Newcomer Tax Return in Canada

A first Canadian return

The Scarborough landing pages already name new immigrants filing a Canadian return for the first time as people the firm helps. The practical start is the date you became a resident. Income from before that date is not the same as income after it, and the preparer will ask you to separate the two before anything is entered.

What to bring

Bring identity papers that show the landing or residency date, every T4 or other Canadian slip for the part of the year you were here, and the foreign income records for the period after you became a resident if those amounts have to be reported. If you are not sure which foreign amounts belong on the return, bring them and let the office sort the list. Do not leave a slip at home because it looks small.

Why the return matters

A filed return is what the CRA uses to assess credits that depend on a return existing. The office will not promise a benefit amount. It will file the return so the CRA has the year on record. Students, spouses and children in the same household can be filed together when their slips are in the same package.

The only office is in Scarborough, near Kennedy Station. You can come in or send the papers. English, Bengali and Tamil are spoken. Manoranjan (Mano) Talukder, CPA, leads the firm, which has done this work since 2010. Personal income tax returns start at $49.99 + HST. Everything else is quoted before it starts.

The main personal service is personal income tax.

What the firm already said it does for a first return

The personal tax service includes students and all age groups, and the landing pages name new immigrants filing a Canadian return for the first time. The practical start is the date you became a resident. Income from before that date is not entered the same way as income after it. Bring both sets of papers and let the office separate them. Do not leave a small slip at home.

Documents

Bring identity papers that show the landing or residency date. Bring every Canadian slip for the part of the year you were here: T4, T4A, T5 and any other income slip. Bring foreign income records for the period after you became a resident, if those amounts have to be reported. If you are not sure, bring them. Students in the household bring the T2202 tuition slip. A spouse and children can be filed in the same package when their slips are together. Last year’s notice, if a Canadian year was already filed, comes too.

Why filing the year matters

The original FAQ said a missed return can stop a benefit that depends on a filed return. It named a child’s benefit, the GST/HST credit and the Ontario Trillium Benefit as examples. The firm does not promise an amount. It files the return so the year is on record. A simple personal return starts at $49.99 + HST. A year with foreign income, a move, or self-employment is quoted.

Languages

The office works in English, Bengali and Tamil. Ask for the language you want when you book. That has been part of the firm’s description, not an add-on. You can come to Suite 205, near Kennedy Station, or send the papers. There is no second office.

If an earlier Canadian year was missed, the firm prepares up to 10 years. If a year was filed and a slip was left out, that is a T1 adjustment. Manoranjan (Mano) Talukder, CPA, has led the firm since 2010.

The rest of the household

A spouse who arrived in the same year is part of the same conversation: residency date, Canadian slips, and any income after that date. A child does not create a benefit amount on this page. The FAQ only said that a missed return can interrupt a child’s benefit, the GST/HST credit or the Ontario Trillium Benefit. Filing puts the year on record. The CRA decides the credit.

Students bring the T2202. Workers bring every T4, even a short job. If you drove or delivered after you arrived, the platform summary belongs in the package too, and that part of the year is quoted as self-employed work. If you have not filed since landing and more than one year is open, the firm can prepare up to 10 years. A simple first return, employment slips only, starts at $49.99 + HST.

Book in English, Bengali or Tamil. The office is at 2390 Eglinton Ave E, Suite 205, near Kennedy Station. You do not need a downtown appointment.

If a Canadian slip arrived after you moved and you are not sure it is yours, bring it anyway. The office would rather exclude a slip than miss one. Foreign records from before the residency date can stay in the envelope, marked, so they are not mixed into the Canadian year. The return is e-filed from Scarborough once the dates are clear.

Write the residency date on the first page of the package. Every slip is sorted against that date.

A spouse’s slips stay in the same envelope, with the spouse’s name on them. The office will not guess which T4 belongs to which person. If you worked before you had a social insurance number, bring whatever pay record the employer gave you.