A basic calculation for Net Income from a T4 is to subtract from Box 14 any amounts included in Boxes 20 and Box 44. This is not exact for tax purposes of Line 236 as it will not include other income (T5, T3) or deductions (RRSP etc) but it will give you a basis to start from. It would be strongly suggested that you have your husbands Line 236 amount before filing.
A basic calculation for Net Income from a T4 is to subtract from Box 14 any amounts included in Boxes 20 and Box 44. This is not exact for tax purposes of Line 236 as it will not include other income (T5, T3) or deductions (RRSP etc) but it will give you a basis to start from. It would be strongly suggested that you have your husbands Line 236 amount before filing.
Can you please clarify what the question is? If you have claimed married and only doing your return for yourself it will ask what your spouses' Net Income is, this is not an error. CRA takes into consideration all household income in order to calculate allowable credits.
If you are unsure of your spouse' income click here
Definitely seems like a system error.
How are we supposed to put in the net income for Line 236 for both spouses at the same time. It would not be possible.
Example: in order for me to get to my net income, I have to input my spouse's net income and vice versa. However, I'm not able to get to that stage and my spouse cannot get to that stage so how do we determine this value.....definitely not the experience I was expecting from TurboTax.
It is recommended to complete your income tax return together as a coupled return. Check out the benefits!
If you do not know the Net income of your spouse click here
Agree. Why the change this year if we want to file separate returns? Were you able to find a work around for this?
The TurboTax software will allow you to file your taxes separately though, it is recommended to do a joint return to capitalise on maximum tax benefit for the family. The software can facilitate both options.
https://turbotax.intuit.ca/tips/how-savvy-canadian-couples-file-taxes-451
Okay this same problem plagues me every year. The problem is this: When filing together you first have to do either your or your spouse's return. The problem is that at the very start of each return, you are asked to enter your spouse's net income from line 23600 . If you do not enter this info, you cannot proceed. What happens then is that you cannot start either return because BOTH ask you to provide the next spousal income first - an amount that will only be generated/calculate/available AFTER you have completed one of these returns. It is a conundrum. You can't start or complete either return because to do so you have to complete one of them. Sounds crazy? - it is.
My work around in the past has been to start a completely independent return for both myself and my partner, then I save the net income amount for each spouse and use those amounts for my final returns where you do one after the other (joint but not, if you know what I mean). This year, for the first time I am using the free software on the site and it is proving to be even more challenging - you can't have multiple returns open (for copy and pasting) at the same time and there seems to be no option to see the line by line return (looks like the paper tax forms) so you can see exactly what amount you need by looking at the individual lines.
If you can tell me (and the others who are struggling with this issue) a better way to do this I would be forever grateful. This is the only problem I have with this software. It is a stress and a headache. Please resolve it!
Many thanks!
This is so infuriating! I totally understand the problem you are having;)
Hopefully they come back with an answer soon.
*sigh*
I'm having the same issue with TurboTax this year. My wife passed away in December 2020 and TurboTax will not let me file as a couple. Software says that I have to file individually and asks for Line 23600 but I can't get to that value without knowing my late wife's total or mine.
If you leave it at zero or put last years value in and complete the taxes it gives you a year by year comparison before you file to the CRA. On that year by year summary it should show the net income for this year and last year. You can confirm it's right by confirming last years value. then go back and change the amount before filing.
how am i supposed to find my wife's net income from line 23600 if she hasnt filed her tax? I am filing my taxes individually and i am getting this question.
If you do not have the exact amount, the Canada Revenue Agency suggests that you do your best to estimate the amount. It is important to enter it because it is used to calculate certain credits that you may or may not be entitled to claim. You can return to edit the entry once her return is completed.
Thank you for choosing TurboTax.