11 Canadian tax credits & deductions you can claim this year that you might not know about
Don't leave money on the table! 💰
Here are 11 federal tax credits and deductions you might not know about.
Tax season in Canada is officially here, and if you're like most Canadians, you're probably wondering how to maximize your tax refund — or at least avoid paying more income tax than you have to.
Luckily, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has a bunch of tax credits and deductions you can claim on your 2024 tax return, and some are better known than others.
The filing deadline for most individuals for the 2024 tax year is April 30, and whether you're filing for yourself or calling in a pro, knowing what you can claim makes a big difference.
This year, there are tax benefits for almost every situation — from students and workers to parents, seniors, people with disabilities and more, there's probably a credit or deduction out there with your name on it.
So before you hit "submit" on that return, check out these 11 tax credits and deductions that you might not know about and that could save you some serious cash when filing your 2024 income tax return this year.
Canada employment amount
If you worked a regular job in 2024 — whether full time, part time or even seasonal — you can claim the Canada employment amount on your tax return. It's meant to recognize the costs that come with having a job, like commuting or buying work clothes — but the best part is you don't need to have kept track of those expenses. A heads-up, though: This credit is only for employees, not self-employed folks.
What you can get: You can claim up to $1,433 on your tax return — but not as extra cash in your pocket. This amount gets subtracted from your taxable income, which means you might owe less tax or get a slightly bigger refund. If you made less than $1,433 from working, you can only claim what you earned. So for example, if you made $1,000 in employment income, you'd only claim $1,000 here.
How to claim: As long as you earned income from a job in 2024, you can claim this on line 31260 of your tax return. Just look at the amount you reported on lines 10100 and 10400 (those are for employment income), and enter whichever is less — $1,433 or your total income — on line 31260. That's it!
Canada Workers Benefit
The Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) is a tax credit for people who work but don't earn a lot of money. It's designed to help low-income workers keep more of their cash, and it's available whether you're single or have a family. There's also an extra amount for people who qualify for the disability tax credit.
If you're eligible, you can even get up to half of your entitlement as advanced payments throughout the year, so you don't have to wait until tax time to get some of that money.
What you can get: For the 2024 tax year, you could get up to $1,590 if you're single, or up to $2,739 for a family. The exact amount depends on how much money you made and where you live in Canada — amounts and income thresholds vary for residents of Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut. If your income is too high, the benefit gets smaller and eventually stops. There's also a disability supplement worth up to $821 more for people who qualify. The best part is that the CWB is refundable, which means it gets paid out to you even if you don't owe any taxes.
How to claim: You can claim the CWB when you file your taxes — just follow the prompts in your tax software, or fill out Schedule 6 if you're doing a paper return. If you're eligible, the CRA will automatically send you advance payments during the year. You don't need to apply separately for those, but you do need to file your taxes before November 1 to get them.
Home office expenses
If your employer required you to work from home in 2024, you might be able to claim a tax deduction for some of your home office expenses. The requirement doesn't have to be in your contract, but there should be a verbal or written agreement. You also need to have paid for those work-from-home costs yourself, like part of your rent, electricity or internet. And yes, your kitchen table can count as a workspace if you used it regularly for work.
It's important to note that the temporary flat-rate method no longer applies as of the 2023 tax year, but you can still use the original detailed method if you're still working from home.
What you can get: This is a deduction, not a credit — meaning it lowers the income you pay tax on, which can reduce how much tax you owe. The exact amount depends on things like the size of your workspace compared to the rest of your home, how much time you spent working there and the expenses you're claiming. You can't deduct the full cost of your bills, but you can claim the part that relates to your work. For example, if your home office takes up 10% of your total home, you could claim 10% of certain bills like rent and utilities as well as any repairs and maintenance done to your workspace.
How to claim: You'll need two forms — a signed Form T2200 from your employer, and Form T777, where you calculate your eligible expenses. Use the CRA's calculator tool if you need help with the math. Then, report the final amount on line 22900 of your tax return under "Other employment expenses." Keep your receipts and records for six years — the CRA might ask for proof later.
