Single moms better off in Canada, at least when it comes to taxes

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You can sign up for the Lashmars Tax Accountants Free Tax Newsletter by visiting the website www.lashmars.co.uk
You can sign up for the Lashmars Tax Accountants Free Tax Newsletter by visiting the website www.lashmars.co.uk

This article doesn't even take into account substantial tax-free child support payments or housing subsidies or daycare subsidies- single mom's got it made in Canada.

I would not believe this as being a single mother of three boys and no help for their father I did not qualify for any tax breaks and have always paid more than my share of taxes. Single for over 12 years with 3 growing boys and paying for 2 in daycare and not qualifiying cause I earned too much... how the goverment thinks that is possible was beyhond me. Goverment need to look at the hole family picture not just the dollars that a person makes and basis it decision on that.

When it comes to single mom's they should get the tax cuts. I know, I raised 4 daughters myself and at first it was my ex who got all the breaks, claiming for maintenance payments but what he paid me no where came near what my children needed in order to have what they needed. I didn't sit at home on welfare, I went to work and worked hard and if I didn't have the child care subsidies, I would of been struggling for good quality child care for my daugthers. It is not easy being a single parent and Canada should have opportunities for low income families to survive with out having to go without. I was lucky, for I was able to raise my daughters on what I made with the few breaks I received because I had an ex who thought it was more important for him to claim non residency of Canada to get out of paying what he rightfully should of been paying for his children because he was working over seas and pulling in big bucks but could not see giving his children what they needed and what was rightfully theirs so he could live the high life and I had to struggle to raise our daughters by myself, working hard and teaching my daughters how to get by on very little. In the end, he lost out and I have 4 of the most amazing young women as hard working mothers to my 8 grand daughters.

I am a single mother of 2 teenagers - 10 years on my own...I do not qualify for GST credits (because of my salary earnings) - their father pays child support, always has...but at approximately 50% of what is required - never bothered to chase it up...as I don't have the time nor the patience with him. My child tax credit is near nothing compared to some of my friends...again, because of my salary earnings...I'm not rich or pockets over-flowing (that's for sure!) but I'm not in dire need of necessity in which I'm sure some people may be...

My kids are not spoiled...but they are not lacking either. They have all they need and get extra when I have extra!

If single women with children have the benefits of additional tax breaks to help them out - why not? I luckily am doing well considering...but I know not all women have careers, etc...so if the government is able to provide such things...this is good...I would hope and only assume that this also applies to single fathers.

Single parents in Canada DO GET TAXED on ANY support money they receive from the other parent UNLESS the court order states otherwise.
I was a single parent and was taxed on EVERY dollar I received while the other parent was given a dollar for dollar tax break on ALL monies paid as child support for the children. Not until the late 90's did the tax laws change. (University Research papers reflecting the "Canadian Family" - had alot to do with the tax laws changing to allow for more support orders to include language regarding being taxed on the support received. Orders having no language regarding tax -remain taxed- meaning the people involved are to go back into court and seek a revision.

Scott, I really beg to differ when you comment that single mothers have it made in Canada. There is more incentive to be on welfare than to be in the workforce trying to better yourself. Something is failing when you have to make poverty income to qualify for any government assistance !

not only in Canada, single moms are good in paying taxes all over the world
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We are a two parent family with two kids in Quebec; I make $41,000, my wife is a full time undergrad student, and our two kids are in daycare ($7/day/kid). Considering all the money we get from the provincial bursary program and various child tax credits, we have a near zero-tax burden. If you include subsidized daycare and low interest student loans, we make out with a decent negative tax.

Of course in a few years when my finishes her MSc, and the kids will no longer be in daycare, and we'll be making significantly more, the tax burden will shift substantially. I'm guessing that in 5 years our family work income will more than double, but our disposable income and lifestyle will remain fairly constant.

In fact, I think that's the idea of the tax/transfer payment system in general; the government is Robin Hood.

As a middle income single mother with no child support those tax breaks leave me enough to pay for groceries after all the bills are paid. The main break I qualify for is for child care which I have paid over 35,000 on in the past 8 years. As my income increased all my benefits have decreased leaving me no further ahead over the eight years I have had my son. To pull off being a single mom while trying to live a minimal life by owning a condo and car is near impossible without some kind of tax break. Even with the breaks I still can not afford to send him to camp for the summer or put him in sports or contribute to RRSPs the way a two parent family could. I think of how much easier it would be in a two parent family. I guess I better look into dating so I can get married...oh wait that would require time away from my son and money for a babysitter. ha

Maybe if you're on social assistance, or working part-time you might be better off, but I can tell you as a single mother who has worked full-time for 15 raising my son alone I have not seen any tax breaks. If anything, over time, it's only gotten worse, this year I actually had to pay into Revenue Canada!

Because I do not receive any child support, (which is an entirely different article) I not only work full-time to cover our expenses, but also part-time for our "spending money". Because of this "extra income", my child tax benefit has been cut to a mere $100 a month, and I have not for some time received any GST rebate because I make too much ($2000 take home a month). That may sound like a lot, but I work 50+ hours a week, and considering those on assistance make almost that much between child tax and their assistance cheque, and reap the benefits of being home with their children, not having to pay for child care, transportation and other work-related expenses, it really is not. I think whoever researched this article better take a second look at the math for us full-time working single mothers, especially those of us who are unfortunate enough to not get the child support that is rightfully theirs, when do we get our tax break?

