Does anybody know....? (northern ont. travel grants)

 Does anyone know if you have to claim the funds you receive from Northern Ontario Travel Grants on your income tax?

I am thinking probably yes, but just wondering if there are any savy tax people out there who can tell me for sure...

Yep you sure do.  It usually works out in the wash that when you claim what CRA lets you deduct per trip and take off what you get back from the travel grant, you still get a deduction for each trip just nowhere near as high is all.

 Ok thanks, that's good to know!

 I've never claimed mine. It isn't an income they are basically giving you back your money and paying for your travel because that particular specialist isn't in your area.

When you claim any medical expenses on your income tax return then you have to deduct the amount the government gives you for the travel grant off the amount you can claim.   The travel grant is seldom enough to cover all eligible expenses.  It may cover your true expenses but your actual eligible expenses are often much higher. FYI, last year, my mother had over $7k in eligible medical expenses but only got shy of $3k from the travel grants so she claimed the net difference of $4k as medical expenses.  If you don't plan on claiming any medical expenses then you don't have to claim the travel grants as income.   I think you may be confused as to what we are saying, it's not income but it is expenses paid to you against those same medical expenses you are deducting. Another FYI, if you haven't claimed medical expenses in the past and you file your income tax return electronically, most of the time they will ask for more info about those expenses.  I had to show all my paperwork to them the first year I filed medical expenses and now I never get asked again and I've been claiming large medical expenses for 6 years now.

 Thanks a lot Tracy, that totally makes sense to me now! I've never claimed medical expenses before, so I've never claimed grants.

I guess I read your first question incorrectly because I thought you meant do you deduct them from your medical expenses.  LOL  I've been a bean counter way too long I guess.

My mom is in the Tri-Town so when she goes to Toronto it's roughly 500km each way and I believe last year they paid .55 cents per km so that is $250 each way right there that she can deduct and then her 2 nights in a hotel is easily $250 and then meals for 3 days because you include your travelling time was set at a flat rate of $17/meal so that's another $102 per day because her doctor says she cannot travel alone. So right there that's approx $1006 dollars in eligible deductions for one trip to Toronto for her and her travel grant is only for $440.30   It didn't cost her $1006 but she can claim it but minus off the travel grant and she can still claim the $560 difference.   When you make 20 trips a year like she does then it adds up to a large medical expense. Oh and I forgot the $80 parking fee at the hotel and then the $30 in cabs as we just live the car at the hotel and cab it instead of paying for parking at the hospital.

I suggest to anyone making multiple trips to start an excel sheet because it's so much easier at the end of the year to just add up all the columns.

 Holy crap Tracey, when you lay it out like that...I never realized how much I was spending!

Are you busy during income tax season? Want to process my return? (joke)

Hahaha! I bet I wouldn't be your only OH referral! :)

Toni, another thing as well is you can use any 12 month period for your medical expenses so if you didn't claim any last year you can start your 12 month period from your first appointment and go 12 months from there.  You want to get the biggest deduction possible in that 12 months.

I wasnt planning on claiming mine either.