But my earnings are most definitely below $18,000, not even $10,000 for that matter. Does the refund deduction still apply? Thank you for your help!
Nisha, that tax credit was never directed towards students, so no, you are not eligible for it. It is basically an income boost to give incentive for low wage earners to continue to work and of course gain experience so that one day they can earn a higher wage. That is what it is for, not to subsidize a person going to school. Other credits have been given to you for that.
If you look closely at the tax payable lines (line 420, 428 and 435) on your tax return, I doubt Canada is asking much from you in the area of income taxes. I suspect your taxes payable have been reduced to zero or very close to it, due to your tuition expense deductions and education tax credits and so forth.
Later, after you graduate, hopefully you will be lucky enough to never qualify for such a tax credit, but if you do, you will understand what I mean. In any event, as a rule of thumb, you should not look at the refund (line 484) until you have completely finished entering all the relevant data. That is really the problem here. Trust me, there are lines and lines of tax credits, you and I both, do not and probably never will qualify for. It's best not to look at them.
