Expert Tax Accountants in Niagara Falls

Your employer withholds federal and Ontario income tax using the pay period, your annual rate of pay and the claim codes from the TD1 forms you signed, then adds CPP contributions and EI premiums until the yearly maximums are reached. Because the tax portion follows brackets, the percentage held back rises as pay rises. For an exact figure, run your gross pay through the CRA's Payroll Deductions Online Calculator, which applies the current year's tables.

The Ontario HST rate is 13% for 2026, and it has been 13% since 1 July 2010. That single rate carries a 5% federal component and an 8% Ontario component, and the CRA collects and administers all of it. Place-of-supply rules decide which province's rate applies, so goods delivered in Ontario take 13% and a delivery into Nova Scotia takes 14%. Basic groceries are zero-rated at 0%, while exempt supplies such as most long-term residential rent carry no HST and no input tax recovery.

No single legal definition exists. The CRA does not publish a low-income line; instead each benefit and credit has its own income test, and payments such as the GST/HST credit, the Canada workers benefit and the Ontario Trillium Benefit phase out as family net income rises. Statistics Canada's low-income measures vary by household size and community. File a return even on very little income, because those benefits are calculated from the return.

Yes, and usually you should. A return with no income is how the CRA works out the GST/HST credit, the Canada child benefit and provincial credits, all of which depend on a filed return. It also keeps carryforward amounts such as unused tuition on record and gets back any tax withheld. Skipping a year can pause benefit payments until you file, and there is no penalty for filing a nil return.

Ontario auto insurance premiums carry no HST, because insurance is an exempt financial service rather than a taxable supply. Ontario has no PST; it does levy its own retail sales tax on certain premiums, mainly group life and health plans and some benefit-plan contributions, and automobile insurance premiums are not among them. That premium tax is not recoverable the way an input tax credit is. Confirm current details on the Ontario Ministry of Finance insurance premium page.

Most of your options are claims made on the return rather than expenses. Contribute to an RRSP to cut taxable income, use a TFSA for tax-free growth, and open an FHSA if you are saving for a first home. Claim tuition, eligible medical expenses, childcare, donations, and union or professional dues where they apply. Employment expenses are deductible only when your employer certifies them. You can also ask the CRA to reduce the tax withheld from your pay.

Rent you receive is taxable. A landlord reports gross rents, deducts expenses such as mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, repairs and a share of utilities, and adds the net figure to income. Rent you pay as a tenant is not deductible federally, although Ontario and some other provinces give a rent-related benefit through the return. Long-term residential rent is exempt from GST/HST, while short-term accommodation generally is not.

The credit is paid quarterly, in January, April, July and October, on the same schedule everywhere in Canada including Ontario. A small annual entitlement may be paid as one lump sum instead of in quarters. Payments depend on the previous year's return being filed and assessed, so a late return delays them. Check your dates and amounts in CRA My Account, and keep your direct deposit details up to date.

Tolls for the use of a road or bridge are not charged GST/HST, so the toll portion of a 407 statement carries no tax. Other charges on the same statement can be taxable, including transponder rental, account and administration fees, and the statement itemises any tax that was applied. A business claiming an input tax credit can only claim tax actually shown on the invoice, so read the statement rather than estimating.

No. Insurance is treated as a financial service for GST/HST purposes, so the premium on an auto policy is exempt and carries no GST or HST. Some provinces charge their own tax on certain insurance premiums, which is why a policy can still show a tax line. GST/HST does apply to related taxable supplies such as repair labour, parts and a rental car, even when the insurer pays the invoice. The CRA's financial services guidance sets out the boundary.

No. Ontario folded its provincial sales tax into the harmonised sales tax, so a single combined tax now covers the federal and provincial portions on taxable sales. You register once, charge one rate and file one GST/HST return with the CRA instead of running a second provincial system. A narrow retail sales tax still applies in Ontario to certain insurance premiums and benefit plans, which is why some bills show a provincial tax line.

Yes. The CRA answers individual, business and benefit enquiries by phone, and its Contact the CRA page lists the current numbers and hours for each line. Have your social insurance number or business number, a recent return and your notice of assessment ready, because the agent will verify your identity before discussing an account. For account details, balances and slips, My Account often answers the question faster than the phone.