Where do you people live?
I have take home pay of $1097/2 weeks for a 40 hour a week job. My wife makes <$2000/year in at-home clerical work (which we do claim on income-tax). The prov gov't gives us $800/3months, the fed child tax credit is almost $400/month and Harper's ChildCare credit is exactly $200/month.

Do single mothers get less from the gov't than two-parent families?

there's NO tax break whoever, wherever, a single mother with $2000/mo income, with a child under 6 years, Ontario day care average $ 1000/mo., then you're in sh.. hole, how could you survive?

move to Quebec

Single Moms have it too easy in Canada.

Look at the lifestyle of the single mothers, and compare it to the Fathers paying for child support and daycare. It is not enough that there exists a no-fault divorce system where someone can get up and go without any cause, or that the Father will not end up seeing his kids everyday, he also has to be put in the poorhouse.

There are too many incentives for women to leave their husbands in Canada. And you wonder why the birth rate is so low in Canada, and why young men are going out to get vasectomies.

I'm a single mom of a 7 year-old daughter. My job gets me roughly $1100 bi-weekly and I recieve $324 a month for the CCTB. (Canadian Child Tax Benefit) I used to get an extra $100 monthly for the Universal Child Tax Befefit, but that is only given when children are 6 years of age or younger. My ex husband gives me child support, but not nearly as much as he should be, do to his financial misfortunes. (We'll call them that.) Unfortunately, where I work full-time, my daughter has to go into full-time child care, which costs pretty much what I recieve for the CCTB ($320) and I never see any tax returns any more because they all go do paying down my student loan. As for the quaterly GST that comes out, I might get about $100. I mean, I don't have much to complain about as far as being a single mom in Canada, well, I didn't anyway. I just made do with what I had. But now I'm wondering if there's something else I'm missing out on to help me out judging by some of the other comments above. Looks like I have to do my homework on the topic!

I think the government does well by me.I make about 1500.00 a month (full time) and so that qualifies me for maximum benifits.i receive just over a $1000.00 for child tax benifits and I recieve child support from my ex.So far so good.My oldest son is about to turn 17 which worries me because next year I will receive much less.Who knows what will happen next year as I depend on that money to live.

It does not make sense, its encouraging young girls to have affairs ,this law for single mothers are just encouraging young girls to have babies out of wedlock; to go live on their own and get all these benifits; which they are enjoying. People that are married should get the exemptions to save taxes, and provide for their children.
If Canada gives married couples the exemption they give to single parent , this will encourage people to stay married , you will see how many people will claim married, and will get off welfare.

The government should help married couples more, this will encourange people to stay married, which will be les burden on the governmnet.

Than you

Lita

Being a single parent in Manitoba was great...subsidies etc. Being a single parent in Ontario meant that you were being forced into welfare even if you wanted to work. I transferred from Manitoba with my job. I had subsidized housing, and daycare. I moved to Ontario where the province took your income minus any debt. I paid full day care at $7200 net income per year. The reason was because Manitoba went by income alone. My co worker and her husband made $100 K a year between them and got free day care because of their liabilities while I paid the full amount and was being forced into welfare. My co-worker owned a home, trailer, and motor boat, not to mention her credit cards. I, on the other hand could not afford debt. Thank you Manitoba and rotten eggs to Ontario!

What about single dads? What do we get besides a slap in the face, a kick in the ass, and a court system that mandates that everything possible be done to destroy us financially, emotionally, and psychologically?

I am a single father of two teenage boys - I get, and got, nothing from their mother in terms of support, nothing from the government - not even any tax breaks. I am hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt after suffering through the abuse and harassment of the family courts for years.

My ex cost me tens of thousands of dollars in litigation in order that she obtain sole custody and residency of our children. Once she had done so, and had received all of the 'financial perks' that the courts award to single mothers as 'primary caregivers', (perks that came out of my pocket of course), she decided that she couldn't look after the children after all and shortly after winning her windfall, phoned me and said the boys and their possessions were waiting in her porch so please come and get them. They have been with me fulltime ever since.

I have spent additional thousands of dollars in expenses making sure that the boys see their mother every weekend, during all holidays, for at least half of each summer, and for any other time either they or she desires. In all the hundreds and hundreds of times the boys have been to visit and/or stay with her she has NEVER picked up or driven the boys or paid for their bus or train fares. Yet when the boys with living with her she made no effort to, and in fact impeded in every way possible, any attempts for me to spend time with them. And if I was fortunate enough to get any time I, again, picked up all the expenses. She absolutely refused to drive the boys to or from my home.

The boys' university education is already looked after because of a Trust Fund that I set up solely and totally with money I earned. She never contributed a cent to the fund but I was not given any kind of "credit" for my contributions during divorce proceedings - in fact she did everything she could to try to wrest control of the fund into the hands of her and her father.

I will never be able to retire - I am in my late fifties now - I will have to work until I drop dead in order to have any chance of paying all of my debts - debts that were mandated by the systemic hatred, harassment, abuse, and discrimination routinely and knowingly inflicted on fathers by the socialist feminazi family court system.

And my ex? She's living in a nice, large condo in downtown Toronto. She doesn't work - she lives off the money the courts stole from me to give to her.

Is it any wonder that the biggest cause of death for divorced fathers is suicide?