If you require childcare to work or attend school, you may be able to claim some money back on you tax retun.
You or your spouse or common-law partner may have paid for someone to care for your child, so one of you could earn income, go to school, or conduct research. You can claim the childcare expenses if the child was under 16 or had a mental or physical impairment.

The general rule is that only the spouse or common-law partner with the lower net income – even if it is zero – can claim such expenses.

Childcare expenses include fees paid for:

• baby-sitting
• nursery schools
• day-care centres

And with some exceptions, you may also claim certain amounts for:

• day camps or day sports schools
• boarding schools and overnight sports schools and camps

You need to have receipts from your childcare provider to support your claim. There is a limit to the basic amounts that any taxpayer can deduct for child care. This limit is the least of:

• $7,000 for each eligible child who is under seven, plus $4,000 for each eligible child who is either age seven to 16; ($10,000 for each eligible child who qualifies for the disability amount);
• the total amount actually paid for child care in the year; or
• two-thirds of the taxpayer’s earned income for the year.

If you relocate to start a new job or a new position with the same employer, you may be able to deduct some of your moving costs from your taxable income.

In order for moving expenses to be deductible, your new residence must be at least 40 kilometres closer to your new place of employment. However, if your employer pays for some of your moving expenses, you cannot claim those expenses.
Moving expenses are deductible only from a taxpayer’s net earnings at the new location. So if you move later in the year, and only earn a few weeks of income at your new job then you may find your deductions are limited. However, eligible moving expenses that cannot be deducted in the year of the move may be carried forward and claimed against net earnings from the new location in a subsequent year.

Deductible Moving Expenses

Moving expenses are one of the most reviewed and re-assessed tax deductions so it is important to understand if you qualify and what you can actually claim.

Deductible moving expenses are those listed in the Income Tax Act, and are limited to the following:

• the cost of moving household effects, including packing, hauling, in-transit storage, and insurance costs;
• transportation costs to the new residence for the taxpayer and his or her family including amounts for travel, meals, and lodging en route;
• the cost of temporary lodging and meals for up to 15 days near the former residence and/or the new residence;
• the cost of canceling a lease for the old residence, not including any rent paid while the taxpayer lived there;
• the cost of changing addresses on legal documents, replacing automobile permits and licenses, and utility hook-ups and disconnections;
• up to $5,000 of the amount incurred for interest, property taxes, insurance premiums, heating and utilities required to maintain the former residence after the move, provided it was not being rented or lived in by a household member and reasonable efforts were made to sell it;
• selling costs of the old residence, including real estate commissions, legal or notarial fees, advertising, and mortgage penalty if a mortgage is paid off before maturity; and
• legal fees connected with buying a new home and any taxes paid to register or transfer title to the new residence, but only if the taxpayer or his or her spouse sold the old residence as a result of the move. This deduction is not available to taxpayers acquiring a first residence. “Taxes paid to register or transfer title” do not include the GST/ HST payable on newly built residences.

Non-Deductible Moving Expenses

The items listed below are not deductible as moving expenses:

• pre-move expenses from the old location to the new location for job-hunting, house-hunting, or any other purpose;
• expenses incurred to make the former residence more saleable; and
• any loss on the sale of the old residence.

Claiming medical expenses, on your tax return, may provide substantial tax savings.
Medical expenses cover a wide range of healthcare related costs such as:

• Pharmaceutical prescriptions
• Eye exams, glasses and/or contact lenses
• Dental and orthodontic work
• Chiropractic costs
• Hearing aids and their replacement batteries
• Massage therapy
• Medical travel insurance
• Medical plan deductibles

The list is extensive so it is worth checking before you throw away receipts that could be valuable.

To claim medical expenses, the total costs must exceed three percent of your net income and only the portion that exceeds your net income is claimed. Example: if your net income is $30,000, your medical expenses have to exceed $900 ($30,000 x 3%) and you can only claim the expenses over $900.

Taxpayers may claim qualifying medical expenses they paid in the taxation year, or in any period of twelve months ending in the taxation year. Any twelve-month period ending in the year may be selected to determine the most advantageous total for medical expenses. This could mean reporting expenses from June 2008 to May 2009 to give you the largest total to claim.
Even if you have medical or dental insurance that reimburses you for your health costs, you can still claim the portion of expenses that the insurance plan does not cover. And the premiums you pay for private health insurance, such as the ones deducted directly from your paycheque, can also be included as a medical expense.