Confusion regarding Tuition carryover amounts

[ottawaResident1]

Hi,

I know this question has been asked MANY times, but I just have a bit of a unique situation I think. So please bear with me. Hopefully somebody can answer it.

So in 2010, I was a student for 4 months (full-time) finishing up my degree by April. Over the past 4 years, I had amassed quite a lot of tuition tax credits because I was an international student. In July I started working full time and was deducted around $5000 in taxes from my employer.

In March 2011, I filed my 2010 taxes and received around $5000 in tax refunds. I also received a Notice of Assessment stating that I had around $56k in Federal and $47k in Provincial tuition tax credits to carry forward to the next years. For the 2011 year, I was not a student at all (not part-time, not full-time either). I worked full-time for the entire year and was deducted around $14000 in taxes.

Now judging by these forums, I can reduced that deducted $14000 by using my tuition tax credits. Question 1: Can I get the refund (by using my tuition carryover amount), EVEN IF I wasn't a student for the 2011 year?;

Question(s) 2: If yes to previous question, how can I go about doing that? Do I fill out Schedule 11 (that is Federal, anything for Provincial?) and put in my tuition carry over amounts? On the same form, would I put in "0" (zero) for the tuition paid, and "0" (zero) for the number of months part-time/full-time?

I'm cheap, so I'm using StudioTax to file my taxes, because I'm single and it's free. The built-inwizard asked me if I'm adding tuition. I said "No". But then it didn't ask me anywhere to put in the tuition carryover amount. So I went back and said "Yes", which generated the form. In the form I put in the Federal/Provincial Tuition Carryover amount from my 2010 NOA, and put in "$0" for the "Amount of Tuition paid" section, and "0" for the number of months full/part-time...because I didn't go to school in 2011.

Is this correct? Please let me know if anybody else has had this issue.

Thanks!

[Wonderdollar]

Hi,

I know this question has been asked MANY times, but I just have a bit of a unique situation I think. So please bear with me. Hopefully somebody can answer it.

So in 2010, I was a student for 4 months (full-time) finishing up my degree by April. Over the past 4 years, I had amassed quite a lot of tuition tax credits because I was an international student. In July I started working full time and was deducted around $5000 in taxes from my employer.

In March 2011, I filed my 2010 taxes and received around $5000 in tax refunds. I also received a Notice of Assessment stating that I had around $56k in Federal and $47k in Provincial tuition tax credits to carry forward to the next years. For the 2011 year, I was not a student at all (not part-time, not full-time either). I worked full-time for the entire year and was deducted around $14000 in taxes.

Now judging by these forums, I can reduced that deducted $14000 by using my tuition tax credits. Question 1: Can I get the refund (by using my tuition carryover amount), EVEN IF I wasn't a student for the 2011 year?;

Question(s) 2: If yes to previous question, how can I go about doing that? Do I fill out Schedule 11 (that is Federal, anything for Provincial?) and put in my tuition carry over amounts? On the same form, would I put in "0" (zero) for the tuition paid, and "0" (zero) for the number of months part-time/full-time?

I'm cheap, so I'm using StudioTax to file my taxes, because I'm single and it's free. The built-inwizard asked me if I'm adding tuition. I said "No". But then it didn't ask me anywhere to put in the tuition carryover amount. So I went back and said "Yes", which generated the form. In the form I put in the Federal/Provincial Tuition Carryover amount from my 2010 NOA, and put in "$0" for the "Amount of Tuition paid" section, and "0" for the number of months full/part-time...because I didn't go to school in 2011.

Is this correct? Please let me know if anybody else has had this issue.

Thanks!

I do not use Studio Tax but what you mentioned is correct. I know in the Wizard if you tick to the question about using the Tuition Fees, it will open (or after a couple of steps) a form wherein it would ask you to fill unused Federal and Provincial Tuition amounts as mentioned on your 2010 Notice of Assessment and the software would automatically take care of these amounts for you. Or, you can write these in the carryover amount from 2010 NOA in Federal and Provincial Schedule 11 and you should be fine. In column B and C you have to put '0' as you were not a student in 2011. And of course, you can use these even if you were not a student in 2011 or even in 2010.

