Before you start

Do you have to file a return?

You have to file a 1999 return if any of the following applies:

• You have a balance owing for 1999.
• We sent you a request to file a return.
• You have a taxable capital gain or disposed of capital property (such as real estate or shares) in 1999, or you claimed a capital gains reserve on your 1998 return.
• You have to pay back any of your Old Age Security or Employment Insurance benefits. See line 235 for details.
• You have not repaid all of the amounts you withdrew from your RRSP under the Home Buyers' Plan or the Lifelong Learning Plan. For details, see the guide called Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) or the guide called Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP).
• You have to contribute to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). This can apply if the total of your 1999 net self-employment income and pensionable employment income is more than $3,500. See line 310 for details.

Even if none of these requirements applies, you may still want to file a return if any of the following applies:

• You want to claim a refund.
• You want to apply for the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit (see page 10).
• You or your spouse wants to continue receiving Canada Child Tax Benefit payments (see the next section).
• You want to carry forward the unused portion of your tuition and education amounts (see line 323).
• You received income for which you could contribute to a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). To keep your RRSP deduction limit (see page 20) up to date, you would have to file a return.

Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB)

If you are responsible for the care of a child who is under 18, you can apply for the CCTB for that child. To do so, submit a completed Form RC66, Canada Child Tax Benefit Application, along with any other schedules and documents required, as soon as possible after the child is born or begins to live with you. If you are a landed immigrant or Convention refugee, you should apply as soon as possible after you and your child arrive in Canada.

The CCTB is based on the income shown on your return and your spouse's (if applicable, see page 10) return. Therefore, to qualify for the benefit, you both have to file a return every year, even if there is no income to report. Once you have applied for the CCTB, you have to advise us immediately of any of the following changes (as well as the date it happened or will happen):

• the child is no longer in your care, stops living with you, or dies;
• you move (or your payments may be interrupted);
• your marital status changes;
• you have your payments deposited directly into your account at a financial institution (see "Direct deposit" on page 39) and your banking information changes;
• you or your spouse is no longer a resident of Canada; or
• your or your spouse's immigration status changes.

For more information about the CCTB, get the pamphlet called Your Canada Child Tax Benefit, or call us at 1-800-387-1193.

Which tax and benefit package should you use?

Generally, you have to use the package for the province or territory where you resided on December 31, 1999. The information for your province or territory is located in the forms book.

If you resided in Quebec on December 31, 1999, use the package for residents of Quebec to calculate your federal tax only. You will also need to file a Quebec provincial return.

You may have to consider factors other than where you resided on December 31, 1999, to determine which package you should use:

• If, on December 31, 1999, you were living in a province or territory other than the one you usually reside in, use the package for your usual province or territory of residence. For example, a student who goes to school in Alberta but usually lives in Ontario would use an Ontario package.
• If you are filing a return for a person who died in 1999, use the package for the province or territory where that person lived at the time of death.
• If you emigrated from Canada in 1999, use the package for the province or territory in which you lived on the date you left.
• If you lived outside Canada on December 31, 1999, but maintained residential ties (as defined on page 7) with Canada, you may be considered a factual resident of a province or territory. Use the package for the province or territory where you kept your residential ties. However, this may not apply to a factual resident who became a resident of another country after February 24, 1998. For more information, contact us.
• You may have been a non-resident (as defined on page 7) of Canada on December 31, 1999. If you were a non-resident and you earned income from employment in a province or territory, or received income from a business with a permanent establishment in a province or territory, use the package for that province or territory. Otherwise, use the package for non-residents and deemed residents of Canada.
• You may have been a deemed resident (as defined on this page) of Canada on December 31, 1999. If you were a deemed resident and you are reporting only Canadian-source income from a business with a permanent establishment in a province or territory, use the package for that province or territory. Otherwise, use the package for non-residents and deemed residents of Canada.

Non-resident - You were a non-resident for tax purposes if you did not have residential ties (as defined on this page) in Canada, and you temporarily stayed here for less than 183 days during 1999, or you lived outside Canada throughout 1999. Contact us to find out the special rules that apply to you.

Deemed resident - Generally, you were a deemed resident for tax purposes if you did not establish residential ties (as defined below) in Canada, but you stayed here for 183 days or more in 1999.

Generally, you were also a deemed resident if you lived outside Canada during 1999, you did not maintain residential ties (as defined below) in Canada, and you were a government employee, a member of the Canadian Forces or their overseas school staff, or working under a Canadian International Development Agency program. This also applies to your dependent children, and can apply to other family members.

Residential ties - Residential ties include a home in Canada, a spouse or dependants who stayed in Canada while you were living outside Canada, and personal property in Canada. Other ties that may be relevant include social ties in Canada, a Canadian driver's licence, Canadian bank accounts or credit cards, and provincial or territorial hospitalization insurance. For more details, see Interpretation Bulletin IT-221, Determination of an Individual's Residence Status.

Other publications you may need

Unless you resided in Canada all year, you may also need one of the following publications:

• If you were a non-resident, and you earned income from employment or a business with a permanent establishment in Canada, get the guide called Non-Residents and Income Tax.
• If you were a non-resident, and you received rental income from real property in Canada, get the guide called Income Tax Guide for Electing Under Section 216.
• If you were a non-resident, and you received certain other kinds of income from Canada (including pensions and annuities) get the pamphlet called Electing Under Section 217 of the Income Tax Act.
• If you were a newcomer to Canada in 1999, get the pamphlet called Newcomers to Canada.
• If you emigrated from Canada during 1999, get the pamphlet called Emigrants and Income Tax.
• If you will be outside Canada for an extended period, get the pamphlet called Canadian Residents Abroad.

Where can you get the tax and benefit package you need?

You should have received the package you need based on our records. However, if after reading the above information, you cannot use this package, you can get the one you need from us. You can also get a package for a particular province or territory from any postal outlet in that province or territory. In addition, you can get the package for non-residents and deemed residents of Canada from any Canadian embassy, high commission, or consulate.