What is the children's fitness tax credit?

Tax year 2016 was the last year to claim this tax credit at the federal level.

Tax year 2017 was the last year to claim this tax credit at the provincial level for British Columbia.

Manitoba, Québec and Yukon have maintained their equivalent credit for tax year 2018.

The children's fitness tax credit was an amount available to parents who enrolled their (or their spouse or common-law partner’s) child in a prescribed physical activity program. 2016 was the last year to claim this tax credit.

Eligible costs included registration and membership in sports-related prescribed programs, up to $500 per child for the 2016 tax year. (In previous tax years the maximum allowable amount was $1,000 per child.)

To qualify for the credit, the child must have been under 16 years of age at the beginning of the tax year in which you paid the fees (or under 18 years if the child qualifies for the disability tax credit [DTC]). For children who qualified for the DTC, an additional $500 may have been claimed, provided a minimum of $100 of the costs were incurred for membership or registration fees.

This credit was refundable for 2015 and 2016, but non-refundable for 2014 and prior years. The CRA website provides further specifics.

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