CRA — overview
CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) to federal podatkowa agencja Kanady. Zarządza:
- Federal income tax
- GST/HST
- EI, CPP contributions
- Child Benefits, GST/HST credit
- Provincial taxes (collection dla większości provincji)
Tax year w Kanadzie: 1 stycznia - 31 grudnia (kalendarzowy).
Deadlines
| Termin | Co |
|---|---|
| 28 lutego | Pracodawcy wysyłają T4 (annual income slip) |
| 1 marca | RRSP contribution deadline za poprzedni rok |
| 30 kwietnia | FILING deadline general taxpayers + PAYMENT deadline ALL |
| 15 czerwca | FILING deadline self-employed (payment still 30 kwietnia) |
Late filing penalty
- 5% balance owing first day late
- +1% each month late (max 12 mc)
- Plus interest (compound daily) ~6-9%
Tax rates 2024
Federal
| Bracket | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0-$15 705 (Basic Personal Amount) | 0% |
| $15 705-$55 867 | 15% |
| $55 867-$111 733 | 20.5% |
| $111 733-$173 205 | 26% |
| $173 205-$246 752 | 29% |
| Powyżej $246 752 | 33% |
Provincial (Ontario 2024)
| Bracket | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0-$51 446 | 5.05% |
| $51 446-$102 894 | 9.15% |
| $102 894-$150 000 | 11.16% |
| $150 000-$220 000 | 12.16% |
| Powyżej $220 000 | 13.16% |
Combined marginal rates (Ontario top)
- $55k: ~24% combined
- $100k: ~38%
- $150k: ~46%
- $250k+: ~53.5%
CPP + EI
CPP (Canada Pension Plan)
- Rate 2024: 5.95% employee + 5.95% employer
- Limit: $68 500 (Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings)
- Max contribution: $3 867.50/year
- Enhanced CPP od 2019 — wyższe future benefits
- Funduje state pension
EI (Employment Insurance)
- Rate 2024: 1.66% employee + 2.32% employer
- Limit: $63 200
- Max: $1 049/year
- Funduje unemployment, maternity, sickness benefits
Tax-advantaged accounts
TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account)
Investment account z tax-free growth + withdrawals.
Limity (cumulative since 2009)
- 2009-12: $5 000/rok
- 2013-14: $5 500/rok
- 2015: $10 000
- 2016-18: $5 500/rok
- 2019-22: $6 000/rok
- 2023: $6 500
- 2024: $7 000
- 2025: $7 000
- 2026 (estimated): $7 000-7 500
Total lifetime contribution room dla someone 18+ w 2009: ~$95-100k by 2024-25.
Cechy
- Contributions NIE deductible
- Growth NIE taxed
- Withdrawals NIE taxed
- Room z withdrawal returns next calendar year
- Można hold w savings, GICs, stocks, ETFs, mutual funds
Eligibility
- Canadian resident dla tax purposes
- 18+ years
- Valid SIN
Polish citizens: można contribute od momentu uzyskania residency status. Cały lifetime room dostępny od year of residency, NIE od 2009.
RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan)
Tax-deferred retirement account.