[guessaaa]

There's a line for unused amounts in both federal and provincial schedule 11s. Even if you don't fill this in, upon assessment CRA will automatically add in carried over tuition from previous years and apply it to your income, so you won't lose out.

[sunnyd71]

A friend of mine was told there is a limit to the amount of carryover amounts he can use in a single year. So his first year out of uni, he had to still pay some tax and carryover the rest. I haven't found anything about this online and it may impact the OP, any idea what the HR Block person that did his taxes meant?

[BryceS]

A friend of mine was told there is a limit to the amount of carryover amounts he can use in a single year. So his first year out of uni, he had to still pay some tax and carryover the rest. I haven't found anything about this online and it may impact the OP, any idea what the HR Block person that did his taxes meant?

Your first "tax year" of university only has four months worth of tax credits.

If your friend earned a lot of cash the 8 months before he entered school then it could be possibly he used up all his credits and still had to pay tax.

[sunnyd71]

Your first "tax year" of university only has four months worth of tax credits.

If your friend earned a lot of cash the 8 months before he entered school then it could be possibly he used up all his credits and still had to pay tax.

Not the case for him, he finished in December 2009, worked Jan 2010 - Dec 2010. He used up many of his credits but still was "forced" to carry some forward while paying some tax. I am thinking that possibly, he got all of his taxes back except the Ontario Health Premium which they may not apply to? That's the only explanation I can think of.

[guessaaa]

Not the case for him, he finished in December 2009, worked Jan 2010 - Dec 2010. He used up many of his credits but still was "forced" to carry some forward while paying some tax. I am thinking that possibly, he got all of his taxes back except the Ontario Health Premium which they may not apply to? That's the only explanation I can think of.

Provincial credits are less generous, so he could have exhausted the provincial amount, paid provincial tax, but still had left over federal amount (which can only be used on federal tax).

[ottawaResident1]

I do not use Studio Tax but what you mentioned is correct. I know in the Wizard if you tick to the question about using the Tuition Fees, it will open (or after a couple of steps) a form wherein it would ask you to fill unused Federal and Provincial Tuition amounts as mentioned on your 2010 Notice of Assessment and the software would automatically take care of these amounts for you. Or, you can write these in the carryover amount from 2010 NOA in Federal and Provincial Schedule 11 and you should be fine. In column B and C you have to put '0' as you were not a student in 2011. And of course, you can use these even if you were not a student in 2011 or even in 2010.

Hey,

Thanks for all the replies guys.

You say you don't use Studio Tax. Is there any other software that offers the option for a former student with tuition-carry over amounts and no education in 2011, so it generates the form automatically? It seems a bit odd that Studio Tax would force you to check off the "Tuition Fee" section.

Another thing I was skeptical was the cra.gc.ca website states "Schedule 11 must be filed only with the student's income tax return...."
But I'm assuming that means any former students who also have tuition carryover amounts.

So I'm just going to enter the federal and provincial carryover amounts. And put $0 for tuition paid (because I didn't go to school for 2011) and obviously put "0" (zero) for the months studied part-time/full-time. Hope that is well.

Thanks once again!

GP

[Wonderdollar]

Hey,

Thanks for all the replies guys.

You say you don't use Studio Tax. Is there any other software that offers the option for a former student with tuition-carry over amounts and no education in 2011, so it generates the form automatically? It seems a bit odd that Studio Tax would force you to check off the "Tuition Fee" section.

Another thing I was skeptical was the cra.gc.ca website states "Schedule 11 must be filed only with the student's income tax return...."
But I'm assuming that means any former students who also have tuition carryover amounts.

So I'm just going to enter the federal and provincial carryover amounts. And put $0 for tuition paid (because I didn't go to school for 2011) and obviously put "0" (zero) for the months studied part-time/full-time. Hope that is well.

Thanks once again!

GP

I downloaded the Studio Tax to see how it works. You have to tick yes in Wizard for being a student. However, if you click forms tab on the top, it will open another window and you can click Sch 11 Federal and Provincial and click OK at the bottom and these forms would open and then you can manually fill the carryover amounts there from previous year NOA and zero for the fees paid in 2011 and you would be fine.