With the 2021/22 tax season fast approaching, the Ontario government is trying to keep a little extra cash in the pockets of seniors, workers and families by offering tax credits. Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton says “I want to remind everyone to find out which tax credits you qualify for, so you can keep more of your hard-earned money.”
One on the list is the Staycation Tax Credit which encourages Ontario families to explore the province, helping the tourism and hospitality sectors recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It allows Ontario residents to claim 20% of their eligible 2022 accommodation expenses for example, for a stay at an eligible hotel, cottage, or campground) of up to $1,000 as an individual or $2,000 if you have a spouse, common-law partner or eligible children, to get back up to $200 as an individual or $400 as a family.
The deadline for most individuals to file their personal 2021 Income Tax and Benefit Return is Monday, May 2, 2022.
Ontario residents can these tax credits and benefits, even if they have no taxable income to report. The government’s suite of tax credits and benefits includes:
– The Ontario Jobs Training Tax Credit, which helps workers train for a career shift or sharpen their skills. The credit provides up to $2,000 in relief for 50 per cent of a person’s eligible expense. The government is extending this tax credit to the 2022 tax year, to help more workers continue to upgrade their skills and transition back to the labour force.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-jobs-training-tax-credit
– The Seniors’ Home Safety Tax Credit, which helps seniors make their homes safer and more accessible so they can stay in them longer. The credit is worth 25 per cent of up to $10,000 in eligible expenses for a senior’s principal residence in Ontario, to a maximum credit of $2,500. The government is also extending this tax credit to the 2022 tax year, to help seniors who may not have had a chance to use it in 2021.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/seniors-home-safety-tax-credit
– The Low-Income Workers Tax Credit, known as Low-income Individuals and Families Tax (LIFT) Credit, which provides up to $850 each year in Ontario personal income tax relief to low-income workers and can be used to reduce or eliminate an individual’s Ontario personal income tax, excluding the Ontario Health Premium.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/low-income-workers-tax-credit
– The Ontario Child Care Tax Credit (known as Ontario Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses (CARE) Tax Credit), which puts more money in the pockets of families and provides the flexibility they need to choose the child care options that work best for them. The government is providing a 20 per cent top?up to this tax credit for 2021, increasing support from $1,250 to $1,500, on average.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-child-care-tax-credit
– The Ontario Seniors’ Public Transit Tax Credit, which is a refundable tax credit to help seniors with public transit costs.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-seniors-public-transit-tax-credit
– The Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit, which is a refundable tax credit to help low to moderate-income individuals and seniors with property taxes and sales tax on energy costs.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-trillium-benefit#section-2
– The Northern Ontario Energy Credit, which is a refundable tax credit to help people Northern Ontario with higher home energy costs.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-trillium-benefit#section-1
– Individuals and families should also save their receipts for local travel in 2022, to claim the Ontario Staycation Tax Credit next tax season.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-staycation-tax-credit