Limity
- 18% earned income previous year
- Max 2024: $31 560
- Lifetime carry-forward (unused)
- Pension Adjustment dla DBP workers (mniej room)
Cechy
- Contributions deductible (lowers tax in year)
- Growth tax-deferred
- Withdrawals taxed jako income (when retire)
- Converted do RRIF at 71
- HBP (Home Buyer's Plan) — withdraw $35k tax-free dla first home
- LLP (Lifelong Learning Plan) — $20k tax-free dla education
TFSA vs RRSP
| TFSA | RRSP | |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution deductible | NIE | TAK |
| Growth taxed | NIE | NIE (deferred) |
| Withdrawals taxed | NIE | TAK |
| Limit (2024) | $7k | 18% income / $31.5k |
| Best dla | Niższy income | Wyższy income |
Generally:
- RRSP better dla higher income earners (deduction valuable when tax bracket high)
- TFSA better dla lower income (no benefit z deduction)
- Optymalnie: oba (max out)
Major credits i deductions
Common credits
- Basic Personal Amount: $15 705 federal + provincial
- Spousal Amount: $15 705 (jeśli partner low income)
- Canada Child Benefit (CCB): do $7 437/dziecko under 6
- GST/HST Credit: dla low income
- Climate Action Incentive: dla provincial
- Disability Tax Credit
- Tuition tax credit: 15% z tuition
- Medical expenses > 3% net income lub $2 759
- Charitable donations: 15% first $200, 29% above
Common deductions
- RRSP contributions
- Child care expenses
- Moving expenses (40+ km dla pracy)
- Union dues, professional dues
- Employment expenses (limited cases)
- Carrying charges (interest on investment loans)
Filing taxes
Methods
Online (NETFILE)
Federal government online filing through certified software:
- Wealthsimple Tax — free, popular
- TurboTax Free / Premium — Free w basic, paid versions dla complex
- StudioTax — desktop free
- GenuTax — free w basic
- UFile — paid
- H&R Block — paid
Paper
Mail forms do CRA. Slower (4-12 weeks processing).
Tax preparer
- Accountant: $100-500
- H&R Block office: $100-300
- Polish-speaking accountants w Toronto, GTA
Volunteer programs
- CVITP (Community Volunteer Income Tax Program) — free dla low income
Dokumenty potrzebne
Income slips
- T4 — employment income
- T4A — pension, scholarship, other income
- T4E — EI benefits
- T5 — investment income (interest, dividends)
- T3 — trust income
- T5008 — securities transactions
Deduction documents
- RRSP contribution receipt
- Child care receipts
- Medical expense receipts
- Tuition (T2202A)
- Charitable donation receipts
- Union dues
CRA "My Account"
Online portal dla taxpayers:
- View tax returns past 11 lat
- Notice of Assessment (NOA)
- Refund status
- Direct deposit setup
- Auto-fill My Return (next year)
- Update personal info
- Submit documents
- RRSP contribution room
- TFSA contribution room
Setup w canada.ca/cra-my-account — wymaga Identity verification.
Polish-specific tax issues
Polish income
Canadian tax residents (zwykle PR or longer-term residents) reportują GLOBAL income:
- Polish pension (ZUS) — report on T1 line 11500
- Polish rental income — Schedule T776
- Polish business income
- Polish investments
Foreign tax credit
Polish taxes paid → Canadian foreign tax credit. Avoids double taxation.
Tax treaty Poland-Canada
Bilateral treaty (1987) — prevents double taxation, allocates taxation rights.
FBAR equivalent — T1135
Foreign Income Verification Statement — wymagane jeśli foreign property > $100k CAD aggregate:
- Foreign bank accounts
- Foreign investments
- Foreign real estate (used for income)
- Foreign trust interests
NIE wymaga foreign real estate used personally (vacation home).
Polish citizens non-residents Canada
Working briefly w Canada bez establishing residency:
- Tax only on Canadian-source income
- Determined by residential ties test
- Treaty tie-breaker rules
Notice of Assessment (NOA)
CRA's response do twojego return:
- Confirms received
- Shows refund lub balance owing
- Updates RRSP / TFSA room
- Wysłane po 2-4 tygodniach (e-file) lub 6-12 (paper)
Audyt
~3-5% returns audited each year. Triggered by:
- Unusual deductions
- Mismatches z third-party reports
- Random selection
- Specific industries flagged
Audyt może be:
- Pre-assessment review (before NOA)
- Post-assessment review
- Field audit (visit your home/business)
Praktyczne wskazówki
- SIN kluczowy dla wszystkiego
- Filing 30 kwietnia deadline (15 czerwca SE)
- CRA My Account setup
- Wealthsimple Tax free dla większości
- T4 z każdego pracodawcy — keep
- TFSA contribute consistently — building tax-free wealth
- RRSP for high income earners — large deduction
- Polish income wymaga reportingu
- T1135 dla > $100k foreign property
- Polish-Canada tax treaty chroni przed double tax
- Foreign tax credit dla polish taxes
- Polish-speaking accountant dla complex situations
- Auto-fill My Return next year
- Direct deposit refund faster
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