Release Notes
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Version Presentation
Cantax FormMaster is one of the most complete electronic libraries of income tax forms in Canada.
The Gold version includes over 375 tax forms and slips, while the Regular version contains more than 175.
To view the content of your version, access the Forms view of the program by selecting Goto/Forms. A list of the forms included in each version is also available in PDF format. You can consult this list on the Cantax FormMaster Professional Centre, under the “Documentation” section, or on the Cantax Web site at https://wolterskluwer.ca/products/cantax#formmaster.
Installation and Versions
Before installing the program, please read the Installation Procedures which are included with the software package and that are also available in the Installation Procedures Help topic.
Based on the activation key you have entered when installing the program, you will have access to the Gold
Carrying Forward Preparer Profiles
Once your preparer profiles from last year are
Forms and Slips Coverage
The slips, RL slips and summaries included in Cantax FormMaster 2020 normally apply to the 2020 taxation year. You can nonetheless use them if you need to file a slip for the 2021 taxation year before the 2021 versions of the slips are made available by government authorities.
Individual forms can be used until they are updated by the CRA or RQ. Note that the Cantax Direct e-Bulletin notifies you each time an updated or new form is made available in a program update.
Opening Files and Carrying Files Forward
Files with the .T20 extension
Files with an extension other than .T20
Carrying forward files
To
Cantax FormMaster 2020 allows you to
Cantax FormMaster 2020 also allows you to
Furthermore, Cantax FormMaster 2020 allows you to
Attached notes
Note that the attached notes are
Electronic Filing
Cantax FormMaster enables you to electronically transmit data from the T3 return, the T5013 return and the following slips:
|
Slip |
Version |
|
|
Regular |
Gold |
|
|
NR4 |
X |
X |
|
T3 |
X |
X |
|
T4 |
X |
X |
|
T4A |
X |
X |
|
T4A-NR |
X |
X |
|
T4RIF |
X |
X |
|
T4RSP |
X |
X |
|
T5 |
X |
X |
|
T2202 |
X |
X |
|
T5008 |
X |
X |
|
T5013 |
X |
X |
|
T5018 |
X |
X |
|
RRSP |
X |
|
|
RL-1 T4 |
X |
X |
|
RL-1 T4A |
X |
X |
|
RL-1 T4ANR |
X |
X |
|
RL-2 RIF |
X |
X |
|
RL-2 RSP |
X |
X |
|
RL-2 T4A |
X |
X |
|
RL-3 |
X |
X |
|
RL-8 |
X |
X |
|
RL-11 |
X |
X |
|
RL-15 |
X |
X |
|
RL-18 |
X |
X |
|
RL-25 |
X |
X |
|
RL-31 |
X |
X |
Specialized Returns
The returns listed below can also be filed electronically.
|
Return |
Version |
|
|
|
Gold |
|
|
T3D |
X |
|
|
T3GR |
X |
X |
|
T3M |
X |
|
|
T3P |
X |
X |
|
T3RI |
|
X |
|
T3S |
|
X |
|
T1061 |
X |
|
|
T2000 |
X |
|
Government requirements
At the federal level and in Québec, any filer filing more than 50 information slips of a same type must file the data electronically by Internet. Below that threshold, paper filing is accepted.
Taxation years covered
Revenu Québec only accepts electronic transmissions of the RL slips for the 2020 and 2021 taxation years. The CRA does not impose restrictions about the taxation year that can be processed.
Important dates for Internet transmission
Cantax FormMaster 2020 complies with the latest Internet transmission requirements issued by government agencies. Files generated with Cantax FormMaster 2020 can therefore be electronically transmitted:
- To the CRA, starting on January 11, 2021, (date on which the CRA reopens its Internet transmission service, which will be closed on December 22, 2020, for update purposes);
- To Revenu Québec, without any delay (as Revenu Québec’s Internet transmission service has been updated on November 9, 2020).
Creation of the .XML file to transmit
Please note that it is not possible to include multiple files when creating the .XML file that is transmitted to tax authorities. Each .XML file created with Cantax FormMaster can include only one file (one T slip or RL slip issuer).
CRA’s Web Access Code
If you already have a Web access code, you can use it to file your information returns for 2020 and subsequent years.
Version 1.1 Content
Updates and Additions
To review the updates and additions contained in version 1.1 of Cantax FormMaster 2020, consult the Updates and Additions table.
