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TD1 Form: Learn Everything You Need To Know

February 1, 2024

Tax credits! Unfortunately, they aren’t magically calculated on your employee’s behalf. To know how much tax to deduct, each employee needs to declare what they’re entitled to. This is where the TD1 form comes in. If you have employees, all of them need to complete a TD1 form to let the government know exactly what personal tax credits they’re entitled to. It’s an essential part of your business accounting.

In this guide, we’ll take a deep dive into the TD1 form. Discover how to calculate the personal tax credit amounts for each person.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What is the TD1 Form and How Does It Work?

Who Needs to Complete a TD1 Form?

Federal vs Provincial TD1 Forms

Key Takeaways

What is the TD1 Form and How Does It Work?

When an employee fills out a TD1 form, it’ll guide them in understanding what tax deductions they may be entitled to. The form lists out the following possible deductions on the federal form:

Basic Personal Amount. The basic personal amount allowance is a base pay that is tax-free. In 2023, the base pay increased to the first $15,000 earned in a year. It may not apply to higher earners.
Canada Caregiver. Amount for Infirm ChildrenIf the employee is a caregiver of a dependent disabled child under the age of 18, they qualify for a $2295 tax deduction for each child.
Age Amount. If an employee is 65 or over on December 31, 2023, and if their net income for the year from all sources will be $42,335 or less, they can enter $8,396 as tax income benefit. They may enter a partial amount if their net income for the year will be between $42,335 and $98,309.
Pension Income Amount. This is where the employee enters their estimated pension income amount. This could be from any pension plan or fund excluding the federal programmes. If the income amount is higher than $2000, they can only enter $2000.
Tuition (Part time and Full time). All students attending an accredited university in Canada qualify for tax deductions. They need to enter their tuition fees in full in this section.
Disability Amount. An employee can claim $8,870 tax income benefit for 2022 and $9,428 for 2023.
Amount for Eligible Dependent. Employees can claim income tax benefits for any children or adult dependents in their care. The amount they can claim changes depending on the age of the dependent or if they are infirm in some way.
Amount Transferred From Spouse. This allows an employee to enter the unused available tax credit amount that their spouse isn’t claiming.
Amount Transferred From Dependent. This allows an employee to claim the amount of unused tax benefit available from any of their dependents.

After entering all of the potential tax credits, they need to total the amount at the bottom of the form.

Please note, the above values are correct as of January 2023. Please consult the Government of Canada Revenue Agency website for the most up-to-date figures.

Who Needs to Complete a TD1 Form?

Any new employees
Employees who have had a change in circumstances and want to claim a different amount from previous years. For example, they’ve started receiving a pension.
Employees living in a prescribed zone. They can claim deductions specifically for the province.

As an employer, once you receive the completed forms, you process them through payroll. You make the necessary deductions before paying each employee according to their TD1 form.

You don’t need to hand these to the government. However, you should keep them on file for 6 years.

Federal Vs Provincial TD1 Forms

The territory or province that your employee operates in can also determine certain income tax credits.

It needs to be a place of business for your employee to operate in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a fixed location. For example, construction work in a different province to the headquarters would still qualify.

Every employee needs to complete a federal TD1 form. They may also need a provincial form to claim extra on employment income. Territorial governments have their own forms that you can download from their websites.