BONKERS! The world is going bonkers. The world has resigned to the fate: “It’s not IF you ‘catch’ COVID19, but WHEN!”
Word power and vocabulary – gained!
While the world battled with pandemic, epidemic, outbreak, John Doe grappled with social distancing, community spread and contact tracing. Left alone, he wondered about a quarantine and isolation or self-isolation. Jane, who was used to spread lots of butter and jam on her toast, became a master of words such as super spreader. ‘Contagious smiles’ and ‘infectious moods’ were banished from day-to-day usage – lest people overhearing you, jumped to wrong conclusions. Taxing times, indeed.
Back to our taxes:
New this year:
Like the earlier year, this year you will be receiving copies of tax returns and other documents via ‘ShareFile’ portal AND documents for e-signatures through the ‘Tax Folder’ portal. When you receive the document(s) – all you need to do is click on the link, and fill in the requested details (name, email address). And you can download the documents immediately.
The CRA has announced that the temporary administrative measure currently in place to allow electronic signatures on the T183 (the document you sign authorizing me to file your tax return electronically) have been extended for the 2021 filing season. I will send you more details as we move into the tax season.
Deadline to file the return:
Friday – April 30, 2021 is the day, the last day by which your personal tax return(s) must be filed; without any penalties. For most of you!
For a few of you – who have income from ‘profession’ or ‘business’, have the filing deadline extended to Tuesday, June 15th. However, you are expected to pay the balance of tax (plus CPP) owing by April 30. If not paid by April 30th, then there will be no penalty, but interest at 6% per annum on unpaid amount will start on May 1.
You may be eligible for Interest relief if you received COVID-19 benefits. However, the return(s) MUST be filed by the due dates mentioned above. Please let me know if you need further details.
What this means to you:
For my good taxpayer friends, this means that my office MUST receive all the information from you latest by Saturday, April 3, 2021 (for April 30 deadline) and by Saturday, May 22, 2021 (for June 15 deadline). Since we go strictly on chronological basis (“First-in-First-Out”) – please note that we may not be able to file your tax return(s) in time – if you do not meet these deadlines.
Information and documents relating to your returns can be uploaded to this link:
Some important points:
- You must declare certain properties or investments you have outside Canada. Please provide me all details so I can determine if the declaration is needed.
- You must provide all income slips to us. If you suspect that there might be any slips missing, check with your employer(s) and/or your financial institution(s) and let me know that some slips are missing or have not yet arrived. CRA always conducts a matching process of the T-slips. Missing T-slips is considered failure to report income, which can result in not only additional tax but also penalty and interest.
- You must provide us with the details of any sale and purchase of any real estate property – which includes your principal residence. CRA requires that all instances of sale (transfers / gifts) be reported in your tax return – even if there are no capital gains subject to tax.
On the engagement letter, please be very careful while answering the question regarding ‘Foreign Reporting’. List all the assets (including investment in non-Canadian shares / mutual funds outside Canada – directly or through a broker) having an ‘aggregate’ cost of more than CAD$100,000.
You may either send us the documents by using the secured link (below my signature) or drop off the documents to my office any week-day (Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). I am not sure whether we will be able to meet in person or not.
FINALLY:
I look forward to meet with you / receive documents from you – and then file your tax returns in a timely manner. I don’t expect any extension (as to the date of filing) this year.
THE TAX TEAM AT ATUL SHAH INC.