Reporting tax-exempt social assistance payments

Pre-test question

Select True or False

All income a Status Indian receives while living on a reserve is tax exempt under the Indian Act.

  • True
  • False

Instructions

  1. Open the tax software
  2. Review the Background information and Required slips (tax slips, receipts, etc.)
  3. Provide all required information for the appropriate sections of the tax software
  4. Once completed, compare your results with the solution provided
  5. Afterwards, refer to the Takeaway points

Background information

Situation

Rosa lives on a reserve, she received $6,000 in OAS payments and $12,500 in Canada Pension Plan (CPP) of which $10,000 is tax exempt. Rosa also received $5,000 in social assistance from the band council for which she has a letter from the band council that explains the social assistance payments.

Identification information

Identification information
Name Rosa Oakland
Social insurance number (SIN) 000 000 000
Address 123 Main Street
City, Province  X0X 0X0
Date of birth November 22, 1939
Marital status Single

Required slips

T4A(P) - Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits

Text version of the above image

T4A(P) - Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits
Protected B
Issued by Service Canada
Oakland, Rosa
123 Main Street
City, Province  X0X 0X0
Box 20: Taxable CPP benefits: 12,500.00
Box 23: Number of months – retirement: 12
Box 22: Income tax deducted: 0.00
Box 12: Social insurance number: 000 000 000
Box 14: Retirement benefit: 12,500.00

T4A(OAS) – Statement of Old Age Security

Text version of the above image

T4A(OAS) – Statement of Old Age Security
Protected B
Issued by: Service Canada
Oakland, Rosa
123 Main Street
City, Province  X0X 0X0
Box 18: Taxable pension paid: 6,000.00
Box 19: Gross pension paid: 6,000.00
Box 22: Income tax deducted: 0.00
Box 12: Social insurance number: 000 000 000

Review your results

Solution to reporting tax-exempt social assistance payments.

Takeaway points

Steps to follow

  1. Review their background information and required slips
  2. In Interview setup, tick the boxes next to:
    • Tax return for a Status Indian in the Specific situations section
    • Pension income, other income and split pension income, COVID-19 benefits (T4A, T4FHSA, T4A(OAS), T4A(P), T4A-RCA, T4RSP, T4RIF, T1032) in the Pension and other income section
  3. Click Status Indian in the left-side menu and select Yes from the Please confirm that you are a registered Indian, or entitled to be registered as an Indian under the Indian Act drop-down menu
  4. Enter $10,000 into the Exempt CPP/QPP benefits field and $5,000 into the Social assistance payments received from a First Nation/band council (not included in a T5007) field
  5. Click T4A, T4FHSA and pension income in the left-side menu, then click the + sign next to T4A(P) – Statement of Canada or Québec pension plan benefits and enter the information from the T4A(P)
  6. Click T4A, T4FHSA and pension income in the left-side menu, then click the + sign next to T4A(OAS) – Old age security pension income and enter the information from the T4A(OAS)

Rosa’s social assistance payments are tax exempt because she lives on a reserve, has Indian status and received the payments from a First Nation or band council. They are not reported on line 14500 and there is no deduction on line 25000. The software automatically reports tax-exempt income, under the Indian Act, on Form T90, Income Exempt From Tax Under the Indian Act.

For more information, refer to UFile instructions.

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