Are You a Loan Holder of the Canada Emergency Business Account? If you are a holder of the Canada Emergency Business Account, make sure that the outstanding balance excluding the amount available for forgiveness is repaid by these dates. For loan holders in good standing, the forgiveness repayment date is extended to December 31, 2023. If not in good standing, your forgiveness repayment date is December 31, 2022. To check the status of your CEBA loan and to see your standing, check out the following link: https://status-statut.ceba-cuec.ca/ Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government approved a total of $49.2 billion in CEBA loans and expansions. This meant that there were 898,271 business approved and 571,851 of them were approved for the expansions as well. This included Not-For-Profit organizations and account holders did not have to have an active business chequing or operating account. Eligibility for the CEBA Payroll Stream (Applicants with Employment Income of $20,000 to $1,500,000 Paid in 2019) Have an active CRA Business Number with an effective date of registration on or before March 1, 2020. Have an active business chequeing or operating account with the Lender at the time of your application. Cannot be a re-applicant to the Canada Emergency Business Account Program and are not applying for support under the program at any other financial institution. There must be an intent to continue to operate it’s business or to resume operations. Non-Deferrable Expense Stream (Applicants with $20,000 or Less in Employment Income) In addition to meeting the criteria for the Payroll Stream, you must meet the following: Have eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1,500,000. This could include rent, property taxes, utilities and insurance. Filed an income tax return with the CRA in the tax year ending in 2019 or if not submitted yet, 2018. Canada Emergency Business Account Expansion On December 4, 2020, if you were already approved for the initial CEBA, you were eligible to apply for an extension of $20,000 on top of the initial $40,000. If you hadn’t applied at all, then you were able to take the full loan of $60,000 once approved. The loan forgiveness on the first $40,000 is up to 25% provided that the deadline is met and that means that the initial 75% of the loan is paid off. If you borrowed more than the $40,000, there is an eligibility of up to 50% on all amounts after the initial $40,000. For more information, check out the page on the Government of Canada’s website describing the Canada Emergency Business Account or click here.

The Canadian Tax Deadlines are almost here and you need to make sure that your tax affairs are in order for April 30. We’ve listed out the most important dates for your tax filing here so make sure you know which ones apply to your situation. Important Canadian Tax Deadlines to Watch For March 1, 2022 This was the deadline to contribute to an RRSP, a PRPP or an SPP. April 30, 2022 This date is the deadline to file a regular income tax return. The deadline to pay taxes and avoid interest or penalties is also this date. April 30, 2022 is on a Saturday, so the effective deadline is May 2, 2022. June 15, 2022 Deadline to file your or your spouse/common-law partner’s self employed return. No matter what category you fall into, if you have a balance owing for your 2021 taxes, it must be paid on or before April 30, 2022. Because this date falls on a Saturday, paying it on the following Monday which is May 2, 2022 is appropriate and considered on time as well. If the amount owed is $2 or less, you do not have to make a payment. If not, the CRA charges daily compound interest on outstanding balances starting May 3, 2022 until the balance is paid in full. Ways to Pay Your Taxes: Pay online using your Canadian financial institution’s services. Pay online using the CRA My Payment service. Pay by setting up a pre-authorized debit agreement through the My Account section with CRA. Pay by credit card, e-transfer or Paypal via a third-party service provider. Pay in person with cash or debit at any Canada Post outlet. This will involve a fee as well. You will need a remittance voucher with a QR code. Pay in person at your Canadian financial institution. You will need a remittance voucher to do this. Interest and Penalties for Filings After the Canadian Tax Deadlines If you pay your tax owing late or if you have a balance owing and file your return late, there will be interest accumulated or a late-filing penalty applied. This could delay your benefit and credit payments as well so make sure to avoid this situation if you can. How the Late-Filing Penalty is Calculated The late-filing penalty is 5% of your 2021 balance owed with an additional 1% for each full month you file after the due date and caps out at 12 months. If you owe a late-filing penalty for 2018, 2019 or 2020, your late-filing penalty for 2021 will be 10% of the balance owing instead and an additional 2% for each full month that you file after the due date, capping out at 20 months. Tax instalments penalties will also apply if your instalment payments are late or less than the required amount but only if your instalment interest charges for 2022 are more than $1,000. For more information on Canadian Tax Deadlines and due dates, review the CRA’s section on the Canadian Government’s website via the following links: Due Dates and Payment Dates Filing Due Dates for the 2021 Tax Return Line 48500 – Balance Owing Interest and Penalties on Late Taxes

