Don’t Forget! Claim Your Children’s Art and Fitness Tax Credits!

This post is sponsored by kbs+p, the advertising agency for the Canada Revenue Agency. I’m splitting the proceeds with a reader to help spread the word about these awesome tax credits. See below for details. CONTEST CLOSED

I was about to charge a flight to my credit card last week when I realized the date. The beginning of March means registration for all spring and summer programs. I cheaped out and decided not to do any camps (because child care is only useful if ALL of your kids can go. That’s right baby Mary, I’m looking at you.) But I still had to shell out for swimming times two and t-ball for one. (And that’s it. I’m really trying to streamline the extracurriculars.) Better hold off on my vacation planning for another pay period or two!

Spring also means tax season. For some of you more conventionally employed people that often means a nice little rebate cheque is coming your way. For us, enough of our income is freelance now that tax time is a massive headache and potential heartache. We’re just not sure how much we’ll end up owing. Yikes.

Imagine my delight, then, to be reminded that kiddie extra curriculars + taxes = savings. The Canada Revenue Agency wants us all to remember to claim our kids’ recreation fees for a tax credit of up to $75 per child with the Children’s Art Tax Credit and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit. Thank you, CRA!

Please click through the links above to see what you can claim. Really, almost anything you enroll your kid in will qualify. Soccer? Check! Piano? Check! Swimming, bowling, karate? Check, check, check. Drama, painting, nature camp? Checkerama. Go carting? Well, no.

And after you do that, please be so kind as to let me know which activities you’ll be claiming this year in the comments for a chance to WIN CASH MONEY*!

*By cash money I mean a $50 Visa gift card. Pretty much almost as good.

How it works:

CONTEST IS CLOSED, THANK YOU. CONGRATS TO ALYSSA.

• Leave a comment telling me what you’ll be claiming for the Children’s Art and Fitness Credits this year.
• Tweet and/or share on Facebook the following for one extra entry and make sure you leave another comment telling me you did so:
  I’m getting a Children’s Art and Fitness Tax Credit AND a chance to #win a $50 Visa gift card at http://playgroundconfidential.com/?p=2551 (Canada only).
• Maximum 2 entries per person.
• Contest closes Friday, March 23 at midnight.
• Canada only.

I’ll draw a winner using random.org and contact the winner via email. If I don’t hear a reply within one week, I’ll draw another winner.