Children's Fitness Tax Credit
The Government of Canada has created a non-refundable tax credit to encourage parents to register their children in a prescribed program of physical activity.
The Innisfil Ball Hockey Club has made available to parents of eligible children a tax receipt that can be downloaded below. This will allow parents to claim the tax credit on their income tax return.
| Tax Year |
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| 2011 |
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| 2011 |
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How the Credit Works
The children’s fitness tax credit allows parents to claim up to $500 per year for eligible fitness expenses paid for each child under the age of 16 at the beginning of the year. If a child qualifies for the disability tax credit, parents can claim up to $500 per year in eligible fitness expenses paid for each child who is under 18 years of age at the beginning of the year.
The Government of Canada has defined an eligible expense as the cost of registration and/or membership in a prescribed physical activity. Such programs must:
- be ongoing (either a minimum of eight consecutive weeks long or, for children's camps, five consecutive days long);
- be supervised;
- be suitable for children; and
- include a significant amount of physical activity that contributes to cardio-respiratory endurance, plus one or more of: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, or balance.
Under the Income Tax Regulations, the definition of physical activity includes:
- horseback riding; and
- if the child is eligible for the disability tax credit, activities that result in movement and in an observable use of energy in a recreational context.
An activity for which a child rides on, or in, a motorized vehicle as an essential part of the activity does not qualify for the children’s fitness tax credit.
What Parents Need to Know
Programs that have been paid for in the current tax year will only be eligible. If you paid for a sports program in a previous tax year, it is not eligible, even if the program runs in the current tax year. The government has based program eligibility on the date it was paid for rather than the date(s) the program takes place.
Links
More information on the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit can be found at:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/fitness
More information on which sports/activity programs are eligible for the tax credit can be found at: http://www.fin.gc.ca/news06/06-084e.html
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