2023 TurboTax® Canada Tips

Did you know? Several federal and provincial benefits are based on your income!

Susan Watkin
March 17, 2021 | 3 Min Read

There are several Federal and Provincial benefits that are directly tied to your income for the previous tax year; several are applied for through the process of completing your income tax return.

Many benefits that are fully funded through the provincial or territorial governments are administered by the CRA and either paid out with federal benefits or on their own.

Two Canada wide tax-free benefits, the CCB and the GST/HST Credit, are such benefits with several provincial and territorial inclusions.

Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

There is more to this benefit than the federal portion of it. There are 8 provinces and territories that have their own version of a child care benefit that are then combined with the federal CCB to make one monthly payment to the recipients.

The following is a list of those Provincial and Territorial programs, whose benefits are paid out with CCB. If you live in one of these provinces, you may qualify for the additional provincial/territorial benefit. 

It is important to note that the qualifications for the provincial or territorial benefits might be different from that of the federal benefit, so it is important to review the requirements.

Province or Territory Benefit
British Columbia BC Child Opportunity Benefit (BCCOB)
Ontario Ontario Child Benefit (OCB)
New Brunswick New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit (NBCTB),
Nova Scotia New Brunswick Working Income Supplement (NBWIS),
New Brunswick School Supplement (NBSS)
Nova Scotia Child Benefit (NSCB)
Newfoundland and Labrador Mother Baby Nutrition Supplement (MBNS)
Yukon Yukon Child Benefit (YCB)
Northwest Territories Northwest Territories Child Benefit (NWTCB)
Nunavut Nunavut Child Benefit (NUCB)

 

GST/HST Credit

Just like the CCB, there is more to this credit than the federal portion of it. There are 7 provinces and territories that have programs that are combined with the federal GST/HST Credit to make one quarterly payment to the recipients.

The following is a list of those Provincial and Territorial programs and if you live in one of these provinces, you may qualify for the additional provincial/territorial benefit. Just like the child benefits above, the qualifications for the provincial or territorial benefits might be different from that of the federal benefit, so it is important to review the requirements as even though these are combined with the quarterly GST or GST/HST Credit payments, they may have nothing to do with sales tax.

Province or Territory Benefit
British Columbia BC Climate Action Tax Credit (BCCATC)
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Low-Income Tax Credit (SLITC)
New Brunswick New Brunswick Harmonized Sales Tax Credit (NBHSTC)
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Affordable Living Tax Credit (NSALTC)
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Income Supplement (NLIS),
Newfoundland and Labrador Disability Amount (NLDA,
Newfoundland and Labrador Seniors’ Benefit (NLSB)
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Sales Tax Credit (PEISTC)
Yukon Yukon Government Carbon Price Rebate – Individuals (YGCPRI)
Northwest Territories Northwest Territories Cost of Living Offset (NWTCLO)

 

Other benefits separate from CCB and GST/HST

There are other provincial and territorial benefit payments that are paid separately from the two above.

Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB): though related to CCB and administered by the CRA,  is completely separate in terms of payments; payments are issued quarterly, starting in August.

Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB): administered by the CRA, this benefit payment is the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit (OEPTC), Northern Ontario Energy Credit (NOEC), and the Ontario Sales Tax Credit (OSTC) combined.  Each of the 3 credits that make up the OTB, have different criteria. OTB is paid monthly.

Ontario Senior Homeowners Property Tax Grant (OSHPTG): administered by the CRA, this grant for seniors, issued as a one time grant payment to a maximum of $500, for tax years 2010 and later.

Remember, these are just the provincial and territorial benefits, based on your income, administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.  There may be more benefits available to you, based on your income from your province or territory; to learn more about tax credits for your province, review the CRA Provincial and Territorial listing for individuals.