Line 9060 – Salaries, wages and benefits (including employer's contributions)
You can deduct gross salaries and other benefits you pay to employees.
Do not include:
- salaries and wages such as direct wage costs or subcontracts
- drawings of the owners of the business described at Line 9932 – Drawings in the current year
- salaries or drawings of the owners of the business since salaries or drawings paid or payable to you or your partners are not deductible
The CPP is for all workers, including the self-employed. Employers, employees and most self-employed individuals must contribute to the CPP. The CPP can provide basic benefits when you retire or if you become disabled. When you die, the CPP can provide benefits to your surviving spouse or common-law partner and your dependent children under 25. For more information on contribution and benefits, visit Service Canada.
Quebec workers including the self-employed are covered under the QPP.
As the employer, you must deduct your part of the following amounts payable on employees' remuneration:
- CPP or QPP contributions
- employment insurance (EI) premiums
- provincial parental insurance plan premiums, which is an income replacement plan for residents of Quebec (visit Revenu Québec for details)
- workers' compensation amounts for your employees
For information on making payroll deductions, go to Payroll.
You can also deduct any premiums you pay for an employee for a sickness, an accident, a disability, or an income insurance plan.
You can deduct the salary you pay to your child, as long as you meet all these conditions:
- you pay the salary
- the work your child does is necessary for earning business, professional, or fishing income
- the salary is reasonable when you consider your child's age, and the amount you pay is what you would pay someone else
Keep documents to support the salary you pay your child. If you pay your child by cheque, keep the cancelled cheque. If you pay cash, have the child sign a receipt.
Instead of cash, you can pay your child with a product from your business. When you do this, claim the value of the product as an expense and add to your gross sales an amount equal to the value of the product. Your child has to include the value of the product in their income.
You can also deduct the salary you pay to your spouse or common-law partner. When you pay your spouse or common-law partner a salary, use the same rules that apply to paying your child.
Report the salaries you pay to your children and spouse or common-law partner on T4 slips, the same as you would for other employees. However, you cannot claim as an expense the value of board and lodging you provide to your dependent children and your spouse or common-law partner.
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