“Do I have to file a tax return?” you may ask, and the answer is most likely “yes”. 

 

 Students submit their tax returns in order to receive tax credits (money and/or the chance to lower taxes later). International students may have to pay Canadian income tax on income earned from teaching and/or research assistant positions, other employment, and investment and business income. Generally, students also have to report income they receive from outside of Canada, however, students from countries that have a tax treaty with Canada may not have to pay Canadian income tax and may be able to request that their employer stop withholding tax from their Canadian employment income with permission from CRA. 

 

But in short, you must file a tax return if you:

• owe income tax to the government (for example, you earn an income in Canada)

• are asked by the CRA to file a return

Even if you don’t owe any tax, you should file a tax return if you:

• expect an income tax refund from the government

• are applying for the GST/HST credit (which provides cash payments to low- and middle-income taxpayers, to help offset the costs of paying GST/HST on taxable purchases)

• are eligible to receive the child tax credit (for low- and middle-income taxpayers with children)

• might earn more income in Canada in the future and want to carry-forward (i.e. save for future years) Tuition Payment and Education Credits to reduce the tax you owe in future years.

 

You do not need to pay taxes on your income from scholarships, fellowships, or bursaries.

 

The Canadian tax system is based on residency, not citizenship, meaning you’ll have to determine your residency status before filing your tax return;

 

So you have now figured out your residency status, but what do you need in order to file?

• SIN(social insurance)/ITN(individual tax) number

• T2202A – Tuition fees paid for the tax year

• T4 – Employment income and deductions

• T4A – Scholarships and bursaries

• Receipts for expenses