[jess24]

As I understand it for medical expenses and the tax credit I need to have expenses in excess of $1800 (3% of my net income).

a. Is this for just me or can I combine my comon law spouse's expenses and claim on 1 tax return (the lower income spouse)? In other words, is it $1800 for 2 people or $3600 for two people (assuming my spouse's net income is the same).

b. Also I am having difficulty understanding what qualifies as a medical expense. My spouse and I are on good benefit plans so most if not all drugs/dental/Dr. visits are covered by this private health benefit plan or by OHIP. I assume that these amounts can not be used to calculate towards the $1800 threshold? The only things that I can think of that we pay out of our pockets is the amount of massages/dental/eyeglasses that the Employer plan doesn't cover. This came to about $400 for the 12 month period.

c. Also we pay LTD and Dental premiums bi-weekly which (at least for me) average out to about $90 a month. Does this qualify?

d. If so - then assume $90 premium for me and $90 for my wife multiplied by 12 months plus approx. $400 in payments we made out of our pocket for massages/dental/eyeglasses etc. that wasn't covered by our benefit plan. This equals $2560. So would we meet the $1800 minimum to qualify for the tax credit?

e. Also - I took a job-related course (not at a university or college) recently and paid for the tuition. Am I eligible for any tax credit/deduction and where would I put this info on my tax return. The course cost about $500 and was not from a degree-granting institution.

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[ghostryder]

a. You should combine and claim on the lower income spouses return. There is a threshold that has to be met before you get the medical credit. The lower income spouse has a lower threshold.

b. You can only claim expenses (or the part thereof) that you are actually out of pocket for. You cannot expense something for which you were reimbursed.

massages/dental/eyeglasses

glasses & dental should be ok, be careful with massage. It does not qualify as an allowable expense in all provinces.

c. LTD no. Dental yes.

d. Yes, subject to the points above.

e. Insufficient info. See: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/323/menu-eng.html

 

[lb71]

You can claim any amount on your taxes of a medical claim that was not reimbursed by your insurer. For example, if the claim was $100 and you got reimbursed $70 by your insurer, the $30 is claimable on your taxes.

Also, your claim can be for a one year period, not necessarily for Jan 1 to Dec 31. So you can use a period like June 1 to May 31 if that maximizes your return.

Re tuition - as long as the course enhances your job skills or future job opportunities, you can use it. It is claimed on schedule 1 (and the corresponding provincial schedule) under tuition fees. (If your employer paid for it, you cannot claim it.)

 

[jambo411]

You can also claim mileage if you have to travel over 80km (round trip) for your medical services. We live in a small town and have to drive 500 km round trip for the dentist. You can claim $.54 per kilometer plus $17 for meals. Travel costs are actually the highest part of our overall expenses. Also the dental work we had done is only covered 50% by my plan. It was claimed on my DW's income tax (the lowest income) and offset most of the income from her non-registered portfolio.