February 2014 – The Straight Tooth

Free (Canadian) tax software & online filing and other tax tips – a Rx for good oral health

Follow the link and download tax software and file online for free!

Cost is arguably the most prevalent barrier to dental care in Canada.

Many people are not aware that there exists many municipal and provincial social support programs that provide free or low-cost dental care for people who need it. Filing an income tax return is often the best way to access programs which require a proof of income below a certain threshold.

Other tax tips… dental costs are not subject to GST, PST or HST. Dental costs are claimable on your federal income tax return under Medical Expenses, subject to the following criteria:

Your total expenses must be more than either 3% of your net income or $2,109, whichever is less. You cannot claim medical expenses that have been reimbursed to you. If your employer or a private insurance or drug plan paid a percentage of the expenses, you can claim the remaining portion that you paid.

You can claim medical expenses you or your spouse or common-law partner paid for any of the following people:

– yourself;

– your spouse or common-law partner;

– your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s children aged 18 and under, who depended on you for support.

These expenses are claimed at line 330 of Schedule 1. Medical expenses for other dependants must be claimed on line 331 of Schedule 1.

You can claim medical expenses paid in any 12-month period ending in the current tax year and not already claimed in the previous tax year.

So, even if you have dental insurance that covers 80%, you will pay only 20% of your total dental bill and when declared on your income tax return, you can get back 15% of your out-of-pocket expenses in federal tax credits.