Version 1.1 – Comments and Details
T4RIF/RL-2 Data entry screen, Income from an RRIF (Jump Code: T4RIF)
T4RIF slip, Statement of Income from a Registered Retirement Income Fund (Jump Code: T4RIFSUPP)
T4RIF Summary, T4RIF Summary (Jump Code: T4RIFSUM)
Box 37, Advanced life deferred annuity purchase has been added for the filing of the T4RIF Summary and slip for the 2020 and subsequent taxation years.
T4RSP/RL-2 Data entry screen, Income from an RRSP (Jump Code: T4RSP)
T4RSP slip, Statement of Income from a Registered Retirement Saving Plan (Jump Code: T4RSPSUPP)
T4RSP Summary, T4RSP Summary (Jump Code: T4RSPSUM)
Box 37, Advanced life deferred annuity purchase has been added for the filing of the T4RSP Summary and slip for the 2020 and subsequent taxation years.
T2200, Declaration of Conditions of Employment and T2200S, Declaration of Conditions of Employment for Working at Home Due to COVID-19 (Jump Code: T2200)
This year, two versions of the form are available, i.e. the long version (T2200), and the short version (T2200S). When opening the T2200 form, the two versions of the form will be presented one after the other. However, two options have been added at the top of the form to allow you to display only the desired version. Note that the short version should only be used for employees who worked from home in 2020 due to COVID 19.
T5013 Schedule 12, Resource-Related Deductions (Jump Code: T5013S12)
As a result of another update, Part 5 - Recapture of earned depletion has been added again.
Version 1.0 Content
Updates and Additions
To review the updates and additions contained in version 1.0 of Cantax FormMaster 2020, consult the Updates and Additions table.
Version 1.0 – Comments and Details
E-Signature
The E-signature functionality was added to forms that can be electronically signed in Cantax FormMaster. For the complete list of forms that can be electronically signed, consult the article Digital Signature – Supported Forms.
LE-34.1.12-V, Reduction of the Contribution to the Health Services Fund: Creation of Specialized Jobs (Jump Code: LE34112)
Line 11, Portion of the salary or wages entered on line 10 that was used to calculate the health services fund contribution for an employee on paid leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been added to Part 2, Eligible salaries or wages of this form.
NR4, Amounts Paid to Non-residents (Jump Code: NR4)
According to the EFILE requirements of this form, the amounts in boxes 16 and 26, Gross income as well as boxes 17 and 27, Non-resident tax withheld, cannot exceed 11 numeric characters, i.e., $999,999,999.99. Therefore, an EFILE diagnostic has been added to this form to remind you to break down this amount between more than one slip.
In addition, the CRA has added an income code that can be selected in boxes 14 and 24, i.e., code 85, Dividend compensation payments made under a Securities Lending Arrangement (SLA).
T3BC, British Colombia Tax (Jump Code: T3BC)
As result of an update, Form T3BC underwent a significant number of changes. First, the Graduated Rate Estate (GRE) or Qualified Disability Trusts (QDT) and Trust other than GRE and QDT subsections have been added to the Step 2 - Donations and gifts tax credit section. An additional row has been added for SITPs and FAPHs to calculate the tax credit for donation. This allows for donations qualifying for a 16.8% credit to be presented separately as they are not eligible for the 20.5% tax credit. Second, lines 27, Total British Colombia political contributions, and 28, Allowable political contribution tax credit, and the corresponding table have been deleted as this credit has been withdrawn. As a result of these changes, several lines of the form have been renumbered.
If you completed this form using a prior version of Cantax FormMaster, we strongly suggest that you review the entire form before submitting it.
T3 Schedule 11A, Donations and Gifts Tax Credit Calculation (Jump Code: T3SCH11A)
We added a new option to indicate that the gift was made after the 36-month period but within 60 months after the date of death by a former GRE that continues to meet all of the requirements of a GRE except for the 36-month time limit.
T3 APP, Application for Trust Account Number (Jump Code: T3APP)
As result of an update, Form T3APP underwent a significant number of changes. For example, the Trust Information section has been revamped and some of the information it contained has been moved to three new sections, i.e. Step 2 – Primary trustee contact information, Step 3 – Address and Step 4 – Mailing address. In addition, this form now allows you to request an authorization for a representative at the same time as an application for an account number. To do so, complete the new Section Step 5 – Representative contact information of Form T3APP instead of completing Form AUT-01 (Jump Code: AUT01).
