According to TurboTax Canada, If this is your first tax season as a divorced or separated parent with custody of your children, there are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Your Marital Status:
- You must still submit your income tax return as a married couple if you separate or divorce after December 31st. You must file your tax return as "separated" until your divorce is finalized, and then you can file your tax return as "divorced" once your divorce agreement is completed.
2. Your Legal Fees:
- You can claim legal fees incurred to collect child or spousal support on your tax return.
- Fees related to collecting late support or attempting to enhance support payments may also be claimed.
- Legal fees paid to your lawyer to form the separation or divorce agreement or establish custody, on the other hand, are not tax-deductible.
3. Support Payment:
- You may be obligated to report financial support from your former spouse (spousal support or child support) on your tax return.
- If you receive spousal support (sometimes known as "alimony"), you must report it on your tax return as taxable income.
4. Claiming Tax Credits:
- It is important to notify the CRA of your change in marital status as soon as possible to ascertain if you're eligible for any of the following benefits: Canada Child Benefit, GST/HST credit, and provincial benefits.
- You may be able to claim your child as an "eligible dependent," also known as an "amount for an eligible dependant" credit, if you are a single parent with a minor child and this large credit is available for one qualified child each year only.
For additional details, here is our TurboTax article on How to file your Taxes: Divorced with Children.
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The answers are too general. I want answers to questions asked on Turbo tax easy.
If you paid for child care for your child and the child is living with you- you enter them on your return as a dependent- and say Yes to did you pay for someone to look after your child. Then once you get to the deduction section of the return it will ask if you want to claim childcare / childcare expenses. You will then get to the page it will ask you to enter the amount you paid- the name of the person/daycare who looked after your child and enter the information requested and continue.
If you spouse/partner is claiming the child then you would need to say Yes to the question is anyone else claiming this child. Only one of you can claim your child.
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