The Ministère des Finances announced this refundable tax credit to help offset the part of the increase in the cost of living that is not covered by the indexation of the tax system. If you are eligible for it, a non-taxable lump sum will be deposited in your account or paid by cheque.

For more information, see One-Time Cost of Living Tax Credit.

The eligibility requirements are the same as for the solidarity tax credit, which is based on your situation on December 21, 2020. You must meet all the following conditions: 

• You are entitled to the solidarity tax credit for the July 2021 to June 2022 payment period. 
• Your solidarity tax credit payment is greater than $0 for the July 2021 to June 2022 payment period.
• You were not in prison or a similar institution on December 31, 2021.
• You were resident in Québec on December 31, 2021.
• You meet one of the following conditions:
  • You filed your 2020 income tax return by December 31, 2021.
  • On December 31, 2020, you were receiving last-resort financial assistance under the Social Assistance Program, the Social Solidarity Program or the Aim for Employment Program. 

For more information, see One-Time Cost of Living Tax Credit.

When you applied for IPREW benefits, you had to estimate your total income (line 199 of your income tax return minus line 151) for 2020 and meet the eligibility requirements. However, when processing your 2020 income tax return, we found that you were not eligible for IPREW benefits for one of the following reasons:

• Your total income for 2020 was over $28,600.
• You were not resident in Québec on December 31, 2019.

You can arrange to pay in instalments. For information, call 514 787-1812, 418 780-1502 or 1 844 456-3050 (toll-free). Make sure to have your IPREW benefit notice, your social insurance number and a notice of assessment or other document from us.

There are three options:

• Online using your financial institution's online services (if available). Add “Revenu Québec ‒ Payment Code” to your list of bills and enter the payment code from your remittance slip. If you have lost your payment code, call 514 787-1812, 418 780-1502 or 1 844 456-3050 (toll-free).
• In person at a financial institution or ATM. You will need your remittance slip.
• By mail. Using the return envelope we provided, send your remittance slip along with a cheque or money order made payable to the Minister of Revenue of Québec. Write "Remboursement PIRTE" on the cheque or money order.

You will receive an RL-1 slip In the year following your IPREW repayment so you can deduct the repayment on line 246 of your income tax return. For more information, see the instructions for line 246 in the guide to the income tax return (TP-1.G-V).

You can call us at 514 787-1812, 418 780-1502 or 1 844 456-3050 (toll-free). Make sure to have your IPREW benefit notice, your social insurance number and a notice of assessment or other document from us.

To correct your total income, you must amend your return for 2020 using either:

• the online service for making changes to a previous return in My Account;
• form TP-1.R-V, Request for an Adjustment to an Income Tax Return.

No. We stopped accepting applications when the program ended in mid-November 2020.

For individuals, the deadline for filing your income tax return for 2021 is April 30, 2022.

For individuals in business, the deadline for filing your income tax return for 2021 is June 15, 2022.

For individuals and individuals in business, the deadline for paying an income tax balance for 2021 is April 30, 2022.

If you expect to receive a refund, you should file your return right away to get it as soon as possible.

Although the time it takes can vary, we aim to process your return within 14 days if it is filed online. 

You can track the status of your return in My Account for individuals or using the Refund Info-Line service.

You will not be reimbursed for these expenses, unless you and your employer had an agreement to that effect. In that case, your employer—and not Revenu Québec—will reimburse you.

However, when you file your 2021 income tax return, you may be entitled to a deduction for the teleworking expenses you incurred in 2021 because of COVID-19. These expenses will reduce your taxable income.

If you meet the conditions below, you can use one of the methods described under “How do I deduct teleworking-related employment expenses?” below to deduct, in your income tax return for 2021, some of the expenses you incurred in 2021.

• You paid your own expenses.
• You worked from home over 50% of the time for at least one month (four weeks without interruption) because of COVID-19.
• Your employer did not or will not reimburse you for the expenses.

You will be able to deduct these employment expenses in your 2021 income tax return.

The most common teleworking expenses are listed below.

Deductible expenses

You can deduct the following expenses:

• paper, pencils, ink cartridges, staples, paperclips, envelopes and pens;
• postage fees;
• the portion of an Internet service package that is reasonably attributable to the performance of your work;
• work-related long-distance calls;  
• cellphone calls (including mobile plan fees or prepaid airtime fees, provided they are calculated in proportion to your use of the phone for work);
• heating, electricity, cleaning products, lightbulbs and minor repairs;
• the portion of public utilities expenses included in your condo fees, if applicable;
• a reasonable part of your rent related to the home office space.

Non-deductible expenses

You cannot deduct the following expenses:

• office furniture (desk, chair, etc.);
• office equipment (printer, fax machine, briefcase, laptop case or bag, calculator, etc.);
• the purchase of a cellphone, computer, laptop, tablet, fax machine, etc.);
• computer accessories (monitor, mouse, keyboard, headset, microphone, speakers, webcam, router, etc.);
• the rental value of the home office, if you own your home;
• monthly landline telephone expenses;
• cellphone licencing or activation fees;
• other electronics (television, smart speakers, digital assistant, etc.);
• insurance premiums, taxes and property taxes related to your office, unless you are an employee paid by commission;
• capital cost allowance;
• mortgage interest;
• mortgage capital payments;
• capital expenditures (replacement of windows, floors, furnace, etc.).

