Why can’t I transfer a portion of my refund to cover an amount owing on my spouse’s return?

Unfortunately, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) considers all tax returns as ‘separate’, meaning that no one can transfer any of their income tax refund to anyone else, no matter what the reason.

If, however, you are a resident of Québec and you have a refund on your Revenu Québec return (an amount of more than $2), you can choose to transfer some of your refund amount to your spouse, to reduce his or her balance owing on their Revenu Québec return. Keep in mind, the amount you transfer can’t be more than the amount your spouse owes. Once you decide to transfer an amount to your spouse, you won’t be able to cancel the transfer or change the transferred amount. You also won’t be able to request an accelerated refund.

Important: Revenu Québec can, without your consent, use all or part of your refund to pay any debt you owe the government.

Follow these steps in H&R Block’s 2023 tax software:

  1. On the left navigation menu, under Wrap-Up, click Final Review.
  2. Under Final Review, go to the Optimized Credits.

  3. Answer Yes to the question Would you like to transfer some of your Revenu Québec refund to [spouse] to reduce his/her balance owing?.

  4. Enter the amount of your refund you want to transfer to your spouse. You can transfer all or part of your refund amount.

  5. Click Continue.