Reporting Income – Short-Term Accommodations
As a rule, you are required to report all your income from the rental of an accommodation unit. In most cases, you must report this rental income according to the instructions for line 136 in the guide to the income tax return (TP-1.G-V).
To calculate and report your net income, you must deduct the eligible and reasonable expenses you incurred to earn rental income.
You can generally deduct 100% of the expenses (such as advertisement fees) that are directly related to the rental of the accommodation unit.
You can deduct a portion of the other expenses. If you rent only part of your residence, you can deduct only the expenses related to the part you rent. In addition, your expenses must relate to the period during which you actually sought to rent the accommodation unit.
You rent 40% of your residence on a weekly basis. Your gross rental income for the year is $5,600.
To rent that part of your residence, you spent $250 on advertising and $500 on various supplies (soap, toilet paper, bedding, etc.).
During the year, you also paid $2,000 in property taxes and $1,500 in electricity and heating costs for the entire residence.
| Gross rental income | $5,600 | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising (100%) | - | $250 |
| Various supplies (100%) | - | $500 |
| Property tax ($2,000 X 40%) | - | $800 |
| Electricity and heating ($1,500 X 40%) | - | $600 |
| Net income to report | = | $3,450 |
You rented your cottage for short-term stays 9 months last year. You lived in the cottage the rest of the year.
Your gross rental income for the year is $9,500.
To rent your cottage, you spent $475 on advertising and $750 on various supplies (detergent, pillows, etc.).
During the year, you also did maintenance work on your cottage (roof, window insulation, etc.) that cost $2,500.
In addition, you paid electricity and heating costs totalling $1,800 for the year.
| Gross rental income | $9,500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising (100%) | - | $475 |
| Various supplies (100%) | - | $750 |
| Maintenance and repairs ($2,500 X 9/12) | - | $1,875 |
| Electricity and heating ($1,800 X 9/12) | - | $1,350 |
| Net income to report | = | $5,050 |
For more information on rental income and the deductions to which you may be entitled, see Individuals and Rental Income (IN-100-V).
If you occasionally rent out rooms (for example, during an annual festival), you are not required to include this rental income in your income if:
- the rental period does not exceed 20 days for the year; and
- you receive no other income from room rentals.
Business income
Income earned from renting out an accommodation unit can be considered business income if you devoted considerable time and effort to this business activity. If this is the case, you are considered to be an individual in business and you must report this income according to the instructions for line 164 in the guide to the income tax return (TP-1.G-V).
For more information on business income, see Business and Professional Income (IN-155-V).
You must know the difference between income earned from business activities and income earned from the rental of property because these two types of income are not treated the same for tax purposes. To learn how to distinguish between these two types of income, see Part 2 of Business and Professional Income (IN-155-V).