These Canadian tax credits could help you get a refund from your tax return

Claiming refundable tax credits could put money in your bank account. 👀

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Canadian bills and coins.

Mykhailo Polenok | Dreamstime
Senior Writer

If you're doing your taxes, there are a few credits you should know about when filing your return.

These federal tax credits could help you get money back from the government.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has both non-refundable and refundable tax credits that are claimable on tax returns.

With a refundable credit, you can get a refund if the amount you're eligible for is more than your tax owing.

Stefanie Ricchio, a CPA and TurboTax spokesperson, told Narcity that refundable tax credits are "highly valuable" because you get them regardless of how much income tax you've paid throughout the year.

"By claiming every credit you're entitled to, you ensure that you receive what you're owed and put dollars in your pocket," the expert said.

So, here are some federal tax credits that could help you get a refund when filing your 2025 taxes in Canada this year.

Canada Workers Benefit

The Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) is a refundable tax credit that's meant to help individuals and families who are working and earning a low income. The CWB has a basic amount and a disability supplement.

The maximum basic amount for the CWB is $1,633 for single individuals and $2,813 for families.

The maximum amount for the disability supplement is $843 for single individuals and $843 for families.

If you have an eligible spouse and one of you is eligible for the disability tax credit, that person should claim both the basic amount and the disability supplement.

If you have an eligible spouse and both of you are eligible for the disability tax credit, only one of you can claim the basic amount.

You claim the CWB on line 45300 of your tax return.

There are advanced payments of the CWB, but you don't have to apply to receive them because the CRA will determine your eligibility when you file your tax return. If you're entitled to a CWB amount on line 45300, the CRA will automatically send you the advanced payments.

Canada Training Credit

The Canada Training Credit (CTC) is a refundable tax credit to help Canadians with the cost of eligible training fees.

You can claim the CTC for tuition and other fees paid for courses that you took during the 2025 tax year.

To claim the CTC, you must meet all of the following conditions:

  • you were a resident in Canada for all of 2025
  • you were at least 26 years of age and less than 66 years of age at the end of the year
  • you have a Canada Training Credit limit (CTCL) for 2025 on your latest notice of assessment or reassessment for 2024

You can claim up to half of the fees claimed on line 32000 of your Schedule 11, Federal Tuition Amounts and Canada Training Credit or your CTCL for 2025, whichever amount is less.

If you claim the CTC, your CTCL for future years will be reduced.

You can claim the CTC on line 45350 of your tax return.

Multigenerational home renovation tax credit

The multigenerational home renovation tax credit is a refundable tax credit to help cover certain renovation expenses incurred to create a self-contained secondary unit.

If you're an eligible individual, the secondary unit must allow a senior or an adult who is eligible for the disability tax credit to live with a qualifying relative.

You can claim up to $50,000 in qualifying expenditures for each qualifying renovation that's completed.

The tax credit is 14.5% of your costs, up to a maximum of $7,250, for each claim you're eligible to make. Also, you could be able to split the credit if renovation costs were shared between two or more family members.

You claim the multigenerational home renovation tax credit on line 45355 of your tax return.

Educator school supply tax credit

You may be able to claim the eligible educator school supply tax credit. It's a refundable tax credit that can reduce the amount of income tax you may owe.

Generally, you're eligible to claim this credit if you were an eligible educator in 2025 and had eligible supplies expenses in 2025.

You can claim up to $1,000 of eligible expenses for supplies during 2025.

You have to enter your eligible amount of school supply expenses on line 46800 of your tax return. Then, multiply the amount on line 46800 by 25% and enter the result on line 46900.

Canadian journalism labour tax credit

If you were a member of a partnership that was a qualifying journalism organization in 2025, you can claim the Canadian journalism labour tax credit that was allocated to you by the partnership.

The amount you can claim is shown in box 236 of your T5013 slip for 2025.

This refundable tax credit is on line 47555 of your tax return.

READ NEXT: 9 federal tax credits that could reduce how much you owe on your tax return this year

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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