If you generate income from platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or a blog to post and build up a base of followers as an influencer, this is considered a business activity and needs to be reported on your income tax return. Types of Influencer Income: There are a few ways to earn income on these platforms and include posting pictures, videos and blogging on social media platforms that involve product placements or promotions. The income earned can be monetary or non-monetary. Channel Subscription Revenue Advertising and Brand Advertising Revenue Sponsorships and Product Rewards Merchandise Sales & Commission on Sales Tips and Donations Free Perks Including Goods and Services Products, Clothes & Trips If your total taxable supplies are more than $30,000 over four calendar quarters, you need to register, collect and pay the CRA GST/HST on all taxable sales from online activities. Business Expenses: Considering that the income earned is business income, that means that you may deduct business expenses and reduce tax owed on the revenue. The expenses must be directly related to revenue generated as a social media influencer and can be categorized as follows: Advertising Bad Debts Start-Up Costs Business Tax, Fees, Licenses and Dues Business Home Office Expenses Capital Cost Allowances Delivery, Freight and Express Costs Fuel Costs (Excluding Motor Vehicles) Insurance Interest and Bank Charges Legal, Accounting and Other Professional Fees Maintenance and Repairs Management and Administration Fees Meals and Entertainment Motor Vehicle Expenses Office Expenses Other Business Expenses Prepaid Expenses Property Taxes Rent Salaries, Wages and Benefits Supplies Telephone and Utilities Travel Haven’t Reported Previous Income? Not reporting your income from social media activites and platform sales may result in tax, penalties and interest owing. Correcting your tax reports voluntarily can reduce penalties and interest. If you need more information on the Business Expenses or Tax Implications applicable to social media influencers, review the links here: CRA Information on Business Expenses CRA Information on Social Media Influencers

Have you been trading cryptocurrency or other digital assets and are wondering how to apply this to your tax return? Your cryptocurrency dealings may be considered either a business income or capital gain and depending on your situation, you’ll be applying it to your tax return differently. When is this a concern for your taxes? Once you have gone through a disposition and have gotten rid of your digital assets by giving, selling or transferring it, then you need to worry about your tax implications. Here’s a breakdown on the situations that a disposition refers to: Selling or gifting cryptocurrency Trading or exchanging cryptocurrency (this includes disposing of one for another) Converting cryptocurrency to government-issued currency such as CAD Using cryptocurrency to buy goods or services Cryptocurrency as a Capital Gain Selling cryptocurrency without the nature of carrying on a business may result in a capital gain or capital loss. When the amount that the cryptocurrency sells for is more than the original purchase price or its adjusted cost base, then there is a realized capital gain. Half of this gain is subject to tax but for any losses in this venture that result in a capital loss, it can only be applied to reduce income from other capital gains rather than other sources like employment income. Your capital losses can also be carried forward or offset the gains of any of the preceding three years. Trading Cryptocurrency for Another Type of Cryptocurrency When disposing one cryptocurrency for another, you must follow barter transaction rules. Convert the value of the cryptocurrency you received and disposed into Canadian dollars. Obtain the difference between the two and now you have your gain or loss for your capital income or business income. Evaluating Cryptocurrency as Capital Property or Inventory Capital Property Record and track the adjusted cost base to accurately report any capital gains. Inventory Compare the cost and fair market value of each item and resolve which number is lower. Then, use this amount for each item to calculate the total inventory value at the end of the year. The cost refers to the original price paid for the item of inventory including all reasonable costs that incurred to purchase it. Another method is to value the entire inventory at its fair market value at the end of the year. Once an inventory evaluation method has been