Millions of Canadians working from home could qualify for new tax deduction

The Canada Revenue Agency has simplified the rules to make millions of Canadians working from home eligible for a tax deduction.

CRA sent 441,000 ‘education letters’ to Canadians who may have to repay CERB benefits

Under the new rules, those who worked from home more than 50 per cent of the time over a period of at least four consecutive weeks in 2020 as a result of the pandemic will be now be eligible for the deduction.

Eligible employees who opt for the simplified deduction will be able to claim $2 for each day they worked from home, up to a maximum of $400. Their employers will not have to sign a special form.

Those with larger claims for home office expenses, however, can still use the existing detailed method to claim a deduction.

According to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, an estimated 2.4 million Canadians who do not normally work from home were doing so in October.

The $400 work from home deduction was first announced in the government’s fiscal update on November 30.

CBC