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The Family Tax Benefit has been available since 2008, when it replaced the Family Tax Reduction, which was available for the 2007 and previous tax years. The Family Tax Benefit is a non-refundable tax credit.
For an individual taxpayer, a tax credit may be claimed based on $2,065 less 9% of net income. The amount for a taxpayer who can claim only the basic amount is reduced to zero at net income of $22,944 ($2,065/0.09). The actual tax credit is based on the lowest personal tax rate (10.9% in 2008, 10.8% in 2009).
| Category | Current |
| Basic benefit for self | $2,065 |
| Age benefit for self | 2,065 |
| Disability benefit for self | 2,752 |
| Basic benefit for a dependent spouse, common-law partner, or eligible (equivalent to spouse) dependent | 2,065 |
| Age benefit for spouse or common-law partner (if spouse will have unused age benefit) | 2,065 |
| Disability benefit for spouse or common-law partner, if spouse will have unused disability benefit | 2,752 |
| Benefit for each dependent child age 18 or less at the end of the year, and for whom the taxpayer did not claim the "equivalent to spouse" amount, or the infirm dependent amount | 2,752 |
| Benefit for each disabled dependent age 18+ at the end of the year for whom the taxpayer claimed the infirm dependent amount | 2,752 |
| Disability benefit for each dependent who will have an unused disability amount | 2,752 |
The above amounts are added together, and then reduced by 9% of net income. The result is multiplied by the lowest tax rate to get the tax credit amount. Benefit amounts for dependents must be claimed by the spouse or common-law partner with the higher income. When the parents of a dependent child are not married or living common-law, only one of them may claim the benefit. If they cannot agree as to who will claim it, only the individual with the greater income for the year may claim it.
The amounts are not increased for inflation each year.
The Family Tax Benefit is calculated automatically by the Canadian Tax Calculator.
Every taxpayer should ensure that they have completed the TD1MB and TD1MB-WS personal tax credits return forms for their employer in order to ensure the family tax benefit is used to reduce withholding taxes during the year. These forms can be obtained on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) TD1 forms web page.
Tax Tip: Make sure your employer has an up-to-date TD1 form for you.