Personal Finance

Tax question (moving expenses for students)

  • Last Updated:
  • May 6th, 2014 12:39 am
Tags:
None
Newbie
Jun 8, 2009
24 posts

Tax question (moving expenses for students)

I read a few different articles about moving expenses deductions specifically for students, but I'm still a bit confused. I realize that I can only deduct moving expenses against awarded (scholarships, bursaries, grants, etc...) income in the year of the return, but can I carry-forward those expenses given that I had no awarded income in the years I was a student and then use those deductions against employment income (in those future years)?

To be more concrete, I went to university for full-time studies for four years. During three summers, I moved to my parents' cottage to work for the summer - both the cottage and the workplace were like 300km away from where I lived while at university, so I am eligible for moving expenses. I know I can deduct the 300km moving expenses to the cottage against my employment income, but can I also deduct the 300km moving expenses when I moved back to school in September?

Furthermore, I moved out to Alberta for my second degree, finished it, moved back to Ontario to look for work, but after months of no success, I moved back again to Alberta for work. Does anyone know if I can claim moving expenses twice for this, once when I moved to Alberta for school and then again for work?

I realize I may need to see a tax professional for answers, but perhaps other people have come across this and already know the answer. Thanks in advance.
3 replies
Newbie
Feb 23, 2009
31 posts
6 upvotes
Victoria
I think you can claim moving expenses to start school and to start summer employment (even more than once) if you moved at least 40 kms each time. I was in a similar situation but had no scholarship income to absorb it the expenses for moving close to school. But the moving expenses I applied to work in summer employment income I claimed and the amount I carried over for the next year to apply to next summer's employment. Revenue Canada allowed it.
Deal Addict
Apr 12, 2005
1425 posts
182 upvotes
LiftedX wrote: I think you can claim moving expenses to start school and to start summer employment (even more than once) if you moved at least 40 kms each time. I was in a similar situation but had no scholarship income to absorb it the expenses for moving close to school. But the moving expenses I applied to work in summer employment income I claimed and the amount I carried over for the next year to apply to next summer's employment. Revenue Canada allowed it.
Did you actually ask CRA about carrying to future yrs when you said CRA allowed it? Did you have to report somewhere on your return to show the carryover?
Newbie
Feb 23, 2009
31 posts
6 upvotes
Victoria
a_1_a wrote: Did you actually ask CRA about carrying to future yrs when you said CRA allowed it? Did you have to report somewhere on your return to show the carryover?
I only claimed moving expenses for moving back home in the summer to work at the golf course, and didn't claim moving expenses from home back to school (which can only be applied against scholarship income which I had none). So I just carried over what I couldn't use each year for my moving expenses for employment to offset next year's summer employment income. The carryover balance I think is calculated on the moving expense form. I did this every summer until exhausted.

Top