Are you a senior who’s paid for expenses so that you can continue to live independently in your home? As long as you’re at least 70 years old and a resident of Québec, the independent living tax credit is meant to help you with these costs, and is equal to 20% of:
- The portion of your expenses that’s over $500 for the purchase or lease and installation of eligible equipment or fixtures
- Expenses paid for stay(s) in a functional rehabilitation transition unit
In addition, your expenses must have been paid either by you or by your spouse. If you need to stay in a functional rehabilitation unit more than once during the year, there’s no limit to how many stays you’re allowed to claim. Having said that, you can only claim the expenses you paid for within the first 60 days of each stay.
To claim this refundable tax credit, you’ll need to complete Part E of Schedule B: Tax relief measures. This is done automatically for you in H&R Block’s tax software if you enter your information into the page for the Independent living tax credit for seniors.
Note: You can’t claim the tax credit for any expenses that were reimbursed or used to calculate another tax credit. For example, if you’re claiming the expense for a hospital bed under your medical expenses, you can’t claim the same expense for your independent living tax credit for seniors.
Where do I claim this?
Before you begin, make sure that you told us that you lived in QUÉBEC on December 31, 2016.
- On the PREPARE tab, click the LET'S TALK ABOUT 2016 icon.
- Select the checkbox labelled I was retired or I was 65 or older.
- Click the RETIREMENT icon. You will find yourself here:
- Under the CREDITS heading, select the checkbox labelled Independent living tax credit for seniors, then click Continue.
- When you arrive at the page for the Independent living tax credit for seniors, enter your information into the tax software.