Tuition, education & textbook amounts
If you were a student in 2024, you can claim the tuition tax credit for eligible course fees you paid — whether you're studying in Canada or abroad — to help cut down the amount of tax you owe. Even though the federal education and textbook tax credits were scrapped in 2017, you can still claim the tuition amount, and you can also still use any unused education and tuition amounts that you've carried forward. Just make sure you have the right forms or receipts from your school to back it up.
What you can get: The tuition tax credit is a non-refundable credit, which means it lowers the tax you owe, but won't give you a refund on its own. You can claim eligible tuition fees over $100 per institution, and if you don't need all of it this year, you can transfer up to $5,000 to a parent, grandparent or spouse — or carry the unused amount forward for future tax years. The credit amount varies depending on your total eligible fees and any unused credits from past years.
How to claim: You'll need to fill out Schedule 11 when you file your taxes, even if someone else paid your tuition. Report your eligible tuition amounts from the T2202 (or other official tax form) given to you by your school, and enter the final number on line 32300 of your return. You don't need to send in receipts unless the CRA asks, but keep them on hand. If you're transferring some of your credits, fill out the transfer section of your T2202 (or equivalent) form.
Canada Training Credit
The Canada Training Credit (CTC) is for anyone who took a course or exam in 2024 and wants to get some of that money back. It's a refundable tax credit, which means you can actually get money back — even if you don't owe taxes.
To qualify, you need to have been between 26 and 65 years old at the end of the year, lived in Canada all year and had enough "credit room" (called your Canada Training Credit limit). You'll find that limit on your latest notice of assessment from the CRA, which should be available in your My Account portal.
What you can get: You can claim 50% of the tuition or fees you paid for eligible courses or exams or your CTC limit for 2024 — whichever is less. So if you paid $1,000 for a course and your limit is $500, you can claim $500. If your limit is $250, then that's what you can claim. The max you can build up over your lifetime is $5,000, with $250 added each year you're eligible — even if you don't claim anything that year.
How to claim: You'll claim the CTC on line 45350 of your tax return. If you're using tax software, it'll walk you through the steps. If you're doing a paper return, fill out Schedule 11 from your tax package. The CTC will reduce your taxes owing, and if it's more than what you owe, you'll get the leftover as a refund.
Student loan interest
If you're paying off student loans, you can claim a tax credit for the interest you paid in 2024 — but only if your loan came from specific government programs, like Canada Student Loans or provincial equivalents. Private loans or lines of credit don't count, and if you combined your student loan with another loan (like through a bank), you can't claim interest on that either.
What you can get: This is a non-refundable tax credit, meaning it reduces the amount of tax you owe but won't get you a refund on its own. You can claim interest paid in 2024, or any interest from the past five years if you didn't use it before. If you don't owe taxes this year, you're better off saving the credit for a future year when you do.
How to claim: Enter the interest amount on line 31900 of your federal tax return, and on line 58520 for your provincial or territorial return. If you're filing electronically, hang on to your receipts in case the CRA asks for proof. If you're filing a paper return, attach your documents showing how much interest you paid. Only you — not your parents or anyone else — can claim this credit.
Home Buyers' Amount
If you bought your first home in 2024, you might be able to claim the Home Buyers' Amount, which gives you a little break on your taxes. To qualify, you must not have lived in another home that you (or your spouse or common-law partner) owned in the past four years — unless you're eligible for the Disability Tax Credit. The home has to be in Canada and can include houses, condos, townhouses, mobile homes and more. You also need to plan to live in the home within a year of buying it.
What you can get: You can claim $10,000 against your income as a non-refundable tax credit that reduces the amount of tax you owe. This means you won't get this amount as cash back, but it can help lower your tax bill. If you bought the home with someone else, you can split the $10,000 between you — but together you can't claim more than that total.
How to claim: To get this credit, enter $10,000 on line 31270 of your tax return. If you're splitting the credit with someone else, just make sure the total between both of you doesn't go over $10,000. Keep any documents related to the home purchase in case the CRA wants proof, but you don't need to send anything in with your return.
Donations & gifts
If you donated money, goods or other property to a registered charity or certain other organizations in 2024 or up to February 28, 2025, you can claim a tax credit on your 2024 return. You can also claim eligible donations from any of the past five years (or 10 years for ecological gifts) if you didn't claim them before. Just make sure the organization is a qualified donee, like a registered charity or government body. If you're not sure if an organization counts, you can check the CRA's list of qualified donees to be safe.