If you completed this form using a prior version of Cantax FormMaster, we strongly suggest that you review the entire form before submitting it.
T4/RL-1, Employment Income (Jump Code: T4)
As result of an update, four new codes have been added to the drop-down lists of lines Other information in the Information to report – Other section:
- 57, Employment Income – March 15 to May 9;
- 58, Employment Income – May 10 to July 4;
- 59, Employment Income – July 5 to August 29;
- 60, Employment Income – August 30 to September 26.
These codes should be used to report employment income and retroactive payments made during pay periods that were concurrent with COVID-19 benefits. The amounts that will be reported using these codes are also included in the amount on line 14, Total employment income. This will allow the CRA to validate payments for the Canada Emergence Wage Subsidy (CEWS), the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).
T4A, Pension and Other Income (Jump Code: T4A)
Box 037, Advanced life deferred annuity purchase has been added to the form. In addition, boxes 142, Indian (exempt income) - Eligible retirement allowances and 143, Indian (exempt income) – Non-eligible retirement allowances have been removed.
T5013/RL-15, Partnership Income
The following amounts and information codes have been deleted as they are no longer required to file T5013 slips for the 2020 taxation year:
- Code 177, Recapture of earned depletion;
- Code 208, Eligible amount of medical gifts.
In addition, the following amounts and information codes have been added to file T5013 slips for the 2020 taxation year:
- Code 226, Repaid assistance (for Canadian exploration expenses);
- Code 227, Repaid assistance (for Canadian development expenses);
- Code 228, Repaid assistance (for Canadian oil and gas property expenses);
- Code 229, Amount receivable for CEE property or CEE unitized oil and gas field;
- Code 230, Amount receivable for CDE property or CDE unitized oil and gas field;
- Code 231, Amount receivable for CCOGPE unitized oil and gas field;
- Code 232, Proceeds of disposition (for Canadian development expenses);
- Code 233, Proceeds of disposition (for Canadian oil and gas property expenses);
- Code 234, Accelerated Canadian development expenses;
- Code 235, Accelerated Canadian oil and gas property expenses;
- Code 236 Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit.
T5013 Schedule 8, Partnership’s capital cost allowance schedule (jump code: T5013S8)
T776, Statement of Real Estate Rentals (Jump Code: T776)
T2042, Statement of Farming Activities (Jump Code: T2042)
T2121, Statement of Fishing Activities (Jump Code: T2121)
T2125, Statement of Business or Professional Activities (Jump Code: T2125)
TP-80, Business or Professional Income and Expenses (Jump Code: TP80)
TP-128, Income and Expenses Respecting the Rental of Immovable Property (Jump Code: TP128)
The new CCA class 56 has been added for properties acquired after March 1, 2020, and available for use before 2028, that are zero-emission automotive equipment and vehicles that currently do not benefit from the accelerated rate provided by classes 54 and 55. Like these two CCA classes, class 56 benefits from a temporary enhanced first-year CCA rate of 100% for eligible property available for use before 2023.
T1134, Information Return Relating to Controlled and Not-Controlled Foreign Affiliates (Jump Code: T1134)
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) published a new version of Form T1134, which must be used for taxation years starting after 2020. Therefore, the previous version of the form must be used for T1134 forms prepared for taxation years starting prior to 2021.
Note that only the previous version of Form T1134 will be available in version 2020.1.0 of Cantax FormMaster. To that end, a note has been added at the top of the form when the taxation year is starting in 2021. The new version of the form will be integrated in a future version of Cantax FormMaster.
T2200S, Declaration of Conditions of Employment for Working at Home During COVID-19 (Jump Code: T2200S)
Form T2200S had not yet been received at the time this version of the program was released. Therefore, it will be available in the next version, which is scheduled to be released during the first week of February.
Important: T5013, Partnership Information Return and schedules
At the time of release, we still have not received a response from the CRA concerning the paper approval and XML certification for the partnership information return form. As a result, the T5013 return and schedules are up to date, but cannot be used for paper or electronic filing.
The T5013 return and schedules will be available for paper and electronic filing in the next version.
