Concerned about tax benefits that were filed with your partner or spouse?

You do not need to contact the abuser to provide information from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or to ask for information from the CRA. 

The Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) is the main agency that administers federal taxes, benefits and credits. CRA acknowledges the unique challenges that victim-survivors face when fleeing abusive relationships and offers accommodation for their situation. You can call 1-800-387-1193 for more information.

After separation, a victim-survivor should contact CRA for the following

• Report to CRA as soon as possible about her separation and any dependents living with her 
• Update personal information on her CRA account

 Under no circumstances will you have to contact the abusive partner to provide documentation to CRA. If you cannot get the required information otherwise, CRA will suggest alternative documents that can be provided instead including: 

• a copy of a police report, a restraining order, an order of protection OR
• a support letter from a trusted third party such as a shelter (otherwise also a member of the clergy, band council, etc.) that confirms the stay of the victim-survivor (and children) at the shelter Learn more

 If you already receive child benefits and other credits, you should quickly notify CRA of any changes to your address, account, and marital status to ensure that you continue to receive payments.

Change PIN number or password: 

Should the victim-survivor know the access details to her CRA’s MyAccount, they should immediately change the password and associated email address so the abuser can no longer access the account.

Mailing address: 

Particularly if a victim-survivor receives CRA benefits per mail, it is vital to let the agency know of the change of address. A temporary address such as from a shelter or transitional housing is accepted. Even when using direct deposit, CRA should be made aware of the change.

Direct deposit: 

If benefits are deposited directly into a joint account, a victim-survivor should contact CRA after opening a new individual account to update the deposit information. An old account should not be closed before she has received the first payment into the new account. More information 

IMPORTANT Cancel authorization for a representative

If the abuser (either common-law partner or spouse) has previously filed taxes for the victim-survivor, he might be considered an authorized representative through permission previously granted by the victim-survivor. The authorization stays in effect until it is cancelled. It is important to verify if this applies and in case, cancel a representative’s authorization online, on the phone via 1-800-959-8281 or by mail (form AUT-01X Cancel Authorization for a Representative)

 Notification of separation (Marital status change) for recalculation of benefits

Since Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and GST/HST credit payments are based on family net income, governmental benefits can change significantly once a victim-survivor leaves her abusive partner. 

In order to get benefits recalculated, the victim-survivor must alert CRA of the “marital status change” which can be done online or via mail. More information

While CRA only considers someone being “separated” after 90 days of living apart, a victim-survivor should still contact CRA right after leaving and notify the agency of the separation. She might need to prove the separation through, for example, a support letter from the shelter stating that the victim-survivor is currently living at the shelter together with her children (as mentioned above).

After 90 days, a victim-survivor can either change her marital status online via her CRA MyAccount or notify the agency by phone. Any payments that she was entitled to in the meantime will be calculated retroactively starting the month following the date upon which she began living apart. For example, if a woman leaves her partner and moves to a shelter on March 7th, it will take until June 7th for CRA to recognize the separation but will calculate the adapted benefits from April onwards retroactively. More information

TAX FILING: 

Victim-survivors may have never filed their own taxes or have little knowledge about it. As part of financial control, the abuser most likely either filed taxes on their behalf or has not filed them at all.

Taxes are an essential requirement to receiving government benefits and credits and need to be filed every year even if a person doesn’t have any income. 

Victim-survivors should contact CRA to clarify their tax status and see what information is potentially missing. CRA will work together with the victim-survivor to discuss the specific situation. Please call CRA at 1-800-387-1193. 