What you can get: This is a non-refundable credit, so it helps lower your tax bill but won't give you extra money back if you don't owe taxes. You can typically claim up to 75% of your net income in eligible donations, or 100% for gifts of capital property. The credit amount depends on how much you donated and your income. You don't have to claim your donations right away — if it works out better for your taxes, you can carry forward unused donations and claim them in any of the next five years. Just rememeber that each donation can only be claimed once.
How to claim: You can use Schedule 9 to add up your eligible donations. The final amount from line 23 of Schedule 9 goes on line 34900 of your tax return. If you're claiming donations from past years, you have to use those amounts first before claiming anything from 2024 — make sure you keep a record of what you're using and what you're carrying forward. If you're filing online, hang on to your donation receipts in case the CRA asks for them. If you're mailing your return, include Schedule 9 but keep your receipts. You might also qualify for a provincial or territorial credit — check your local tax form for details.
Disability Tax Credit
The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit that helps people with severe and long-term disabilities — or their supporting family members — lower the amount of income tax they might owe. It's designed to help offset some of the extra costs that come with having a disability.
What you can get: For the 2024 tax year, the disability amount is $9,872 if you're 18 or older. If you're under 18, there's an extra $5,758 supplement, bringing the total to $15,630. Since this is a non-refundable credit, it only reduces taxes you owe — it doesn't result in a refund if you don't owe anything. If you don't need the full credit yourself, you might be able to transfer the unused portion to a family member who helps support you.
How to claim: You have to apply for the DTC first by submitting Form T2201 (paper version or online through My Account), which includes a section filled out by your medical practitioner. You can do this at any point in the year, not just at tax time. If the CRA approves your application, you can claim the credit on your tax return — on line 31600 if you're claiming it for yourself. You can also claim up to 10 years retroactively if you were eligible in the past but didn't claim it.
Canada Caregiver Credit
If you support a child, spouse, partner or another eligible dependant with a physical or mental impairment, you might be able to claim the Canada Caregiver Credit. It's a non-refundable tax credit that helps lower the amount of tax you owe, and it's meant to help with some of the costs that come with caregiving.
Elibigle dependants include your spouse or common-law partner and your (or your partner's) child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, sibling, uncle, aunt, niece or nephew — as long as they had a physical or mental impairment, lived in Canada at some point in the year and relied on you for basic needs like food, shelter or clothing.
What you can get: The amount depends on who you're supporting, their net income and whether other credits are being claimed for them. For example, you could claim $2,616 for a spouse or child under 18, and up to $8,375 for dependants 18 or older. There are a few different claim lines — including line 30300, 30400, 30425, 30450 and 30500 — depending on your situation. You'll want to check the CRA site or talk to a tax pro to know exactly what applies to you.
How to claim: Fill out Schedule 5 with details about who you're claiming for and how much. You don't need to send any medical documents with your tax return, but hang on to them — the CRA might ask later. If the dependant you're claiming for already has an approved Disability Tax Credit Certificate (Form T2201), you likely won't need new paperwork.
Child care expenses
If you paid someone to look after your child in 2024 so you could work, go to school or do research, you might be able to claim those child care expenses as a tax deduction. You can claim these expenses if your child was under 16 in 2024 or had a physical or mental impairment and depended on you for care. The child also needs to have lived with you when the expenses were paid. You must have hired someone to care for them so you could earn income, run a business, attend school or do research under a grant, and the care had to be provided in Canada by a Canadian resident.
What you can get: This amount is a deduction rather than a credit, meaning it helps lower the income you pay tax on, which can reduce your tax bill, but it won't give you a refund. You can claim payments made to day cares, camps, schools (for the child care portion of fees) and caregivers, but not for things like clothes, transportation or extracurriculars. There are limits on who can be paid — for example, you can't claim amounts paid to the child's other parent, an immediate relative under 18 or someone you claimed certain tax credits for. You also can't carry forward unused expenses, so make sure you claim what you can this year.
How to claim: Fill out Form T778 to calculate your allowable deduction, then enter that amount on line 21400 of your tax return. Keep your receipts — they must include the provider's info, and if it's an individual, their SIN (social insurance number). Don't send the receipts unless the CRA asks, but hang onto them just in case.
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