T5013 Schedule 2, Charitable Donations, Gifts, and Political Contributions (Jump Code: T5013S2)
As result of an update, Part 6 – Gifts of medicine has been deleted.
T5013 Schedule 12, Resource-Related Deductions (Jump Code: T5013S12)
As a result of an update, Form T5013 Schedule 12 underwent some changes, for example, Part 5 Recapture of earned depletion has been deleted. In addition, several lines have been added to Parts 1 to 4, in particular line Repaid assistance, which has been added to all parts.
If this form has been prepared using a prior version of Cantax FormMaster, we strongly suggest that you review the entire form before submitting it.
T5013 Schedule 58, Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit (Jump Code: T5013S58)
This new schedule is used to calculate the refundable labour tax credit at a rate of 25% of qualifying labour expenditures incurred in a taxation year, after December 31, 2018, by a qualifying journalism organization in respect of an eligible newsroom employee. This tax credit is subject to an annual threshold of $55,000 per eligible newsroom employee. The amount on line 140 is allocated to eligible partners of the partnership in box 236 of Form T5013/RL-15, Partnership Income (Jump Code: T5013).
Future Updates
During 2021, Cantax FormMaster 2020 will be the subject of several form updates which you will be able to download from the Internet or obtain on CD-ROM. The following table provides you with an overview of the delivery methods for this version and future updates. Note that commencing with version 2020 of Cantax FormMaster, five versions of the program will be released each year.
|
Version |
Release |
Download |
CD-ROM |
|
Version 1.0 |
December 2020 |
Gold Regular |
Gold Regular |
|
Version 2.0 |
February 2021 |
Gold Regular |
|
|
Version 3.0 |
March 2021 |
Gold Regular |
Gold Regular |
|
Version 4.0 |
May 2021 |
Gold Regular |
|
|
Version 5.0 |
July 2021 |
Gold Regular |
Gold |
Each time a new version or update becomes available for download, a notification is shown on the Professional Centre. You then have two options:
- You can access the downloadable products directly from the Cantax FormMasterProfessional Centre. To benefit from this option, enter your user name and password in the Professional Centre panel in the “Electronic Services” section of the Options and Settings dialog box.
- You can access the Cantax FormMaster downloads page from the
Please note that you are not required to install one of the previous versions of Cantax FormMaster 2020 to be able to install updates and subsequent versions. Also, when launching the installation, any prior version will be detected, if appropriate. With a prior version installed, updating Cantax FormMaster will be performed more rapidly.
Note: By subscribing to Cantax Direct/Cantax FormMaster, you will be informed each time a program update is available and downloadable.
Technical Information
Technical Changes
Addition of Tax Return information in the Open dialog box
The following information can now be reviewed in the Open dialog box when the return of a taxpayer is selected:
- Client ID;
- Return Status;
- Taxation Year End;
- Eligibility for the electronic transmission T4, T5, RL-1, RL-3, RL15, T3P.
Print to PDF – View the content of an attached file
You can now view the content of a PDF file when it is attached to a return and that return is printed to PDF. To do so, when printing to PDF, make sure to select a print format in which you can print Form All PDF files attached to the return - PDF printing only (Jump Code: PDF). A bookmark with the name of the attached file will be created in the Adobe viewer and its content will be displayed at the end of the return.
Printing T2200 slips to separate PDF files
The T2200 slip can now be printed with the Print Slips functionality. To do so, click File > Print Slips. The Print Slips dialog box opens. In the Slip drop-down list of the Slip selection section, select the T2200 slip and click OK.
This addition allows you, in particular, to save the T2200 slips in separate PDF files. To do so, select the check box Create separate PDF files for each recipient in the section Print/PDF Files of the Options and Settings dialog box.
Where to Find Help
If you have any questions regarding the installation or use of the program, there are several options for getting help. Access the Professional Centre or the Knowledge Base for tips and useful information on how to use the program. If you are in the program and need help, press F1 to get help on a specific topic.
Information by E-mail
Please note that you can receive information about Cantax FormMaster and other Cantax products by subscribing to Cantax Direct, a free automatic e-mail announcement service.
To subscribe to this service, visit https://support.wolterskluwer.ca/en/ and, in the Newsletter tab, select Subscription Manager.
How to Reach Us
Customer Service:
cservice@wolterskluwer.com
Tax and Technical support:
csupport@wolterskluwer.com
Telephone
1-800-268-4522