Taxation FAQs

The type of tax slip you can expect to receive depends on the type of income you have received in the year and whether you were a resident of Canada for tax purposes.

1. T5 Statement of Investment Income, Relevé 3

   A T5 slip is issued for investment income earned in excess of $50 by Canadian residents. Investment income includes income from the following sources:

   • Dividends
   • Interest income received and accrued interest earned from cash, GICs, bonds, compound bonds and other debt instruments.
      

   If you are a Quebec resident, you will also receive a Relevé 3 in addition to a T5 slip. If you are a non-resident of Canada, you will only be issued a NR4 slip (refer to the NR4 Statement of Investment Income section).
   

2. T4A, T4RSP, T4RIF, Relevé 1, Relevé 2

   The T4A slip reports amounts paid or deemed to be paid from various types of income. Generally speaking, these may include payments from a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), from a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), and in some circumstances, amounts paid from a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). If you are a resident of Quebec, you will also receive a Relevé 1 for such payments.

   Actual or deemed withdrawals from a Registered Retirement Saving Plan (RRSP) will be reported on a T4RSP slip, while similar withdrawals from a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) will be reported on a T4RIF slip. If you are a resident of Quebec, you will also receive a Relevé 2 for such withdrawals.

3. T5008 Statement of Securities Transactions

   T5008 slips report redemptions, dispositions, or cancellations of securities. In some instances, your year end statement will serve as your T5008.

4. T4FHSA First Home Savings Account Statement, Relevé 32

   T4FHSA Statement reports contributions, withdrawals (including taxable withdrawals and income tax deducted), and transfers in and out of the FHSA. If you are a resident of Quebec, you will also receive a Relevé 32.

5. NR4 Statement of Investment Income

   If you resided in a country other than Canada at any point within the year, a NR4 slip will be issued in respect of income you receive while you were resident outside of Canada.

The tax slips noted below will be mailed out by the end of February of the following year (for example, for the 2023 calendar year, the below tax slips will be mailed out by February 29, 2024):

• T5
• Relevé 3
• T4A
• T4RSP
• T4RIF
• Relevé 1
• Relevé 2
• T5008
• NR4^*
• T4FHSA
• Relevé 32

*CRA requires these to be distributed by 90 days after the Trust’s taxation year end, which results in mailing in March for NR4 slips issued by Trusts.

Please allow 5 business days from the date of mailing for delivery.

For T5 slips, these will be mailed out by the end of February of the following year. For T3 slips, these will be mailed by 90 days after the ScotiaFund’s year end. Please allow 5 business days from the date of mailing for delivery.

 First 60 day contributions made in January will be available by the end of February (i.e. receipts for January 2024 contributions will be available and mailed out in February 2024).

First 60 day contributions made in February will be available by the end of March (i.e. receipts for February 2024 contributions will be available and mailed out in March 2024).

Rest of the year contributions i.e. Contributions made between March 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023 will be available and mailed out in January 2024.

Alternatively, they can also be provided at the time the contribution has been made when these contributions are made at the branch.

Please allow 5 business days for delivery.

Tax documents are mailed to you at the last known address on file.

You can also opt to obtain digital copies of your tax documents electronically via your Scotia OnLine account. See additional information below on electronic tax documents.

You will first need to “opt-in” to receive paperless tax documents. This can be done by making a selection via Scotia online or visiting your Branch.

A selection for paperless tax documents can be made my selecting “paperless” tax record keeping option, under Manage my accounts - Document Delivery – Banking, Borrowing, and Investment Accounts.

The following tax slips will be available digitally on Scotia Online

•  T5, T4 RSP. T4RIF, NR4, Relevé 1, Relevé 2, Relevé 3, RRSP contributions made online and/or of which a receipt is not obtained at the Branch.

The following tax slips / receipts will continue to be mailed to you  

• T5008, Releve 18, T4FHSA, Relevé 32
• RRSP instant contribution receipts that are provided to you at the Branch.

Tax documents will be available on Scotia Online in “tax documents” tab under the communications centre.

You can view, print and download a copy of your tax documents and these will be available for you for a period of seven years.

