Filing taxes in April 2015

[Scotmoose]

I got married to my Canadian wife last April and am currently in the process of a permanent residency application, through the London Visa Office (June Applicant). I'm a UK citizen and currently in Scotland working.

Does anyone know if she needs to file joint taxes in April as she's married now? Will this take my income into account and affect her taxes, even though I'm working in the UK and have no status in Canada at the moment?

Any help would be appreciated?

 

[Rob_TO]

I got married to my Canadian wife last April and am currently in the process of a permanent residency application, through the London Visa Office (June Applicant). I'm a UK citizen and currently in Scotland working.

Does anyone know if she needs to file joint taxes in April as she's married now? Will this take my income into account and affect her taxes, even though I'm working in the UK and have no status in Canada at the moment?

Any help would be appreciated?

Yes it will affect her. As of the date you got married (so April 2014), she should have changed her tax status with CRA from 'single' to 'married'. What CRA would then do is ask for your "world" income earned outside Canada, to establish your wife's family income. That would then be the income CRA would use in determining what credits or benefits she is eligible for.

If she was receiving some benefits as a single person (i.e. HST/GST rebate payments) based on her single income, but she would not qualify for those benefits when including your world income, then CRA will most likely demand she repays all or a portion of the benefits paid to her dating back to when she got married. If she wasn't getting any benefits though, then she won't need to worry.

When she does her 2014 taxes, she will indicate you as her spouse, and will include your world income accordingly. Some tax programs have trouble including spouses with no SIN in Canada, others let the spouse be added with a 000 000 000 SIN.

 

[ABCml]

Yes it will affect her. As of the date you got married (so April 2014), she should have changed her tax status with CRA from 'single' to 'married'. What CRA would then do is ask for your "world" income earned outside Canada, to establish your wife's family income. That would then be the income CRA would use in determining what credits or benefits she is eligible for.

If she was receiving some benefits as a single person (i.e. HST/GST rebate payments) based on her single income, but she would not qualify for those benefits when including your world income, then CRA will most likely demand she repays all or a portion of the benefits paid to her dating back to when she got married. If she wasn't getting any benefits though, then she won't need to worry.

When she does her 2014 taxes, she will indicate you as her spouse, and will include your world income accordingly. Some tax programs have trouble including spouses with no SIN in Canada, others let the spouse be added with a 000 000 000 SIN.

Yes, concurring that at least one of the free filing programs listed by the CRA didn't allow the 000 000 000 SIN, but another did (maybe just a glitch last year) - and the CRA followed up with a letter asking to verify (via a specific phone number) why the 000 000 000 number was used - all of which was much easier than what the US IRS required; US Embassy certified copy of spouse's passport, along with additional W7form requesting International Tax ID number - all via snail mail.

 

[Scotmoose]

Yes it will affect her. As of the date you got married (so April 2014), she should have changed her tax status with CRA from 'single' to 'married'. What CRA would then do is ask for your "world" income earned outside Canada, to establish your wife's family income. That would then be the income CRA would use in determining what credits or benefits she is eligible for.

If she was receiving some benefits as a single person (i.e. HST/GST rebate payments) based on her single income, but she would not qualify for those benefits when including your world income, then CRA will most likely demand she repays all or a portion of the benefits paid to her dating back to when she got married. If she wasn't getting any benefits though, then she won't need to worry.

When she does her 2014 taxes, she will indicate you as her spouse, and will include your world income accordingly. Some tax programs have trouble including spouses with no SIN in Canada, others let the spouse be added with a 000 000 000 SIN.

Thanks for the above advice Rob, looks like we will have to pay back some taxes at the end of the year, But will be glad to get it sorted sooner rather than later. Thanks again