MarylandNed

Ok but if I understand what you're saying, it's not the fact that they are Canadian citizens which would allow a first time filer to file online. You're saying it's whether or not they have been included on prior tax returns. For example, I have 4 kids who are all Canadian citizens. Two of them have been claimed as dependents on Canadian tax returns (including my oldest daughter who just filed for the first time herself). The younger two have not and have never even lived in Canada. So, from what you're saying, neither of the younger two would be able to file their first Canadian tax return online despite being Canadian citizens. I would have thought that once they apply for SINs, then they would be "in the system" and their name/DOB/SIN could be validated when they file a tax return.

Steve_

They're allowed up to 60 days to process a paper return, iirc what the agent said to me a few years ago. I filed around the start of April, no notice of assessment yet but they cashed the cheque immediately. And that was the Winnipeg tax centre.

Bella Cullen

We filed about 6 weeks ago by paper for our first return. I was hoping to see our refund sooner than later but I guess I was too optimistic!

ChrisBan

Yeah I filed April 1st by paper from the UK so imagine we're on similar sort of time frames.

scilly

It does get faster once you are in the system ........... although that is no consolation to you right now!

We went to our Financial Advisor's office on April 29 to sign the necessary forms, and our refunds were deposited in our bank account on May 7th

Interestingly though, we did not get any notification of the refunds going in, and only got the Notices of Assessment today ........ they were sent first to the Financial Advisor (stamped received May 13) who checked the figures out carefully before forwarding on to us, mailing date last Thursday.

Thar's the first time in about 47 years of filing that we haven't received the NOA very close to the refunds going into the bank.

ChrisBan

Yeah last year I got the refund within 10 days of filing electronically so this is painful haha

Aviator

I don't understand the joy some folks seem to get from getting a tax refund. It is a refund, you are getting your own money back, money that you need not have paid the government in the first place. You get no interest, the govt gets money interest free!

Marko86bfc

Hi guys, received an email that I will be able to view my Notices of Assessment online on Thursday. Does anyone know whether I will be receiving the refund around this time or does it still take some time after receiving this also?

Thanks

scilly

Both of us got large refunds this year, due to two somewhat unusual factors .........

1. Medical expenses not covered by Pharmacare, Extended Health or Dental Insurance. This expense happens every year, but the amount varies. This year, they were particularly high. So far as I know, it is stupid to reduce the amount of tax taken from our pensions on the off chance that we will have really high medical expenses every year

2. We sold our vacation property in March last year, and are carrying the mortgage for 2 years. We sold for more than we originally paid, but the capital gain and the interest part of the mortgage payments were balanced off against the amount we had spent on major structural repairs. The interest on the mortgage will count as income in the next 2 income years.

I don't like to get the huge amounts we got this year ......... but I do prefer to get a small refund back rather than have to write yet another cheque to the government

Bella Cullen

The joy is that you *could* have owed money to them instead! I think it's especially joyful as you rarely get a tax refund in the UK if you are on PAYE and haven't had a break in employment.

scilly

Do you not get deductions in the UK for things such as medical expenses over 3% of your net income, donations, membership in professional societies / unions, cost of attending an annual meeting of a professional society, cost of uniform if you have to supply one, child care costs, etc???

BristolUK

That's because they get it right the first time.

Can do.

I don't know how charitable donations work here but in the UK you can pay the after tax rate (if I can call it that) so you're still not overpaying tax that has to be claimed back.

I have two sources of income in the UK and the Tax Office does something with my tax code so that both paying bodies get my tax right when they pay the income.

Steve_

Yeah you can file T1213 and reduce your withholding.

And they do pay interest if it's outside normal processing times, I got 1 cent of interest on a $200 refund a few years ago.

Steve_

I don't think it makes any difference, some years they're super quick, some years they're not, depends on their staffing levels seems to me.

With new filers they have nothing to refer back to, so I would have thought it's pretty quick actually.

Steve_

The PAYE RTI system is to me just a system to deceive people because most people don't file a tax return so they are unaware of how much tax they are paying.

They make mistakes also: HMRC tax error could affect up to 15 million | Money | The Guardian