Duplicate tax receipts/slips can be requested by visiting your branch or by Scotia OnLine through the Communications Centre. If you would like to request the duplicate tax receipt/slip by Scotia OnLine through Communications Centre, please select “Send a Message” and the select the subject as “RRSP GIC and Savings account”. Duplicate tax receipts/slips requested through Scotia OnLine will be mailed to you at the address that appears on the tax receipts/slips.

No. However, you can now choose to receive your tax documents electronically via Scotia online or request a duplicate paper copy of your tax document  through Scotia OnLine’s Communications Centre by selecting “Send a Message” with the subject as  “RRSP GIC and Savings account”. Once your request has been received/reviewed, we will mail you a paper copy of your tax receipt/slip at the address that appears on the tax receipt/slip.

Address changes are made instantaneously and generally would be captured on the tax documents. However, if you have informed us of your change of address during a period where we have already commenced printing of the tax documents (for example, after December) the address change will not be captured on your tax document.

Please note that we will not issue amended tax documents for address changes.

The T4RSP/T4RIF slip will be issued to you in February of the following year in which the actual withdrawal from your plan is made.

Please keep in mind that where withdrawals are requested near the end of December, while the redemption of the mutual funds held within the plan may occur that year, the funds may not leave the plan until the following year. As a result, tax slips for that withdrawal may not be issued to you for the calendar year in which the withdrawal was requested, but instead would be issued to you for the following calendar year, when the funds have actually left your plan.

For instance, if you held mutual funds in your RRSP and requested a withdrawal from your RRSP near the end of December 2022, the settlement date for the redemption of your mutual funds may not occur until early 2023, which is when the funds would leave your plan. As a result, the tax receipt for this withdrawal will be issued for the 2023 year and will not be mailed out until 2024.

Where there is more than one recipient of the investment income, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires only one T5 slip to be issued. The one slip will be issued with the names of both account holders if held by two individuals. Where there are more than 2 account holders for the same account, the T5 slip will be issued with the name of the individual(s) who represent the group of investors.

You will receive a T5 slip providing a breakdown of the total interest income paid to the account in the calendar year. For MomentumPLUS Savings Accounts, the interest income is displayed by Premium Period as below: 

BNS Monthly – Includes Regular Interest plus, if eligible, any campaign Bonus Interest 
90-, 180-, 270, and 360-Day – The combined Regular Interest and Premium Interest earned in each of the Premium Periods

Under the Income Tax Act (Canada), there is no requirement to withhold taxes on the annual minimum payment that is required to be paid out from a RIF. However, any amounts paid in excess of the annual minimum payment are subject to withholding tax.

For withdrawals from a RRSP there is a requirement to withhold taxes (except for amounts withdrawn under the Life-long Learning Plan (LLP) or Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP)). The withholding tax rates for lump-sum payments made out of a RRSP (except those under the LLP or HBP), or lump-sum payments made out of a RRIF in excess of the annual minimum payment for the year, are as follows:

• 10% (19% for Quebec – provincial and federal) on amounts up to and including $5,000
• 20% (24% for Quebec – provincial and federal) on amounts over $5,000 up to and including $15,000
• 30% (29% for Quebec – provincial and federal) on amounts over $15,000.

The annual TFSA limit for 2024 is $7,000 and for 2023 is $6,500. However, a person’s total TFSA contribution room may be impacted by other factors such as their age, whether they have already contributed to a TFSA, their unused TFSA contribution room, withdrawals made in the previous year, or whether a person became a non-resident of Canada in the year, to name a few. We are not aware of all the facts and circumstances that may impact your contribution room and consequently, we suggest you consult your tax advisor or review CRA’s website to ensure you do not over contribute to your TFSA. Overcontributions could have adverse tax consequences.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) no longer reports the TFSA contribution room on your annual Notice of Assessment (NOA). However, you can contact the CRA’s Automated Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS) at 1-800-267-6999 or access CRA’s My Account at https://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/myaccount to find out your TFSA contribution room.

For further information on TFSA contribution room, please also visit https://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/tfsa-celi/cntrbtn-eng.html