2017 personal income tax changes

The Canada caregiver amount has replaced the family caregiver amount. This amount is set at $2,150 for 2017.

The following fields are added:

• 304 Canada caregiver amount for spouse or common-law partner, or eligible dependant age 18 or older
• 307 Canada caregiver amount for other infirm dependants age 18 or older

The following fields are deleted:

• 306 Amount for infirm dependants age 18 or older
• 315 Caregiver amount

The children’s activity tax credit is eliminated for the 2017 and later tax years.

The following field is deleted:

• 6309 Total eligible expenses for the children’s activity tax credit

The federal children’s arts amount is eliminated for the 2017 and subsequent tax years. The provincial equivalent at field 5841 for British Columbia, Manitoba, and Yukon remains unchanged.

The following field is deleted:

• 370 Children’s arts amount

T1 Jacket: Children’s fitness tax credit (lines 458 and 459) is eliminated.

The tax credit for the purchase of shares of federally registered labour-sponsored venture capital corporations is eliminated for the 2017 and subsequent tax years.

The following fields are deleted:

• 411 Federal labour-sponsored funds tax credit - Net cost
• 419 Federal labour-sponsored funds tax credit - Allowable credit

All data, except the designation codes at line 179, are moved to the Form T2091(IND), Designation of a Property as a Principal Residence by an Individual, or the Form T1255, Designation of a Property as a Principal Residence by the Legal Representative of a Deceased Individual, on a subsection 70(1) return.

The following fields are moved to T2091/T1255:

• 181 Year of acquisition
• 182 Total proceeds of disposition

The non-refundable tax credit for the public transit amount is eliminated after June 2017. Therefore, for tax year 2017, only the cost incurred for the period of January 1 to June 30, 2017 is allowed at field 364. The Yukon public transit amount at field 5835 reflects the same change.

For 2017 and later tax years, the federal education and textbook amounts are eliminated. Unused federal tuition, education, and textbook amounts from 2016 and previous years can still be carried forward.

The federal education and textbook amounts have been eliminated for the 2017 and subsequent tax years.

The following fields are deleted:

• 321 Part-time education and textbook amounts
• 322 Full-time education and textbook amounts

The following field is revised:

• 327 Federal tuition amount transferred

The following fields are added:

• 345 Enrolled part-time due to disability or impairment
• 325 Number of months enrolled part-time
• 328 Number of months enrolled full-time

The new Alberta investor tax credit is available to investors who acquired shares from a venture capital corporation or eligible business corporation registered in Alberta.

The following fields are added:

• 6007 Investor tax credit amount from the certificate for shares acquired in the current tax year
• 6008 Investor tax credit amount from the certificate for shares purchased during the first 60 days subsequent to the current tax that you elect to claim in the current tax year

The back-to-school amount is eliminated for the 2017 and later tax years.

The following field is deleted:

• 5846 Back-to-school-amount

There are two new non-refundable tax credits: the volunteer firefighter's amount and the search and rescue volunteer's amount. The taxpayer can claim these tax credits if the rules are met for claiming the amounts at fields 362 and 395 respectively on the federal Schedule 1.

The following fields are added:

• 5830 Volunteer firefighter's amount
• 5845 Search and rescue volunteer's amount

The following changes apply to tax credits on the Form MB479:

• The advance tuition fee income tax rebate at field 6145 is eliminated for tuition and ancillary fees paid for a school term that began after April 2017
• The odour-control tax credit at field 6134 is eliminated for expenditures incurred after April 11, 2017
• The nutrient management tax credit at field 6136 is eliminated for expenditures incurred after April 11, 2017

The annual maximum amount for the Manitoba tuition fee income tax rebate at field 6086 on the Form MB428 is reduced from $2,500 to $500.

The tuition fees tax credit and the education amount are eliminated for the 2017 and later tax years. Unused amounts from tax years before 2017 can still be claimed directly by the student in 2017 and later tax years.

The following field is deleted from the Form NB428:

• 5860 Tuition and education amount transferred from a child

The following field is revised on the Form NB428:

• 5856 Your unused tuition and education amounts

The following fields have been deleted from the Schedule NB(S11):

• 5914 Eligible tuition fees paid for the current year
• 5916 Part-time education amount
• 5918 Full-time education amount
• 5920 Unused provincial amount transferred

The following field is deleted from the Schedule NB(S2):

• 5909 Tuition and education amounts designated as transferred by your spouse or common-law partner

The requirements to claim the volunteer firefighter's amount at field 5830 are changed to exclude hours for search and rescue activities. The maximum amount allowed remains unchanged at $3,000.

The healthy homes renovation tax credit (ONS12) is eliminated for the 2017 and later tax years.

The following field is deleted:

• 6311 Total home renovation expenses for the healthy homes renovation tax credit

For the 2017 and subsequent tax years, the new Ontario caregiver amount has replaced the amount for infirm dependant age 18 or older and the caregiver amount.

The following fields are deleted:

• 5820 Amount for infirm dependant age 18 or older
• 5840 Caregiver amount

The following field is added:

• 5819 Ontario caregiver amount for infirm dependants age 18 or older

The new refundable tax credit allows eligible seniors to claim their eligible public transit costs in respect of transit on or after July 1, 2017. In order to claim this credit, an individual must be at least 65 years old at the beginning of the year and a resident in Ontario on the last day of the tax year.

The following field is added:

• 6305 Amount paid after June 30, 2017, by a senior for public transit services

The tuition fees tax credit and the education amount are eliminated. Ontario students can still claim the tuition tax credit for eligible tuition fees paid for studies that began before September 5, 2017. They can also still claim the education tax credit for months of study before September 2017.

The following fields are revised on the Schedule ON (S11):

• 5914 Eligible tuition fees paid for studies before September 5, 2017
• 5916 Part-time education amount for months of study before September 2017
• 5918 Full-time education amount for months of study before September 2017

The employee’s tools tax credit is eliminated. Individuals will be able to claim the unused one-time trade entry credit available from the previous two years.

The following fields are deleted:

• 6356 One-time trade entry credit
• 6357 Annual maintenance credit

The tuition fees tax credit and the education amount are eliminated for the period after June 30, 2017.

The following fields are revised on the Schedule SK(S11):

• 5914 Eligible tuition fees paid for the period of January 1 to June 30, 2017
• 5916 Part-time education amount for the period of January 1 to June 30, 2017
• 5918 Full-time education amount for the period of January 1 to June 30, 2017

For 2017 and future years, the education and textbook amounts are eliminated. Unused tuition, education and textbook amounts from 2016 and previous years can still be carried forward.

The following fields are deleted from the Schedule YT (S11):

• 5916 Part-time education amount
• 5918 Full-time education amount

For the 2017 and subsequent tax years, the amount for infirm dependants age 18 or older and the caregiver amount are replaced by the provincial/territorial caregiver amount to be consistent with the new Canada caregiver amount on the federal Schedule 1.

The following fields are deleted:

• 5820 Amount for infirm dependants age 18 or older
• 5840 Caregiver amount

The following fields are added:

• 5814 Provincial/territorial caregiver amount for spouse or common-law partner or eligible dependant age 18 or older
• 5818 Provincial/territorial caregiver amount for infirm dependants age 18 or older