Many students receive help from their parents when it comes to paying their tuition. While Schedule S lets you calculate your parent’s recognized contribution to your post-secondary education, it also lets you transfer that amount to one of them. As the name of the schedule implies, you need to be at least 18 years of age to complete Schedule S; you must also have received an RL-8: Amount for post-secondary studies slip with an amount in Box A.
Keep in mind, you can only transfer education amounts for the current year (2016). Also, only you, the student, needs to file Schedule S with your return – though your parent will need to enter the amount you’re transferring to them on Schedule A of their own tax return.
Most of the amounts required to complete Schedule S are automatically calculated when you enter the information from your paper RL-8 slip into H&R Block’s tax software. You will however need to indicate the Solidarity tax credit amount you received during the year; the amount of this credit lowers the amount you’re allowed to transfer to one of your parents.
Note: If you’re transferring your education amount as a post-secondary student who’s at least 18, you can’t claim any of the tax credits for the work premium.
Where do I claim this?
If you’re a student looking to complete Schedule S, follow these steps in H&R Block’s tax software:
Before you begin, make sure you tell us you lived in QUÉBEC on December 31, 2016.
- On the QUICK ENTRY tab, click the QUICK SLIP icon. You will find yourself here:
- Type RL-8 or relevé 8 in the search field and either click the highlighted selection or press Enter to continue.
- When you arrive at the RL-8: Amount for post-secondary studies page, enter your information into the tax software.
If you’re a parent, follow these steps to enter your dependant’s transferred amount to yourself:
- Click the name of your dependant on the left-hand navigation panel, and then click the ABOUT [DEPENDANT’S NAME] icon.
- Under the Transfer amounts section, select the checkbox for Tuition, education, and textbook amounts, then click Continue.
- When you arrive at the page for transfering tuition, education, and textbook amounts from your dependant, enter your information into the tax software.