Issues with landing date for tax forms

[Lorelyrra]

I went to a tax service to have my taxes done, as this is my first year as a PR and I still have my American taxes to file alongside my Canadian. Everything went smoothly and the papers were sent in a week ago. However, this morning the accountant who helped me called to say my tax forms were rejected because the government has a different landing date for me than the one I have on file.

I landed on July 12, 2016 but didn't officially move to Canada until October 1, 2016. However, July 12 is the date that is on my PR card and the date of the visa I have stamped in my passport, so that's the date I put on my tax forms. My first day of work in Canada was October 12, 2016. I tried to call the CIC to look into it, however I can't find an option in the phone menu that seems to include that and when I just choose to speak to an agent, I keep getting a recording that they are experiencing a high number of calls and I can't be transferred to an agent at this time. There also isn't any viable option I've found in the CIC web form for assistance.

Has anyone else ever had this issue? Any recommendations on who to contact to get this sorted out?

 

[smtele]

I believe you need to mention the date when you actually moved in to settle in a province on the tax form -- that would be Oct 1, 2016.

As an example, this is for ON:

You become a resident of Canada for tax purposes when you establish significant residential ties in Canada, usually on the date you arrive in Canada.

Residential ties include:

A home in Canada
A spouse or common-law partner and dependants who move to Canada to live with you
Personal property in Canada, such as a car or furniture
Social ties in Canada
Other ties that may be relevant include:

A Canadian driver's licence
Canadian bank accounts or credit cards
Health insurance with a Canadian province or territory
Find out more about residential ties on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website.

http://settlement.org/ontario/daily-life/personal-finance/taxes/do-i-have-to-file-a-tax-return/

I'm not sure why you are contacting CIC for this. The date on the PR card is the date when you land, which is correct.

If anything, you'd need to file an amendment to correct the date on the tax return or file a new return since the previous one was not accepted. Your accountant should be able to help here.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I went to a tax service to have my taxes done, as this is my first year as a PR and I still have my American taxes to file alongside my Canadian. Everything went smoothly and the papers were sent in a week ago. However, this morning the accountant who helped me called to say my tax forms were rejected because the government has a different landing date for me than the one I have on file.

I landed on July 12, 2016 but didn't officially move to Canada until October 1, 2016. However, July 12 is the date that is on my PR card and the date of the visa I have stamped in my passport, so that's the date I put on my tax forms. My first day of work in Canada was October 12, 2016. I tried to call the CIC to look into it, however I can't find an option in the phone menu that seems to include that and when I just choose to speak to an agent, I keep getting a recording that they are experiencing a high number of calls and I can't be transferred to an agent at this time. There also isn't any viable option I've found in the CIC web form for assistance.

Has anyone else ever had this issue? Any recommendations on who to contact to get this sorted out?

As far as I recall, CRA doesn't ask for the date a person became a PR on the tax return. I believe they ask only for the date that a person became a resident for tax purposes, which for you, would have been October 1st, 2016. I suggest you clarify this with your accountant.