The price of a training program is deductible as an employee expense. Your current skills or qualifications that are related to your employment must be maintained, upgraded, or updated by the course.
If you take a training course for personal reasons, the price is too high, or you gain long-term value from it, you cannot deduct the cost of the course as an employment expense.
When you enroll in a course to earn credit toward a degree, diploma, professional qualification, or comparable certificate, for instance, you gain a long-lasting advantage.
If you meet the requirements outlined in Pamphlet P105, Students and Income Tax, you may be able to claim the cost of a training course as tuition if you are unable to deduct it as an employment expense.
While this article further discusses all the Canada Training Credit, how to claim your Canada Training Credit, the eligibility criteria for Canada Training Credit, and a lot more.
So jump in, and know what exactly you are looking for regarding Canada Training Credit.
What Is Canada Training Credit?
To assist Canadians with the expense of qualified training fees, the government of Canada offers the Canada training credit (CTC), a refundable tax credit.
For courses you took during the year, you can claim the CTC for the tuition and other costs you paid.
You may use this credit for claiming a refundable tax credit for 50% of the eligible tuition fees as well as the fees that are required for enrolling in a training program, or for taking a course.
While each year the information that Canada Revenue Agency sends to an individual also includes the training amount of that particular individual.
Since the 2020 tax year, this is a new program, so it is better to seek out the updates and gather the information through the website of the Government of Canada.
How to Know if Your Training Expenses are Tax-Deductible?
To make your professional development qualify as to be tax-deductible it needs to meet one of the criteria that are mentioned below:
Retains or Enhances
Your schooling gives you skills that are specifically useful in your current position. It must “keep or develop” the abilities necessary for your current job, business, or line of work, but it cannot qualify you for other positions or occupations.
Required by the Law or your Employment
The education satisfies the criteria needed to keep working licenses. The “requirements of your job, applicable legislation, or regulations,” in other words.
You must only receive tax-deductible professional development training that gives you the skills you need for your current position. It will not make you eligible for new employment.
For instance, if you already work in sales and enroll in a course to close deals faster, the cost of the course would be tax deductible.
You may find a large variety of sales courses from reputable providers on findcourses.com quickly to help you improve your skills.
Regardless of your goal, training that is there preparing you for a new job, professional career, or business is not considered to be tax deductible.
Although this criterion is challenging, you have the burden of proof. It is up to you to demonstrate how the training is directly relevant to your current job if you want to claim the deduction.
Who Can Claim Canada Training Credit?
As per Canada Revenue Agency, you must fulfill all 6 of the following requirements to be eligible for the CTC:
- For the year, you file an income tax and benefit return.
- You had a minimum age of 26 and a maximum age of 66 after that particular tax year.
- For courses you took in the year you are requesting credit for, tuition or other fees were paid to an acceptable educational institution, or specific organizations for an occupational, trade, or professional test.
- Your annual Canada Training Credit Limit (CTCL) is greater than 0
- All year long, you were a resident of Canada.
- Otherwise, the tuition and fees qualify for the current tuition tax credit.
To qualify for the CTC, you must have all of the aforementioned.
Claiming Canada Training Credit
When you finish your income tax and benefit return, you can claim the Canada training credit. Your tax liability will be reduced by the Canada Training Credit (CTC), which you can claim on line 45350 of your income tax and benefit return.
You can claim your training credit in two ways:
1 – Electronic Filing
You can claim Canada Training Credit through electronic filing, and for doing so, you will be required to follow the instructions given in your certified tax software.
NETFILE
Your T1 personal income tax and benefit return can now be electronically filed via the NETFILE and ReFILE programs. The NETFILE and ReFILE services will be available until Friday, January 27, 2023, for tax years 2017 (ReFILE excluded), 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
NETFILE Access Code
You will be required to input an Access code after entering your name, date of birth, and social security number to electronically file your tax return using NETFILE for the 2021 tax year.
Your Notice of Assessment for a prior tax year’s right side contains your eight-character Access code, which is made up of both digits and letters.
Although entering your Access code is not required, doing so will prevent the Canada Revenue Agency from using any data from your 2021 tax return to verify your identification.
For authentication, you will have to rely on additional data. If you are submitting your tax return for the year very first time.
2 – Paper Filing
The second method to claim your training credit is paper filing. You just need to go through basic processes.
Fill out Schedule 11, Federal Tuition, Education, and Textbook Amounts and Canada Training Credit, in your income tax package if you’re filing a paper return.
How Much You Can Get After Claiming Canada Training Credit?
Whichever sum is less is the maximum CTC claim amount:
Your tax-year-specific Canada training credit limit (CTCL) or 50% of the qualified tuition and other costs paid to a Canadian educational institution for courses you took during the year, or fees paid to specific organizations for an occupational, trade, or professional exam you completed during the year.
You might receive a refund for the difference if the credit exceeds the amount of taxes you still owe.
Three Terms That You Should Know About While Claiming Canada Training Credit
1 – Canada Training Credit Limit:
Your most recent notice of assessment or reassessment contains information on your Canada training credit limit (CTCL) for the year.
If you submit an income tax and benefit return each year, the CRA will evaluate the requirements and, if you meet them, increase your CTCL by $250, up to a lifetime maximum of $5,000.
You can still build up $250 in your CTCL for the subsequent tax year even if you file a CTC claim for the year.
2 – Eligible Educational Institution:
To determine the CTC, an educational institution qualifies as one of the following:
- A Canadian university, college, or other institution of higher learning that offers post-secondary courses,
- One that offers occupational skills training that is authorized by the minister of employment and social development.
3 – Eligible Tuition Fees:
A course attended in 2021 at a Canadian educational establishment will typically be eligible for a tuition tax credit if it was either:
- Taken in a post-secondary institution of learning
- For those who will be 16 or older at the end of the year and who are learning new skills or honing existing ones in a profession, provided the educational facility has been approved by the Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada.
Claim Your Training Tax Credit
If training costs constitute capital investments, they cannot be deducted as current expenses.
When training produces a long-term financial advantage for the taxpayer, such as the acquisition of a new skill or qualification, they are regarded as capital in nature.
The associated costs are not regarded as capital in nature when, on the other hand, the training is simply done to maintain, update, or upgrade a skill or qualification that already exists.
Additionally, you cannot deduct any amount of training expenses that are either personal or unjustified given the circumstances.
The length and location of the course, as well as the days on which no training is done, should all be taken into account when determining whether any amount of these fees is personal or unjustified.
The tax status of expenses related to attending a conference or business meeting may differ from expenses related to taking a training course.
Therefore, a distinction between a training session and a convention or business gathering is necessary.
Moreover, claiming false credits may result in penalties as well, it’s highly critical to talk with a professional CPA to your time and money.
