SENIORS

Common income sources for seniors:

• Canada Pension Plan benefits - T4A(P)
• Old Age Security and possibly the Guaranteed Income Supplement - T4A(OAS)
• Private pension income - T4A
• RRSP Withdrawals – T4RSP
• RRIF Withdrawals – T4RIF
• Investment income – T5 or T3
• U.S. Social Security – SSA-1042S or SSA-1099
• Foreign private or public pension (other than U.S. Social Security)

Refundable tax credits specifically geared to seniors:

Ontario Seniors Homeowners Property Tax Grant

• Available to seniors 65 or older (including those who turned 65 during the tax year).
• Benefit is the lesser of $500 or property tax paid, but reduced if net family exceeds thresholds.
• UFile: Apply under ON-BEN – Application for Tax Credits and enter property tax.

Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit

• Available to seniors 70 or older, or to those with a spouse age 70+.
• Credit is 25% of eligible medical expenses, up to $6,000 (maximum $1,500).
• Reduced by 5% of family net income over $35,000, fully phased out at $65,000.
• Eligible expenses are the same as those for the federal Medical Expense Tax Credit (portion of claimable expenses that exceeds 3% of net income)
• Expenses can be claimed for this and medical expense credit.
• UFile automatically calculates this credit when medical expenses are entered.

Ontario Seniors Public Transit Credit 

• Available to individuals 65 or older at the beginning of the tax year.
• Credit is the lesser of 15% of transit expenses or $450.
• No income-based reduction.
• Only public transit expenses qualify (not taxis or Uber).
• UFile: Go to Interview Setup → Other Topics → Other deductions and credits.

Non-Refundable tax credits special to seniors:

Age Amount

• Available to individuals 65 or older by December 31st.
• For 2025, the age amount is $9,028 but it starts to reduce once net income exceeds $45,522.
• Combined with the basic personal amount ($16,129), low income seniors pay no federal tax on the first $25,157 of taxable income.
• UFile applies it automatically.

Pension Income Amount

• Up to $2,000 for private pension income, RRIF withdrawals, or annuity payments from an RRSP
• Not available for regular RRSP withdrawals.
• UFile applies automatically.
• Credit is available for a person of any age

Canada Home Accessibility Tax Credit

• Available to individuals 65 or older (or their spouse or certain relatives).
• Covers eligible home renovation expenses made for accessibility (e.g., ramps, grab bars).
• Disability Tax Credit certification or disability certification is not required.

Pension Splitting Between Spouses:

• Allowed for private pension income and RRIF withdrawals. Private pensions can be split regardless of the age of the spouses. RRIFs, however, can’t be split unless the person receiving the RRIF is 65 or older (but can be split with someone younger than 65).
• Not allowed for CPP or OAS.
• UFile applies pension splitting by default; special steps are required if spouses don’t want to split.

Seniors not receiving OAS:

If an individual is 65 or older and does not report OAS, UFile requires confirmation before e-filing.

Some seniors are not eligible for OAS or their applications are delayed, often due to:

• Having immigrated to Canada within the last 10 years.
• Extended absences from Canada, making it difficult to prove residency to Service Canada, resulting in a denied application or difficulty calculating the OAS amount.
• Failure to file tax returns in the past, suggesting a possible history of a non-residency period.

To qualify for OAS:

• Must be 65 or older, and
• Have lived in Canada for at least 10 years after age 18. Benefits will be greater if residency period is more than 10 years (with no increase for a residency of more than 40 years).

The client may benefit from advice or assistance.

Seniors not receiving GIS:

• See the document addressing this issue.