Do you have dependants?

If you have people in your life that rely on you for support, letting the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec know about them allows you to claim certain tax credits and benefits.

As a rule, a dependant is someone who meets all of the following conditions:

Relies on you financially or physically
Lives with you and
Is either under the age of 18, a parent or grandparent, or mentally or physically infirm (you might also be able to claim expenses for a dependant relative that’s related to you by blood, marriage, a common-law partnership, or adoption)

You might be able to claim the following credits and benefits, provided you meet the eligibility requirements:

Canada child benefit (CCB)
Children’s fitness and arts amount*
Amount for an eligible dependant
Child care expenses
Adoption expenses
Medical expenses (for children under 18)
Medical expenses (for dependants over 18)
Tuition amounts**
Disability amount
Canada caregiver credit
Amount for a child enrolled in post-secondary studies (Québec residents)
Respite of caregivers (Québec residents)
Child assistance (Québec residents)

Note:

*The child’s fitness (or physical activity) and arts amount is only available to residents of certain provinces. Click here to see if this tax credit is available in your province or territory of residence.

**Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan residents can no longer claim the provincial tuition amounts. Any unused provincial tuition amounts from prior years are still claimable. Your dependant can still claim, transfer, or carry forward federal tuition amounts.

How do I add a dependant to my return?

To add a dependant to your return, follow these steps in H&R Block's tax software:

On the Dependants page (found by clicking Get Started, then Dependants on the left navigation menu), select Yes in response to the question: Do you have any dependants?
Click Continue at the bottom of the page.
On the Dependant Information page, add your dependant’s information. Then, click Continue.

Now that you’ve added your dependant to your return, you can claim their expenses. To do this:

On the left-navigation menu, click the name of your dependant.

Navigate to the About {dependant name} page.
Select the expenses you want to claim for this dependant.