Tax Tips: Tuition & Textbook Credits
The federal tuition and education and textbook tax credit have been eliminated beginning in 2017. Any federal education tax credits that have been earned before 2017 can be carry forward and claimed in 2017 and in subsequent years. The Manitoba government has not eliminated its provincial education tax credit and there have been no announcements made to any potential changes in the future.
For 2017 and future tax years, the tuition tax credit has been extended to include fees paid for occupational skills courses offered at post-secondary institutions in Canada that aren’t at a post-secondary level provided that the student is at least 16 years of age and enrolled in the educational institution to obtain or improve skills in an occupation.
To claim the tax credit for tuition fees, you must have received an official tax receipt or a completed T2202A Tuition, Education and Textbook Amount Certificate. If the cost of the tuition was less than $100 paid to any educational institution, that amount is not deductible. The tax credit can also include the cost of courses and seminars related to your work. If you were taking courses as a requirement for work, and your employer has provided you with a form T2200, Declaration of Conditions of Employment indicating this requirement, then you can claim this as an employment expense instead of a tuition tax credit.
