Canada Tax Returns Question

[shaktiman]

I landed in Canada in 2009 to complete my landing formalities. I stayed for only a couple of days at that time. I worked in my home country till August 2010. I then returned to Canada and started working in Canada from 2010 September. I received my T1 for 2010 and has filed my tax returns also.
Questions :
(1) Should I have made any kind of tax declarations for 2009 in Canada? I did not work in 2009 in Canada at all.
(2) I had filed my tax returns in my home country till August 2010. Should I have showed that income somewhere in the 2010 Tax returns in Canada as well?

Thanks in advance,
Shakti

 

[PMM]

Hi

I landed in Canada in 2009 to complete my landing formalities. I stayed for only a couple of days at that time. I worked in my home country till August 2010. I then returned to Canada and started working in Canada from 2010 September. I received my T1 for 2010 and has filed my tax returns also.
Questions :
(1) Should I have made any kind of tax declarations for 2009 in Canada? I did not work in 2009 in Canada at all.
(2) I had filed my tax returns in my home country till August 2010. Should I have showed that income somewhere in the 2010 Tax returns in Canada as well?

Thanks in advance,
Shakti

No, you would not have been considered a resident for taxation purposes in 2009. You were not considered a tax residence until you took up residence in August 2010, so you don't have to declare your overseas earnings up to August/2010.

 

[shaktiman]

Thanks PMM. I failed to mention that when I landed in 2009, I had applied for my PR card, permanent SIN, Health card and opened a bank a/c with minimum balance- but have not used any benefits till August 2010. Does CRA treat someone having the health card/permanent SIN/bank ac as a Resident?

 

[shatoor]

Hi
i hope someone can guide me,i landed in toronto in oct 2010
and as normal filled my tax return in april end,this was my first tax return filing in canada
but i still havent received any acknowledgment or tax return papers from CRA

is this delay normal for first timers or i need to get worried now??

 

[toby]

Thanks PMM. I failed to mention that when I landed in 2009, I had applied for my PR card, permanent SIN, Health card and opened a bank a/c with minimum balance- but have not used any benefits till August 2010. Does CRA treat someone having the health card/permanent SIN/bank ac as a Resident?

If you have a health card, CRA normally sees this as one proof that you are a resident for tax-paying purposes. But that's because to qualify for health care you need to be residing in Canada for at least 6 months per year, and residing in Canada for 183+ days per year deems you a taxpayer. But you were not a resident for 6+months, so you were not a taxpayer in that year.

The corollary issue is that you were probably not eligible for health care, even if you paid premiums, because you resided less than 6 months. Good thing you didn't get sick while in Canada!

Having a Canadian bank account is not in itself fatal; you can have one and still be a non-taxpayer, as long as you don't have too many so-called "secondary" financial ties to Canada.

Ditto the SIN card.

 

[cpa27]

You most likely were eligible for an GST/HST credit in 2009 so u were better off filing even though u had no income.

 

[JhonSmith]

I landed in Canada in 2009 to complete my landing formalities. I stayed for only a couple of days at that time. I worked in my home country till August 2010. I then returned to Canada and started working in Canada from 2010 September. I received my T1 for 2010 and has filed my tax returns also.
Questions :
(1) Should I have made any kind of tax declarations for 2009 in Canada? I did not work in 2009 in Canada at all.
(2) I had filed my tax returns in my home country till August 2010. Should I have showed that income somewhere in the 2010 Tax returns in Canada as well?

Thanks in advance,
Shakti