Fleming College Offering Free Tax Clinic For Eligible Residents During March

Fleming College is offering free tax clinics to any eligible persons this March.

Administered through a program with the Canada Revenue Agency, the community tax clinics are supervised by Accounting program instructors and organized with the help of Enactus Fleming College’s Keys to Me program. Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The clinics are open to eligible community members and Fleming students. Accounting students provide the clinics as a hands-on learning experience in their chosen field.

Clinics take place each Monday from March 4 to April 1 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre at Fleming’s Sutherland Campus.

To be eligible for the free clinics, individuals must:

• Have an income of $35,000 or less for individuals

• Have a combined income of $45,000 or less for a couple

• Have a combined income of $47,500 or less for a family of three

• Have a combined income of $50,000 or less for a family of four

Students will not prepare returns for anyone self-employed, for those who have capital gains or losses, employment expenses or have filed for bankruptcy.

Eligible residents can make an appointment at the clinic by emailing taxclinic@flemingcollege.ca, or registering online. Walk-ins can also be accommodated depending on availability.

Free parking is available for residents travelling to the Sutherland Campus for the tax clinic. Fleming requests that anyone coming to email the clinic in advance with your licence plate information and date of arrival to qualify for the free parking.

Anyone attending the clinic is asked to bring the following information:

• Social Insurance Number

• T2202A Tuition Receipt (if applicable)

• Rent Receipts for rent paid in Ontario in 2023 (if applicable)

• Medical expense receipts

• T4 Statement of Income (provided by your employer if you worked in Canada in 2023)

• Any other tax related slips you may receive in the mail, like a T5 or a T3 slip (for investment income)

• International students and new Canadians filing a tax return for the first time will need to provide their date of arrival in Canada

Fleming also welcomes eligible residents to drop off their tax information.

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Applications Open For 2024 Low Income Senior & Low Income Property Tax Assistance

Applications are open for The City of Peterborbough Low-Income Senior & Low-Income Property Tax Assistance Program.

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Qualifying applicants receive a $400 tax credit on their municipal property tax accounts to be applied to the February 2024 interim tax bill.  Anyone who previously received more than a $400 credit is grandfathered in at their higher credit amount. 

Property owners can apply under one of the following qualifications:

1. Low-income Senior aged 65 years or older

2. Low-income Senior aged 55-64 years of age

3. Low-income persons with a disability receiving benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

Applications are available on the City’s website or at the City Hall Tax Office, 500 George St. N. Anyone that received tax credits this year, automatically receives a 2023 Property Tax Assistance application in the mail.

Feb. 19 is the deadline for submitting this application.

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Student-Led Community Tax Clinics Return to Fleming College

Fleming College’s student-led tax clinics are returning to Sutherland Campus this March.

photo courtesy of fleming college.

Administered through a program with the Canada Revenue Agency, these community tax clinics are run by students in Fleming’s Accounting program and are supervised by their program instructors. The clinics provide an enriching, real-world experience for students while offering a valuable service to the community.

Clinics take place each Thursday from March 9 to 30 at the Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre, running from noon to 4 p.m.

To be eligible for the free clinics, individuals must:

• Have an income of $35,000 or less for individuals

• Have a combined income of $45,000 or less for a couple

• Have a combined income of $47,500 or less for a family of three

• Have a combined income of $50,000 or less for a family of four

Students will not prepare returns for self-employed individuals or for those who have capital gains or losses, employment expenses or who have filed for bankruptcy.

Eligible residents can make an appointment at the clinic by emailing before-hand. Walk-ins can also be accommodated if students are available.

Eligible residents are also welcome to drop off their tax information, and can email the clinic for more information.

Anyone attending the clinic is asked to bring the following information:

• Social Insurance Number

• T2202A Tuition Receipt (if applicable)

• Rent Receipts for rent paid in Ontario in 2022 (if applicable)

• Medical expense receipts

• T4 Statement of Income (provided by your employer if you worked in Canada in 2022)

• Any other tax related slips you may receive in the mail, like a T5 or a T3 slip (for investment income)

• International students and new Canadians filing a tax return for the first time will need to provide their date of arrival in Canada

Free parking is available for residents travelling to the Sutherland Campus for the tax clinic. Be sure to email the clinic ahead of time with your licence plate information and date of arrival.

