. If you qualify, based on your tax return, the Ontario government will send you the appropriate forms to complete.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Colour me corrected. I had not heard about this new credit, apparently announced in December. 

Here's a link: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/catc/

From my read of the linked page, you simply enter the total. Weird. I have no idea how I missed this; I have two kids under 10 and we do a frackload of activities.


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## fryman (May 28, 2009)

*What do you think?*

So it looks to me like this credit will do nothing for you if you already maxed out on the previous federal program that allowed for sports only. To clarify, if I had claimed and received full credit for Hockey last year this year the fact that I can claim piano as well as hockey will not help since I am already at the max deduction for the one activity. Would you agree?


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Nope. I read it as exactly opposite from you. I don't see why you can't submit the same receipt for the feds and the provincial credit - I don't see any warning to the contrary. 

Keep in mind that I just heard about this credit via your post, so I have very little info. However, I am a (volunteer) Girl Guide leader, and I'm going to ask the local GG staff for their input - so I can let my kids' parents know what to do. (Girl Guides are among the listed eligible activities.)


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## stardancer (Apr 26, 2009)

You can claim the sports on the Federal Child Fitness tax credit and the arts on the Ontario credit. You just can't use the same receipt for both credits. So yes, you can claim two credits on the same tax return.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

SD - do you have a source for that? The Ontario site is very minimalistic and I don't get that info from it (or at least I didn't on my fairly quick read-through so far).


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

stardancer said:


> You can claim the sports on the Federal Child Fitness tax credit and the arts on the Ontario credit. You just can't use the same receipt for both credits. So yes, you can claim two credits on the same tax return.


That makes even less sense. You are confusing credits for federal taxes with credits for provincial taxes. There should be no reason why the same expense can't be credited for both. You credit medical expenses and charitable donations to both for example.


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## ghostryder (Apr 5, 2009)

stardancer said:


> You can claim the sports on the Federal Child Fitness tax credit and the arts on the Ontario credit. You just can't use the same receipt for both credits. So yes, you can claim two credits on the same tax return.



There is nothing in the guide that indicates you cannot claim both the federal and the provincial credit for the same expense:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/5006-pc/5006-pc-10e.html#children_activity


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up - I will have to post on this - I haven't seen mention of this anywhere.

I wonder if "band camp" is covered?


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

I don't see why not. From the FAQ:

_Non-fitness activities must fall under at least one of the following to be eligible:

1. Instruction in music, dramatic arts, dance and visual arts.
2. Language instruction.
3. Activities with a substantial focus on wilderness and the natural environment.
4. Activities with a substantial focus on helping children develop and use intellectual skills.
5. Structured interaction where supervisors teach or help children develop interpersonal skills.
6. Enrichment or tutoring in academic subjects._

and

_*Do summer camps qualify?*

Generally speaking, summer camp expenses are eligible if the camp lasts at least five consecutive days and more than half of the activities in the camp program include eligible activities. The program must also be supervised and suitable for children.

If a camp is eligible under the federal children’s fitness tax credit, then it will also be eligible under Ontario’s tax credit.

The portion of camp expenses that cover food, beverages, accommodation and travel to and from camp are not eligible for the Children’s Activity Tax Credit.

Expenses that are eligible for both the child care expenses deduction and the Children’s Activity Tax Credit while at camp must be claimed under the child care expenses deduction first. After that, you can claim any unused expenses for the tax credit._


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

fryman said:


> I have learned that there will be an Ontario tax credit of up to $500 dollars per child for activities beyond the scope of the federal credit. Anyone know if one can claim for sport and arts now or is it an "either or" claim.


It's not $500 per child, it's only $50 per child:

"The Ontario Children’s Activity Tax Credit lets you claim up to $500 in eligible expenses and get up to $50 back for each child, or up to $100 for a child with a disability. Keep your receipts. You’ll need them to claim this credit when you fill out your income tax return."


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

Any know whether this has been incorporated into the major tax softwares yet, such as Quick Tax and UFile?


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

HaroldCrump said:


> Any know whether this has been incorporated into the major tax softwares yet, such as Quick Tax and UFile?


Perhaps not - one friend told me that his software did not mention this. I don't know which software he was using. [update - it was TurboTax (formerly QuickTax) ]

It looks like the legislation only passed in mid-November, so that might have been too late for the software companies.


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## stardancer (Apr 26, 2009)

MoneyGal said:


> SD - do you have a source for that? The Ontario site is very minimalistic and I don't get that info from it (or at least I didn't on my fairly quick read-through so far).


Sorry, that was an assumption on my part. I checked my sources today and could not find clarification. The only thing I can say is to try claiming both credits for the one receipt and see if it's accepted.

The Federal credit is non-refundable and the Ontario credit is refundable, so it's possible that both can be claimed for the same activity. It is clear that you can claim sports on the Federal, and piano (example) on the Ontario.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

just put them in front of the tv with an empty paper towel roll. write up a receipt and submit. i LOVE gov't programs!


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

Four Pillars said:


> Perhaps not - one friend told me that his software did not mention this. I don't know which software he was using. [update - it was TurboTax (formerly QuickTax) ]
> 
> It looks like the legislation only passed in mid-November, so that might have been too late for the software companies.


This info is incorrect. The credit is in the 2010 tax year TurboTax.


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