used, you must use the same inventory method from year to year. Keeping Track of Your Transactions Make sure you keep records of all instances where you acquire or dispose of cryptocurrency. You are expected to keep all required records and supporting documents for at least six years from the end of the last tax year that they relate to. These transactions and details include: Dates of the Transactions Receipts of Purchases and Trasnfers Value of Cryptocurrency in CAD at Time of Transaction Digital Wallet Records and Cryptocurrency Addresses Description of the Transaction and the Other Party Exchange Records Accounting and Legal Costs Software Costs Relating to Managing Tax Affairs Treating it as Business Income Whether you are involved in a business with cryptocurrency or not is based on the following criteria and includes cryptocurrency mining, trading and exchanges which include ATM’s. Carrying on activity for commercial reasons and is commercially viable. Undertaking activities in a business manner which includes preparing a business plan and obtaining capital assets or inventory. Promoting products or services. Showing that you plan on making a profit even if it is unlikely in the short term. You have undertaken significant activity that is part of your income-earning process. At the end of the day, this decision on whether to class your cyrptocurrency activites as a business or capital investment is still determined on a case by case basis so make sure to touch base with your accountant when making this decision. Mining Cryptocurrency If you are mining cryptocurrencies, you can class it as a business or a hobby which means that it’s for pleasure, entertainment or enjoyment. Even though payment comes in the form of the newly created cryptocurrency block, they are still paid in the cryptocurrency itself and must identify this as income. As a miner, make sure you keep these records: Receipts for purchasing cryptocurrency mining hardware. Receipts supporting expenses and other records with the operation. Power costs Mining pool fees Hardware specifications Maintenance costs Hardware operation time Mining pool details and records Find out more information about dealing with your digital assets on the Canadian Government’s Website under the Cryptocurrency Compliance Section.

The Sharing Economy & Platform Industry Tax Compliance What is the sharing & platform economy? Well, if you work off of a system that connects buyers and consumers with sellers or service providers, then you are part of this industry. There are 4 main types of businesses that fall under this industry and they are: Sharing Economy: When you use personal or shared assets to generate income such as with Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, DoorDash, Skip the Dishes and more. Gig Economy: This refers to platforms that support freelance or short-term contract-based work like Clickworker, Crowsource, Upwork, Fiverr or TaskRabbit. Peer-to-Peer (P2P): Selling goods directly from one person or party to another on platforms similar to Etsy, eBay, Amazon and even Facebook Marketplace. Social Media (including Social Influencers): This is when you earn income through social media platforms with advertisement revenue, subscriptions, product placement or product promotions on YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. Self-Employment & Tax Filing Report & pay tax on income earned from taxable activities as listed above. File form T2125 (Statement of Business or Professional Activities) with income and expenses. Contribute to CPP (Canada Pension Plan) and is required if you are over 18 and work in Canada (with the exception of Quebec) and make more than $3,500 per year. Quebec residents must pay the QPP (Quebec Pension Plan) instead. Maintain records on all your transactions regarding earning income or paying expenses. Report taxable income from all sources which will increase RRSP contribution limits as well as maximum amounts for mortgages or loans. GST/HST Expectations Are you wondering if you need to register for a GST/HST account? There are 3 main distinctions when deciding on whether to register for an account or not. Small supplier making less than $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters: You do not have to register but if you have already or choose to do so voluntarily, your effective registration date is the date you ask for the account or up to 30 days earlier. Once registered, you have to collect and pay GST/HST to the CRA regardless of revenue on taxable sales. If you earn income from ridesharing, you must register regardless of whether the revenue is over $30,000 or not. Supplier who has exceeded $30,000 in revenue over one calendar quarter or over the previous 4 or less consecutive calendar quarters. You aren’t a small supplier anymore so you must register for a GST/HST account and report/remit the appropriate tax amounts. To find out more information, continue reading on the Canadian Government website in the section about Compliance in the Platform Economy.