DOES THIS MAKE SENSE??

[JHWife2011]

ok I will make this short and sweet.

Husband and I got married in Nov 2011
I filed my taxes as a single person in my maiden name for the tax year 2011 (H&R Block said to)

I did not file my taxes for 2012 so today I went in to file for tax year 2012 and 2013.

I am sponsoring my husband inland spousal sponsorship. Filed March 2013, AIP Nov 2013, OWP/SIN issued Feb 2014 all fees, meds everything done just waiting for DM and landing appt.

So today when I went to H&R Block to file, I'm filing as married. This is the first time since I filed for tax year 2011 which I filed as single and in maiden name. So now that I am filing as a married person, and my husband is not yet a landed resident and has never had to file with revenue Canada, H&R Block said in order for me to benefit from the spousal support credit for supporting my husband in part of 2011, all of 2012 and 2013 while he was not working, that my husband will have to file tax returns at $0.00 for 2011, 2012 and 2013 first then we can put that I supported my husband during the years he didn't work.

Does this make sense??

I'm always so worried about messing up the process somehow :-[

 

[SmithyLinds]

No it doesn't work like that. You still go ahead and file your taxes. They should put zeros in your husbands sin number. Cra will send you a letter asking for information regarding his world income prior to coming to canada. At least this is how it worled for me. I received money back as he is my dependant. But I filed my taxes first. Unless your husband is working here on a visa I dont see why it would be different? ?

 

[BumpAhead]

I got married december 2012, so when i did my taxes for 2012 i did it as single as i was not aware i had to put him on since he wasnt here (still isnt)
So this year when i did my tax i did it under married status, so they sent me a letter asking ofr my husbands world income and SIN which he doesnt have due to not living in canada yet, so i called Canada Revenue and they said for SIN. To put not applicable and for world income ZERO because he is unemployed back home, now i will see what happens next...anywho i did get 200$ more on my return this year since im married heheh yay

 

[screech339]

Not sure why h&r block told you to file as single for 2011 tax year when you got married in 2011. You were suppose to file it as married for 2011, even though you were married for 2 months of 2011. Your tax refund would be based on 10 months being single and 2 months married, claiming your husband as dependent for 2 months.

You basically lied to CRA on H&R block behalf that you were not married in 2011 when you in fact were.

 

[JHWife2011]

My husband has a SIN now but that was just issued in Feb 2014. My person at H&R block called CRA and this is what they told him to do. Once they do the tax returns for my husband for the 3 years all at $0.00 then they will complete my returns where we can claim the spousal dependency.

I thought that worldly income was only for anyone that was sponsoring a spouse outland not inland? Confusing!

 

[JHWife2011]

Not sure why h&r block told you to file as single for 2011 tax year when you got married in 2011. You were suppose to file it as married for 2011, even though you were married for 2 months of 2011. Your tax refund would be based on 10 months being single and 2 months married, claiming your husband as dependent for 2 months.

You basically lied to CRA on H&R block behalf that you were not married in 2011 when you in fact were.

I remember specifically too the agent at H&R block said because 90% of the year I was single that it "wouldn't make a difference" I had a feeling she was wrong

 

[truesmile]

My husband has a SIN now but that was just issued in Feb 2014. My person at H&R block called CRA and this is what they told him to do. Once they do the tax returns for my husband for the 3 years all at $0.00 then they will complete my returns where we can claim the spousal dependency.

I thought that worldly income was only for anyone that was sponsoring a spouse outland not inland? Confusing!

The CRA doesn't give a hoot about your spouses immigration status, nor the type of spousal application filed. They may not even know the difference. Their only concern is his or her income.

 

[JHWife2011]

The CRA doesn't give a hoot about your spouses immigration status, nor the type of spousal application filed. They may not even know the difference. Their only concern is his or her income.

Oh yeah I wouldn't imagine they cared at all about the CIC application stuff I just was more questioning if it made sense to have my husband file returns at $0.00 for the 3 years....that's what I'm questioning.

 

[God be with us]

No it doesn't work like that. You still go ahead and file your taxes. They should put zeros in your husbands sin number. Cra will send you a letter asking for information regarding his world income prior to coming to canada. At least this is how it worled for me. I received money back as he is my dependant. But I filed my taxes first. Unless your husband is working here on a visa I dont see why it would be different? ?

This is how it worked for us too when my husband filed his taxes last year.

 

[JHWife2011]

This is how it worked for us too when my husband filed his taxes last year.

But we are inland sponsorship, its not like he is outland and I'm supporting him from Canada and he is back home. Maybe I'm confusing this but I thought the worldly income was required in outland situations for tax purposes only.

 

[SmithyLinds]

Its basically to determine any money owing to you but mpst importantly which you might owe back to them. Go somewhere else and have your taxes done. Liberty did mine and they were great with filing the proper information. Its a good thing for you.....you will get money back as he is your dependant.....and it might go back a few years as well! !!!

 

[truesmile]

But we are inland sponsorship, its not like he is outland and I'm supporting him from Canada and he is back home. Maybe I'm confusing this but I thought the worldly income was required in outland situations for tax purposes only.

Yeah I think you are. Here's the thing. CRA doesn't know he's being sponsored by his spouse, they don't know what inland means and they don't know what outland means, and they really don't care . . . they're accountants. "World income" actually applies to EVERY single one of us with income that is earned outside of Canada, it's ALL supposed to be declared.

 

[JHWife2011]

Yeah I think you are. Here's the thing. CRA doesn't know he's being sponsored by his spouse, they don't know what inland means and they don't know what outland means, and they really don't care . . . they're accountants. "World income" actually applies to EVERY single one of us with income that is earned outside of Canada, it's ALL supposed to be declared.

So then technically we shouldn't be paying for 3 tax returns to be done @ $0.00 for my husband then? Because they want to charge us to do the returns for him as well.

 

[mikeymyke]

So then technically we shouldn't be paying for 3 tax returns to be done @ $0.00 for my husband then? Because they want to charge us to do the returns for him as well.

Well they should, because he's your spouse, and you are filing as a couple, just like any couple doing their taxes would be charged as a couple. Also, you're using your husband's income (or lack thereof) to get a tax credit for yourself.

 

[JHWife2011]

Well they should, because he's your spouse, and you are filing as a couple, just like any couple doing their taxes would be charged as a couple. Also, you're using your husband's income (or lack thereof) to get a tax credit for yourself.

okkk! I get it. Its what I figured. In order for me to claim I'm married and have a spouse they have to be able to see he has an open CRA profile as well and that we are filing together even with his lack of income over the 3 years, got it. I just wanted to make sure it was all necessary and that it was being done correctly. I'd hate the hassle of being audited because H&R Block messed up!