Unfortunately, you cannot choose to carry forward your tuition amounts. You must claim your tuition, education, and textbook amounts in the year they are incurred and you must claim this amount in the first year you have a tax payable.
This means if you have to use any of the tuition amounts this year to reduce your tax payable, they will be applied to your return automatically by CRA, even if you attempt to carry them forward.
TurboTax will apply the needed amount to reduce your tax payable to zero this year and carry forward any excess to future years. Then CRA will automatically apply as needed. If you can use all your credits in a particular tax year, you are required to do so. You cannot spread them out over a number of years or wait to claim them.
Unfortunately, you cannot choose to carry forward your tuition amounts. You must claim your tuition, education, and textbook amounts in the year they are incurred and you must claim this amount in the first year you have a tax payable.
This means if you have to use any of the tuition amounts this year to reduce your tax payable, they will be applied to your return automatically by CRA, even if you attempt to carry them forward.
TurboTax will apply the needed amount to reduce your tax payable to zero this year and carry forward any excess to future years. Then CRA will automatically apply as needed. If you can use all your credits in a particular tax year, you are required to do so. You cannot spread them out over a number of years or wait to claim them.
so has it increased my refund? because I would have been getting refund anyway without the tuition transfer, so I am getting bigger refund? Because they used to recommend to use it only if you owe.
Your Tuition Amounts will be used to "reduce your tax payable to zero". If your tax payable is "reduced to zero" but you have had NO TAX WITHHELD, there is no refund available. Rest assured that TurboTax will use your tuition "if needed" and carry the rest forward. And CRA will apply your tuition automatically when needed. They do not "recommend" you to use it if you owe....they APPLY it as soon as it is needed.
How did Turbo Tax/CRA came up with the amount I see in Student Summary under Provincial "Amount Claimed in 2018", I do not see that amount in Detailed Summary or elsewher
You won't see that Provincial anywhere but on the Student Summary. After you complete and pay for your return, you'll be able to see the calculations made by TurboTax to come up with these figures by having a look at the PDF copy of your actual tax return. Here you can view the actual CRA tax forms such as the Provincial Tax schedule (428) and the Federal & Provincial Schedule 11s (tuition)
Is there a reason why applying the tuition credits automatically reduces other deductions (such as foreign tax paid on foreign income) to 0? Shouldn't the other deductions be applied first on income before applying the maximum needed tuition credits (so that not as much tuition credits will need to be used)?