What tax credits can you claim?

• You can claim a basic personal amount.

• You can also claim an amount for a spouse or common-law partner.

• If you are a single parent, you can claim a dependant's allowance for one of the children who live with you.

• You can claim a credit for any CPP or EI payments you made.

• You can also claim a credit for medical expenses and for charitable donations.
  
  These are the most common credits people can claim.

Claiming the basic personal amount

Everyone is allowed to claim the basic personal amount. For the 2002 tax year, it is $7,634. However, don't think this is going to cancel out all the tax you should have paid. First, you add up all your credits, but then you have to calculate a percentage of them. This is what you set against the tax you have to pay. You can't set $7,634 against your income tax! First of all, though, enter $7,634 on line 300 on page 2 of your simplified Schedule 1. If you are over 65, you may also be able to claim the age amount.

Claiming for a spouse or partner

If you supported your spouse or common-law partner during the year, you can claim the spouse or common-law partner amount. If he or she didn't earn any income during the year, you can claim $7,131 in 2002. If your partner did earn any money during the year, this amount has to be taken away from $7,131. You can claim what is left. Enter this amount on line 303. If your partner earned $1,000, you could claim $6,131. If your partner earned $7,131 or more you can't claim anything here. (Your partner is allowed to earn $503 before this credit is affected. That's how you get the maximum claim of $7,131 rather than $7,634.)