• We normally mail out our tax organizer envelopes in early February. We’ve created a fillable version of the organizer this year, which you can print and return with your tax materials or upload to our secure portal. If you would like to have the organizer envelopes like in prior years, that’s fine too. Just let a member of our team know and we will send them out.

• We are encouraging electronic document delivery again this year. You can submit your materials to us via our secure portal as an alternative to sending in hard copies. We can also provide you with your copies of the tax returns and supporting schedules in PDF format as well. If it is easier to send us your documents in paper format, we are perfectly fine with that. Sometimes, there’s just so much material that it simply isn’t practical to scan everything.

• In previous years, we have either emailed, mailed, or uploaded to our portal, the T183 Efile authorization form to be signed and returned. We require this form to be completed before we can electronically file your personal tax return(s) with the Canada Revenue Agency. In the past, we recognize that there were some difficulties with the process, and we are taking steps to make this easier. Going forward, we will offer an electronic signature option through DocuSign. We hope that you find this process to be a much easier substitute. As before, a member of our administrative team will send an email to inform you that your return(s) have been completed with instruction on how the return is being delivered (via portal, email, courier or ready for pickup). Going forward a second email will be sent from DocuSign with instruction leading you to electronically sign. DocuSign requires an email address for every taxpayer/individual who is signing. This means that we will need a unique email address for every member of the family for whom we are preparing a return (including minor children). If you would like to use the electronic signature option, please send us all email addresses to be used for this purpose (spouses, children, parents, grandparents, etc.) using form found at the top of this page called “Request to use Docusign”. We will continue to accept signed T183 forms via email and on paper if the DocuSign method does not work for you.

• At the present time, our building is closed to the public. We will have someone in our office Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm. If you want to drop your tax materials off to us and the front entrance to the building is closed, we will have a phone number posted on the front door at street level. Just call us and a member of our team will give you a code to buzz yourself in.

If you need help or have questions, you can reach our amazing support staff as follows:

Gemma Baldwin (gbaldwin@vaiveandassociates.ca 613-369-5064 x236)

Shelby Straeche (sstraeche@vaiveandassociates.ca or 613-369-5064 x244)

With those procedural things in mind, here are some important things to note:

• Did you vacation in Ontario in 2022? Ontario individuals can claim up to $1000 ($2,000 for families) if they stay at eligible lodging, including hotels, resorts, or campgrounds in Ontario when filing their personal income tax this tax season. The stay must be less than one month in length and for leisure purposes only. If this applies please be sure to include your Ontario accommodation receipts with your tax documents.

• Effective January 1, 2022 Canada’s new underused housing tax (UHT) is now in force, which implements an annual 1% tax on the value of vacant or underused residential property owned by non-residents. Although the tax targets non-residents, some Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be required to file a declaration if they are the owner of the residential property in their capacity as trustee of a trust (other than a trustee for a deceased individual) or as partner of a partnership. Additionally private corporations which own residential property will have to file a declaration. The penalty for failing to file these forms is a minimum of $5,000 for an individual ($10,000 if the person is not an individual). If applicable, the deadline to file the 2022 UHT return or declaration is April 30th, 2023. If you believe the Underused Housing Tax (UHT) applies to you or if you wish to learn more, please see our most recent blog post on the UHT at: https://vaiveandassociates.ca/blog/

• Did you sell your house in 2022 or turn it into a rental property? If so, the CRA requires that the sale be reported on your tax return in order to claim the principal residence exemption. Failure to report may result in penalties and the CRA may apply the penalty outside of the normal three-year reassessment period. Please include the statement of adjustments for the sale, closing date, along with a note describing the house and when you bought it.

• Have you found some donation receipts that haven’t been claimed? You can claim any donations missed since 2017 on your 2022 return.

• If you own foreign assets with a cost greater than $100,000 (CAD) you are required to file a T1135 Foreign Income Verification Statement on or before the due date of your income tax ret Penalties will apply if this return is filed late. If this applies to you, or if you are unsure, please contact us to review your situation and confirm your reporting requirements.

• The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is moving towards direct deposit for all payment If you wish to sign up for direct deposit, or your banking information has changed, please include a void cheque with your tax information.

• The CRA is pushing electronic delivery of Notices of Assessm By signing up for the CRA Online Mail, you will no longer receive paper notices and must sign up for MyAccount with the CRA in order to view this information. By default we are not enrolling our clients in this program. Please take a moment to indicate on the organizer envelope if you want to register for this service.

We would also like to take a moment to reaffirm our commitment to protect the privacy of your information. Our practice has always been fully compliant with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Any personal information contained in our files will only be used for income tax filing purposes and will only be communicated to the Canada Revenue Agency as required to file your personal income tax return. We will not disclose any information to third parties unless we are specifically authorized by you to do so. In short, we will continue to protect your personal information as if it were our own.

We look forward to working with you again this year. If you have any questions about the process or any tax matters, please feel free to call me at any time.