Assistance is also offered by free tax clinics with help filing taxes for vulnerable people at no cost. The CRA Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program in Quebec) works together with community organizations and volunteers to assist eligible individuals in filing their taxes for free. The service works to ensure that everyone gets all the benefits and credits that they are entitled to. While most tax clinics are open between March and April, several offer year-round services. Eligibility is defined by someone with a modest income (less than $35,000 per year, subject to change from year to year) and a simple tax situation (not a business owner or income from rental property). More information on free tax clinics 

>> Find a free-tax clinic in your area

In order for the volunteers to assist someone, they need the following information:

• Social Insurance Number
• Government-issued Identification
• If applicable, tax information slips from an employer
• Any potential receipts

FINANCIAL CHILD AND FAMILY BENEFITS AND CREDITS: 

A victim-survivor might be eligible for any of the following credits and benefits that CRA administers:

• The Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
• the GST/HST credit;
• the Canada worker’s benefit;
• the disability tax credit (DTC) and
• the child disability benefit

The below section provides a brief overview of the potential benefits and credits. For any further information, please contact CRA directly. More information

In addition, Prosper Canada’s Benefit Wayfinder tool offers an easy way to identify benefits that a victim-survivor might be eligible for.

(FEDERAL) CANADA CHILD BENEFIT: 

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a monthly tax-free payment for eligible families to help with the cost of raising children (under 18 years of age). When applying for the CCB, the child will be automatically registered for any provincial and territorial programs (except Quebec for which a parent has to apply separately). 

CCB is administered by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) and should be applied for by the person primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child. If a woman is joined by her underaged children at the shelter, she will be able to receive CCB. The amount is recalculated annually in July based on information about net family income provided on annual tax returns. It is therefore important for everyone to file taxes, even if someone doesn’t have an income.

If a victim-survivor is unsure if she has ever received payments or is eligible, she should verify with CRA. She could apply to receive payments retroactively from up to 10 years ago. 

How to apply for the first time

If someone hasn’t received CCB previously, a victim-survivor can apply for CCB without the consent or signature of her partner. 

Find out more about how to apply for CCB

Provincial and Territorial Child Benefit Programs: 

There is no need in applying separately for provincial and territorial child benefit programs as CRA uses the information from the CCB application and the latest tax return to determine eligibility. If a direct deposit is set up for CCB payments, the provincial and territorial payments will be deposited in the same account.

More information can be found under the following links:

GST/HST CREDIT: 

The goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit is a quarterly tax-free payment that supports low-income individuals and families to offset the GST or HST. This might also include any payments received from provincial and territorial programs. Generally, anyone who filed taxes each year will automatically receive the GST/HST credit if eligible. Depending on the family net income, a victim-survivor can get up to $451 for a single and $155 for each child under the age of 19 that is living with her.

If someone already applied for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), the person might already receive the child portion of the GST/HST credit. More details and information

CANADA WORKERS BENEFIT (CWB): 

A victim-survivor of 19 years of age or older, who earns a working income, could be also eligible for the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB). This is an annual tax credit on one’s return of a maximum basic amount of $1,395 CAD for individuals and $2,403 CAD for families. Individuals with a net income of more than $32,244 and families with a net family income of more than $42,197 are not eligible for the basic amount [Note: Status January 2023].

There is also a possibility to apply for advance payments of a maximum of 50% of the CWB expected to be claimed. To apply for an advanced payment, a victim-survivor needs to fill out the Form RC201, Canada Workers Benefit Advance Payments Application, and mail it to the Sudbury Tax Centre anytime after January 1 and no later than August 31. Any remaining part of the CWB payment will then be paid out on the next return. More details and information

DISABILITY TAX CREDIT (DTC): 

The Disability tax credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit for people with physical or mental impairments that offsets some of the costs and reduces income taxes.

There are two main steps involved in getting DTC:

1. applying for the credit together with a medical practitioner who certifies the degree and effects of the impairment
2. claiming the credit on the tax return

More information on eligibility and how to apply can be found here.

CHILD DISABILITY BENEFIT (DSB): 

The child disability benefit (CDB) is a tax-free monthly payment for families with minor children with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions.

 Someone is eligible for CDB, if the parent is eligible for the Canada child benefit (CCB) and the child is eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC). If a victim-survivor is already receiving CCB and the child is eligible for DTC, then there is no need for applying for child disability benefits as she will receive the payment automatically. More information