Hi guys!!

Another tax question!!!

I am ready to do my first tax return and wondered if anyone could help. I moved here with my family on 1 Jan 13 after retiring from 30 Years British army service. I am in receipt of a UK military pension to the value of £22,555pa - Tax-free paid into the UK bank (I cleared from UK and they give me it without tax). Neither I nor my wife work now, our 15 year old daughter is at a local school and our 20 year old son stayed in the UK at university.

We own our house here in Canada with a small mortgage.

I have no idea what I can claim but I believe only I need submit to pay tax on my pension - wifey does not as she earns nothing.

However:

a. Is it better that my wife does not submit a return? Can I claim her allowance on mine instead? She has in fact spent money on education and training - she did a personal Trainers course and exam, which wasn't cheap - maybe she can get money back for that?

b. What can we claim for daughter at school? Child allowance?

c. Is there anything we can claim for son at Uni in UK, like tax back on flights ....?

d. Is there anything we can claim back for the house? We have had to spend a lot on maintenance and replacing boilers etc.

e. Anything else I have forgotten?

Please forgive my asking these mundane questions again but I have had some fantastic advice on here in the past so I like to come back here!


Cheers,
Jim

With questions like that I would think about getting an accountant We got one for our first return last year as we thought life is too short to be faffing about and stressing over it. My husband still files our UK taxes.

Over here I think child benefit is only claimable for children under 6.

I am pretty sure your wife has to file her own accounts. I did for our first year and hadn't been working.

Re the house in the UK (I presume that is the one you are talking about repairs) all I know that we claimed was landlord insurance and had to prove the rental income and the mortgage to the accountant. Not much help to you but take from it that there maybe some things you can claim.

You shoul both file returns. You can then elect to split your pension income and ...

You will get a tax credit for a dependant. You can apply for child tax benefit - but you will both need to file tax returns to get it.

If your son is required to file a Canadian tax return he may be eligible for a tuition credit which he can pass on to you.

The house where you live? Nothing, it is a personal expense.

That is Universal Child Care Benefit. There is also Canada Child Tax Benefit http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/menu-eng.html which continues until 18. This is means tested but most parents will qualify for somthing.

What is the threshold for the earnings? I didn't know about this? Thanks.

Sorry Jon - read your post too quickly. Didn't see the link in there. Will look it up - thanks