Revenue Canada

[2Boys4Me]

Hi All,

I have a question that Revenue Canada couldn't really answer for me. It was regarding claiming something that I would buy anyway (cornstarch) but the quantity of what I am purchasing has changed.

Example: in the past, I might buy 2 boxes of cornstarch a year, but since August, I've bought about 10. When you look at the price per box $1.77/500g it doesn't seem like much. But that's $3.55/kg and I think that wheat flour is closer to $1/kg. I was sort of hoping I could claim the extra $2.55/kg but I guess not.

Any tips on how to go about the claims? This is our first time claiming gluten-free food on our return. I had a friend make up an excel spreadsheet to figure out incremental costs, but if any of you long-timers have tips for a newbie, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[skoki-mom]

  2Boys4Me said:

Hi All,

I have a question that Revenue Canada couldn't really answer for me. It was regarding claiming something that I would buy anyway (cornstarch) but the quantity of what I am purchasing has changed.

Example: in the past, I might buy 2 boxes of cornstarch a year, but since August, I've bought about 10. When you look at the price per box $1.77/500g it doesn't seem like much. But that's $3.55/kg and I think that wheat flour is closer to $1/kg. I was sort of hoping I could claim the extra $2.55/kg but I guess not.

Any tips on how to go about the claims? This is our first time claiming gluten-free food on our return. I had a friend make up an excel spreadsheet to figure out incremental costs, but if any of you long-timers have tips for a newbie, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Well, I am a newbie at this as well, so I might not be of much help. I have kept track of my gluten-free spending on an excel spreadsheet similar to the sample on the Rev Canada website. So far I've not gone to the grocery store to fill in the costs of "regular" food, but need to do that soon.

I really doubt they will give you the cornstarch, but it's worth a try. I guess because most people buy cornstarch even if they don't have celiac disease. In my own tracking, I have really only kept track of truly specialty foods. Anything that is basically mainstream or naturally gluten-free I haven't tracked, even though I have obviously spent a lot more than I used to on that sort of stuff. My understanding is that Rev Can will only let you claim the difference in cost between gluten-free and regular food. I haven't kept track of stuff like Thai Kitchen, though maybe I should because Mr. Noodle is probably cheaper. I have all my Kinnickinnik products, rice pastas, cake/cookie mixes, etc on my list as well as my organic corn flakes since it's the only cereal I can find that I actually like.

Good thread, and I'll be following it to hear what the others have to say.

[Canadian Karen]

Last year I saved every receipt for gluten free food. I logged everything. When it came tax time, the amount I had spent on gluten free food (which to me seemed astronomical!), didn't even come close to the minimum amount allowed to be claimed. Now I don't know whether the amount is determined based on family income (since both hubby and I had fairly good incomes), but I know I did a whole bunch of work for nothin'!

Hopefully, it will be better for you guys........

Hugs.

Karen

[Rusla]

First it would be based on your family income the percentage for medical expenses which is what this is considered.

Now cornstarch or other flours versus wheat flour. What you have to do is oz or kilo per kilo. So you add up how much your corn starch totally cost and say altogether it came to $15 for a kilo and all purpose flour is $3.00 a kilo. then you subtract the $3.00 from $15.00 which the difference is $12.00. The same if you use other flours or breads. Basically all we can deduct for is flours, breads, but pretty well nothing else which in my books is just wrong.

You can use any 12 month period which adds up to the most. E.G March to march.

[2Boys4Me]

We don't really buy anything labelled gluten-free except pasta, cereal, cereal bars and flour. Everything else I've made from scratch (it hasn't always been edible, but I cringe at spending $7 for 4 hamburger buns). The sheet the association gave me said something about spices. There's only one 6 year old eating the specially labelled gluten-free stuff, so I guess we probably won't get to claim much either. Just the difference between Old El Paso taco chips and Safeway brand, or whatever.

I guess we'll see.

Something the guy DID say, was that Celiacs and Celiac Associations have to start pushing for amendments, and then if Revenue Canada gets enough or gets tired of hearing from the same 10 people every few months they might amend that section so you can claim for more stuff. I think that would be of benefit for people whose whole family goes gluten free for the benefit of one Celiac.

[Rusla]

If you are using any flours but wheat, like corn starch, potato, soy etc. you figure out what a kilo of that compared to a kilo of flour (gluten) type is and you claim the difference. I have kept all my receipts and I circle any of the envirokids cereals and bars that I buy. I have cut the front off of a box off of each so that if they ask I have it for proof. Gluten free cereals, bars, and cookies are also deductible.