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City of Peterborough Property Taxes Available For Electronic Billing

The City of Peterborough is now offering property owners electronic delivery of their property tax bill (eBilling) and can subscribe to receive their property tax bills directly to their email account in PDF format.

File photo.

City of Peterborough says eBilling is a secure, convenient billing method that gives property owners total access to their tax bill information anywhere they have access to their email. To ensure the privacy and confidentiality of residents, each property tax bill will be secured with an individualized access code that is required to access the PDF document.

Registering for eBilling is a two-step process:

1. Homeowners complete the online registration and maintain their information at peterborough.ca/eBilling

2. Homeowners will receive an access code by mail that is required to access the PDF attachment

Property owners who opt into eBilling will receive their property tax bill by email on the same schedule as normal billing – an interim bill at the end of February and final bill at the end of June, annually.

Customers who opt for eBilling will no longer receive a paper copy of their tax bill.

“We’re pleased to offer this convenient new service to property owners,” said Loren Drinkwalter, the City’s revenue administrator. “Going paperless is good for the environment and helps reduce administration costs associated with printing and postage.”

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City of Peterborough Accepting Applications For Low Income Senior & Low Income Property Tax Assistance

Applications are open for The City of Peterborbough Low-Income Senior & Low-Income Property Tax Assistance Program.

Qualifying applicants receive a $400 tax credit on their municipal property tax accounts to be applied to the February 2023 interim tax bill.  Anyone who previously received more than a $400 credit is grandfathered in at their higher credit amount. 

Property owners can apply under one of the following qualifications:

1. Low-Income Senior aged 65 years or older

2. Low-Income Senior aged 55-64 years of age

3. Low-Income Persons with a disability receiving benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

Applications are available on the City’s website or at the City Hall Tax Office, 500 George St. N. Anyone that received tax credits this year, automatically receives a 2023 Property Tax Assistance application in the mail.

Feb. 10 is the deadline for submitting this application.

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Ontario's Staycation Tax Credit In Effect

The Ontario Government’s staycation tax credit is now in effect for 2022.

The Ontario Government claims the credit will provide an estimated $270 million in support to about 1.85 million Ontario families. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Ontario residents can claim 20 per cent of their eligible 2022 accommodation expenses if lived in the province by Dec. 31 this year.

Expenses of up to $1,000 as an individual or $2,000 if you have a spouse, common-law partner or eligible children, to get back up to $200 as an individual or $400 as a family can be claimed.

You can claim the Ontario Staycation Tax Credit for accommodation expenses for a leisure stay of less than a month in Ontario, at a short-term accommodation or camping accommodation, such as a:

• hotel

• motel

• resort

• lodge

• bed-and-breakfast establishment

• cottage

• campground

Short-term accommodation would generally not include timeshare agreements or a stay on a boat, train or other vehicle that can be self-propelled.

The tax credit only applies to leisure stays between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 this year regardless of the timing of payment for the stays. The tax credit does not apply to business travel.

The accommodation expenses must also:

• have been paid by you, your spouse or common-law partner, or your eligible child, as set out on a detailed receipt

• have been subject to Goods and Services Tax (GST)/Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), as set out on a detailed receipt

• not have been reimbursed to you, your spouse or common-law partner, or your eligible child, by any person including by a friend or an employer

As long as all other conditions are met, you can claim any of the following expenses:

• accommodation for a single trip or multiple trips, up to the maximum expense limit of $1,000 as an individual or $2,000 as a family

• accommodations booked either directly with the accommodation provider or through an online accommodation platform

• the portion of the expense that is necessary to have access to the accommodation

• the accommodation portion of a tour package expense

You must keep your detailed receipts for any eligible expenses you incur. Those receipts should include at least all of the following information:

• the location of the accommodation

• the amount that can reasonably be considered to be for the accommodation portion of a stay

• the GST/HST paid

• the date of the stay

• the name of the payor

You can claim the credit on your personal Income Tax and Benefit Return for 2022.

The Ontario Staycation Tax Credit is a refundable personal income tax credit. This means that if you are eligible, you can get this tax credit regardless of whether you owe income tax for 2022.

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