Public transit passes

You can claim the cost of public transit passes you purchased during the tax year. Either you or your spouse or common-law partner can claim this credit for:

  • Yourself;
  • Your spouse or common-law partner; and
  • Your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s children (if they are under the age of 19).

 Your public transit pass must have allowed you unlimited travel on the following:

  • Local buses
  • Streetcars
  • Subways
  • Commuter trains
  • Commuter buses
  • Local ferries

You can also claim the cost of:

  • Short-term passes, if each pass allows you unlimited travel for at least 5 consecutive days and you buy enough of these passes for at least 20 days in any 28-day period or
  • Electronic payment cards, if the card is used to make at least 32 one-way trips in one month (31 consecutive days) and the card is issued by a public transit authority that provides a receipt for the cost of the card

Note: Single ride or trip passes aren’t eligible for this credit as they don’t allow unlimited travel.

Tax tip: If you live in the Yukon, you might also be able to claim your public transit pass as a provincial tax credit. Visit the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website for more information on claiming your Yukon transit pass.

You'll need a copy of your pass, usage report, etc. to claim your public transit amount. For a list of the supporting documents you'll need to claim this amount, visit the CRA website. Remember to keep these documents on file in case the CRA asks for them at a later date.

 

My employer paid for my public transit passes. Can I claim the public transit amount?

No. If your employer reimbursed you for the cost of your public transit passes, you can’t claim this tax credit. However, if your employer reported this reimbursement in your income (box 84 of your T4 slip), it’s a taxable benefit and can be claimed on your return.

Note: If your public transit expenses are reported in box 84 of your T4 slip, H&R Block’s tax software will automatically calculate your public transit credit based on the amounts of your T4 page in the software.

 

Where do I claim this?

Claiming the public transit amount for you or your spouse

Follow these steps in H&R Block’s tax software to claim your public transit amount:

  1. Under the PREPARE tab, click the OTHER icon.

  2. Under the MISCELLANEOUS section, select the checkbox for Public transit passes and click Continue.

  3. When you arrive at the Public transit passes page, enter your information into the tax software.

 

 

Claiming the public transit amount for an eligible dependant

Before you begin, make sure you’ve told us about your dependant(s) for whom you’ll be claiming the public transit amount. To do this:

  1. On the GET STARTED tab, click the ABOUT YOUR DEPENDANTS icon.

  2. In the spaces provided, enter all the required information about your dependant. If you want to add more than one dependant, click the +Add Another Dependant button on your screen.

Once you’ve told us about your dependant(s), follow these steps to claim the public transit amount:

  1. Click on your dependant’s name in the left navigation panel.

  2. Under the EXPENSES section, select the checkbox labelled Public transit expenses.

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Continue.

  4. When you arrive at the page for Public transit expenses, enter your information into the tax software.

 

 

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