[Rusla]

I agree about sending letters to revenue Canada. They took it from a disability rating to a non disability rating.The point that it costs us a great deal, we have to travel (especially in small towns or any provice that doesn't have Toronto of Vancouver in it.) which is all the rest of the provinces. We have to travel all over the place to get our food and all the other things that are entailed in educating ourselves, making and finding our foods. We should either get the disability amount or be able to take our time, gas, wear and tear on the vehicles etc., into play also.

[Felidae]

Do you need an official diagnosis of celiac to be able to make a claim?

[ShortnSkinny]

  Felidae said:

Do you need an official diagnosis of celiac to be able to make a claim?

According to the canadian celiac website you need a medical certificate.

[Daxin]

HI all. I am newly diagnosed CEliac, and this is my first post.

My Father is a CGA, and he told me, as far as the increased use of cornstartch etc, that ONLY the portion of the cornstartch that is used in the Celiacs meals would be a tax deduction.

Also, as far as the deductions go, all medical expenses are calculated on the lowest income earner, so it is possibl;e that you will max out your medical deducitons long before you get to the write-offs for all our INCREDIBLEY expensive food.

Hope that helps.

[Rusla]

We really do need to get on their case of making this a disability again but I don't hold much hope with Harper in there.

They think a disability is the inability to feed ourselves. Without the deduction, the cost of our flour etc. does make it an inability to feed ourselves. If I was to lose my job today, I would lose the ability to feed myself because of the cost of the flour even.

I think we could have a case if we could get some decent free advice from a lawyer versed in medical issues.

[Guest Viola]

This really doesn't have anything to do with the food deduction, but at least for those of you that live in B.C. and live out in the country...or if you have to travel for medical purposes, you can claim milage. With us, we live 58 kilometers from the clinic, so just before tax time, we go into the clinic and pick up a print out for the number of times we were in for appointments then claim our milage. I can't remember how much per kilometer, as H&R Block does our taxes, but it does make a huge difference along with the food deductions. Now I don't know if other provinces do this, but it wouldn't hurt to check with a tax person.

[Rusla]

Unfortunately, travelling to obtain the food or our food supplies just doesn't fit into their idea of medical deduction. Isn't that grand?

Yes you have to be diagnosed by a medical doctor of any kind to be allowed to take it off. Not only that but for the medical deduction to mean anything you need to make copious amounts of money.

[2kids4me]

I live in Alberta. We claim mileage to the hospital for the kids (17 trips in 2004). They even give a meal allowance. We live 100 km from the nearest pediatric hospital.

We claim the difference between purchasing gluten-free food and a wheat based/regular product. We have 2 celiac kids so can claim everything from cake mix to flour, cereal bars etc. I just keep receipts.

We live in a small town so travel is not easy - we order online from kinnnickinnick and this has saved a lot of hassle. Only HUGE bonus this year is that a gluten-free bakery opened up here (one week ago) - Terra Cotto - and they make some wonderful stuff.

Yes you have to have a diagnosis - we sent the biopsy report.

FYI - 2005 is the first year that diabetic children could be claimed as "disabled dependent". You have to fill out pages of stuff, have a doctor sign the form etc. You can't claim it if an adult has diabetes but they allow children because of the time required for parents to manage the disease (blood glucose testing, giving injecions, doctor appts etc). It took YEARS......with pediatricians/nurses supporting the parents campaign.

[LittleZoe]

Can someone please point me in the right direction. I'm looking for an excel sheet to track all my gluten free purchases and the cost difference. I can't find the one discussed in this thread from CRA. Does anyone have a good excel sheet they can share with me?

[num1habsfan]

  LittleZoe said:

Can someone please point me in the right direction. I'm looking for an excel sheet to track all my gluten free purchases and the cost difference. I can't find the one discussed in this thread from CRA. Does anyone have a good excel sheet they can share with me?

What exactly do you want the excel sheet to calculate/show?? Being the computer geek that I am, I can easily make one up for you if you want.

[Mrs-Mama]

I'm brand new at this gluten-free shopping as well. What I've started doing is separating my grocery order. I put all of the 'gluten-free' food on one receipt and the 'normal' food on a different receipt. I guess I'll have to wait until next tax season to figure out how easy it's going to be to figure out the claim.

D

[123glldd]

I know this is an old thread but i had to comment on this...any government who thinks just because the rest of the country typically buys cornstarch too means that you can't claim it is full of ..well..you know. If you go gluten free and you don't buy a lot of pre made meals it's still going to cost you a lot in the end for all the extra vegetables and meats etc. It should be allowed to be claimed. And for instance with spices? There are no name cheaper spices out there that may have cross contamination or whatever that for instance Mccormicks does not. We are MADE TO BUY CERTAIN THINGS BASED ON SAFETY. I know I use to get no name stuff sometimes. Can't do that anymore and it's always cheaper. So that's not fair at all.