It’s tax time! We appreciate your business and look forward to preparing your tax return.
As we do every year, we would like to outline several things that will make your filing as efficient as possible for both you and our firm. As such, we have enclosed several forms and schedules for your review.
Forms and schedules
Please remember that we are not necessarily intending you to complete each document. These forms and schedules are only intended to provide a comprehensive list and overview of what may be included in your tax return. Please disregard what you feel may not be relevant to your personal tax situation.
- Engagement Letter (mandatory)
- Personal Tax Organizer (mandatory)
- Self-Employed Business Activity Checklist
- Rental Activity and Commission Employment Expenses Checklist
Responsibility for Filing
We appreciate the opportunity to work with you and advise you on income tax matters, including the preparation of your tax return. Legislation allows the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) to impose penalties upon you as the taxpayer, and upon us as a tax return preparer, for failure to observe due care in reporting on your income tax returns. In order to ensure an understanding of our mutual responsibilities, we ask all clients for whom we prepare tax returns to confirm our arrangements by signing the enclosed engagement letter and returning it with your tax information. Please ensure your spouse and children sign as well if we will be preparing their returns.
Please remember that Canadian taxpayers who hold specified foreign property with a cost amount of $100,000 in total at any time in the tax year must disclose this to CRA. Please ensure your review our Engagement Letter and complete the representation regarding your foreign asset holdings.
It’s our responsibility to prepare your tax return accurately according to the law and the information that you have provided. It is your responsibility to provide us with all the information required to prepare complete and accurate returns. You should retain all the documents, receipts, cancelled cheques and other data that form the basis of your income and deductions as we will not be retaining them. These may be necessary to prove the accuracy and completeness of the return to the CRA. You have the final responsibility for the income tax return and, therefore, you need to review it carefully and notify us of any issues needing to be addressed.
Filing Deadline
Your 2016 tax return (other than for self-employed) must be filed by May 1, 2017 as April 30, 2017 is a Sunday. However, you must have your 2016 tax information to our office by April 3, 2017 to ensure it is filed on time. We are required to file your 2016 personal return electronically.
Self-employed individuals have until June 15, 2017 to file their tax returns; however, the CRA will impose interest on any unpaid tax from May 1, 2017. Therefore, we recommend you have your return prepared before May 1, 2017 so that any liability can be paid as required in order to minimize interest charges.
Getting Prepared
Please review your 2016 tax return to determine the sources of income and expenses that you reported. This will be a good indication of what information you should be accumulating for your 2016 tax return. Also, consider any new sources of income or deductions you had in 2016.
We have included a Personal Tax Organizer to help jog your memory. We have also included a Self-Employed Business Activity Checklist, Rental Activity Checklist, and Commission/Employment Expenses Checklist should you have any related income or expenses to declare.
Please forward your information to our office as soon as possible. If you need to discuss any specific matters, please call to discuss or to arrange an appointment.
We can accept your tax information electronically and if you would like to send your information to us online please contact us so we can arrange to do this through our secure portal.
Electronic Filing
Once we have completed your tax returns we will email you a T183-Authorization to E-file. We are required by CRA to have the form signed and on file before electronically filing your return. Please ensure you indicate your confidential e-mail address on the attached personal tax return checklist. We will e-mail these forms to you unless you indicate otherwise. Please review, sign, and return the form as soon as possible so we may electronically file your return.
If you have any concerns with the privacy and security of sending the T183 by email, please contact us so we can arrange paper delivery or arrange to do this through our secure portal.
CRA Authorization
In order for us to obtain information from the CRA we are required to have a T1013 Authorizing or Cancelling a Representative filed with the CRA. If we do not already have one on file for you, we will forward one to be signed and returned.
Installment Payments
It is very important to make the required quarterly installments to minimize installment interest and/or penalties. If you are required to remit quarterly income tax installments, your first payment for the 2017 calendar year is due by March 16, 2017.
Payment
Payment for preparation of your personal tax return is payable upon receipt of your return.
You can make your payment by personal cheque, cash, debit (in office only), Visa or MasterCard.
Tax returns will not be E-filed or released until payment is received in full.
If you have any questions regarding the filing of your personal income tax return, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
A-R PARTNERS