TurboTax HelpTurboTax HelpIntuit

How do I enter tuition transferred from my spouse/partner or child?

by TurboTax•130• Updated 1 week ago

If you have a spouse/partner or child that meets all requirements set out by the CRA, you're eligible to receive tuition transfer amounts on your tax return.

Note: For coupled returns, you'll enter your income info and your student spouse's income, deductions, tuition, and education info, including:

  • Completing their Tax profile, including checking the box for Student expenses, tuition fees, or tuition from a prior year
  • Completing their Deductions section and their Students section of their return, ensuring that:
    • Boxes are checked for Tuition fees and Transfer of tuition and education to a spouse
    • Amounts are entered for tuition fees and number of months of attendance

TurboTax will then automatically move the allowable portion of the student's unused amounts to the other spouse/partner’s return.

If you’re unused tuition transfer is coming from your spouse's return prepared separately, or from your child's return, find out the federal and/or provincial amount(s) being transferred to you. Then you’ll then make the reqauired manual entries as follows:

TurboTax Online: Enter tuition amounts from your spouse or partner

Steps for the person receiving the transfer if the return is not coupled:

  1. When starting the return, proceed through the initial Personal info interview. This unlocks 2024 tax return.
  2. At 2024 tax return under To do:
    • Select Personal Info > Start and complete the personal info interview.
    • Select Tax profile > Additional information about your spouse.
  3. At [spouse/partner] let's get the rest of your personal info, provide more info as prompted.
  4. At Tell us more about [spouse/partner], under Was [spouse/partner] a student in 2025?
    • Select Yes.
    • Fill in the boxes for tuition and attendance info.
    • Indicate whether [spouse/partner] is claiming the Canada Training Credit and select Continue.
  5. At 2024 tax returnselect Tax profile > Your tax profile.
    • At Let's see if there's anything else to add, select My spouse has credits they won't be using and can be transferred to me, then select Continue.
  6. At 2024 tax return, select Deductions > Spouse or Common-Law Partner Transfers.
  7. At Details of Your Federal Spousal or Common-law Partner Transfers:
    • Select Continue.
    • Enter/confirm your amount for Tuition Amount and select Continue.
  8. At Details of Your Federal Spousal or Common-law Partner Transfers - Additional tax information, confirm or correct the amounts and select Continue.
  9. If you reside in a province or territory with provincial tuition amount transfers, at Details of Your Provincial Spousal or Common-law Partner Transfers - Additional tax information, confirm or correct the Tuition and Education Amounts, and select Continue.

TurboTax Online: Enter tuition amounts from a child or grandchild

  1. When starting the return, complete the initial Personal info interview.
  2. At Tell us about your dependants, enter the info for your dependant(s) and select Continue. 
  3. Complete the rest of the Personal info interview. This unlocks 2024 tax return. 
  4. From 2024 tax return, select Deductions, then Additional Dependant Information.
  5. At Tell us about your dependants, for Was [student] a student? select Yes, then Continue.
  6. From 2024 tax return, select Claims for dependants info.
  7. At Claims for Dependants, select Yes, then Continue.
  8. At Your children and other dependants, select Enter Credit Info next to the name of the dependant who's transferring unused tuition amounts to you.
  9. At Claim Dependant Credits, select Transfer my Child's Tuition and Education Amounts, then Continue.
  10. At Tuition Transfer Amount, follow the on-screen instructions to enter info from the student, then select Tuition Transfer.
  11. At Tuition Transfer Amount, enter the amount(s) of the transfer(s) if less than the maximum, then select Continue.
  12. At Your children and other dependants, if you’re finished with dependants, select Done Entering Credits.

TurboTax Desktop: Enter tuition amounts from your spouse or partner

Steps for the person receiving the transfer if the return is not coupled:

  1. Complete the Introduction/Profile steps of your return until the Find button is unlocked, and select it.
  2. Enter tuition in the search box, select Tuition Transfer, then Go.
  3. At Tuition Transfer From Other Eligible Individuals, fill in the required info and select Continue.
  4. If you're in a province with provincial tuition transfers, from the menu, select View, then Forms method. Now select View, then Find Form.
  5. In the Form Lookup pop-up, under Keyword to search for, enter S2, select the provincial (S2), then OK.  
  6. At PROV(S2), at Line 59090, enter the amount for the provincial tuition transfer.
  7. From the menu select View, then EasyStep Interview and continue preparation of the return.

TurboTax Desktop: Enter tuition amounts from a child or grandchild

  1. Select Find from the TurboTax menu, enter claims in the search box, select claims for dependants, then select Go.
  2. At Claims for dependants, for Would you like to review or claim any of these credits, select Yes, then Continue.
  3. At Dependant credits, select the name of the dependant who's transferring unused tuition amounts to you, then select Enter Dependant Credits.
  4. At Claim Dependant Credits for [student], select Transfer my child's tuition and education amounts, then select Continue.
  5. At Tuition Transfer Amount, enter the federal and/or provincial amounts your dependant is transferring to you, then select Continue.
  6. At Dependant credits, if you’re finished entering dependants credits, select Done Entering Credits.