Calculating eligible home office expenses

Whether you own or rent the dwelling where your home office space is, you must use a reasonable basis for calculating office space expenses. For example, you could use the proportion of the office space's surface area versus your home's total surface area.

You must also take other possible uses of the home office space into account, such as your personal or business use of the space, or its use for other employment.

For example, if the office space accounts for 25% of your home's total surface area and you use the office space 80% of the time for employment activities, you can deduct the following:

• 20% (25% x 80%) of the expenses related to your office space, and
• 20% of your rent (if you rent your home).

If the office space is used for employment activities 100% of the time, you can use only its surface area to determine the portion of expenses to deduct (25% in the example given above). This percentage applies to both the supplies used for employment activities and, if you rent your home, the amount of rent you can deduct.

Methods for claiming the deduction

If you are an employee who teleworked in 2021 because of COVID-19, you can use one of the following two methods to claim a deduction for employment expenses: 

• the temporary fixed rate method;
• the detailed method.

The temporary fixed rate method lets you deduct $2 from your income for each day you teleworked at home (do not take into account holidays, sick days and vacation) up to a maximum of $500 for the year. If you use the detailed method, you must calculate all your eligible expenses.

If you use the temporary fixed rate method, complete only Part 1 and Part 2 of form TP-59.S-V, Expenses Related to Working Remotely Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and enclose it with your income tax return. Your employer does not have to complete form TP-64.3-V, General Employment Conditions, for you, and you do not have to keep supporting documents.

If you use the detailed method, enclose the following forms with your income tax return:  

• Expenses Related to Working Remotely Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic (form TP-59.S-V) (complete Part 1 and Part 3);
• General Employment Conditions (form TP-64.3-V), completed and signed by your employer.

If you incurred other types of employment expenses, do not use form TP-59.S-V. Use form TP-59-V, Employment Expenses of Salaried Employees and Employees Who Earn Commissions.  

If you are an employee who teleworked in 2021 because of COVID-19, you can use one of the following two methods to claim a deduction for employment expenses: 

• the temporary fixed rate method;
• the detailed method.

See the examples below to determine which method is best for you.

You can also use the calculator published by the Ministère des Finances to help decide which method is best for you.

Example of the temporary fixed rate method and the detailed method for a homeowner

Julie is a salaried employee who has been teleworking since April 1, 2021, because of COVID-19. She had to incur some expenses that her employer will not reimburse. She had to change her Internet package, which now costs $100 per month, and she bought $60 worth of office supplies (pencils, paper and ink). She also bought $3,000 worth of furniture (a desk and an ergonomic chair) and office equipment (printer, calculator and stapler).

She calculated that her office takes up 10% of her home. The space is used for work 100% of the time. Her electricity bill is $200 per month. Her mortgage payments (capital and interest), property taxes and school taxes total $2,400 per month.

Julie must make the calculations below to decide which method to use. She worked from home for 180 days from April 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, excluding statutory holidays and summer vacation.

1. We consider that a reasonable method to identify the deductible part of a home Internet plan is to treat it as a supply (such as electricity) used for the home office.

Julie's furniture, office equipment, mortgage payments (capital and interest), property taxes and school taxes are excluded from the calculation because they are not deductible.

Example of the temporary fixed rate method and the detailed method for a tenant

Audrey rents an apartment for $800 per month, with heating and electricity included. She worked from home for 160 days from April 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, excluding statutory holidays and summer vacation.

Audrey's office takes up only 5% of her apartment. The space is used for work 100% of the time. Audrey paid $80 for paper, paperclips and pencils. She kept her Internet package, which has cost her $1,200 since she began teleworking on April 1, 2021.

Audrey must make the calculations below to decide which method to use.

1. We consider that a reasonable method to identify the deductible part of a home Internet plan is to treat it as a supply (such as electricity) used for the home office.

Yes. Each employee who meets the conditions can use one of the two methods below to calculate their deduction for employment expenses.

• Temporary fixed rate method: Each employee claims $2 for each day worked.
• Detailed method: Each employee claims the teleworking expenses they incurred based on the percentage of the home's total area covered by the office space.

Example – A dedicated work space is shared

Patty and Alex worked from home because of the COVID-19 crisis and shared a dedicated office space they used only for work. The office represents 12% of their home's total area. Each person used half of the office space.

They must calculate their expenses as follows:

Patty:
12% x 50% x 100 = 6%

Alex:
12% x 50% x 100 = 6%

Patty and Alex can therefore each claim 6% of their respective home office expenses.

Since the office is a dedicated work space, they do not have to take the number of hours they worked into account.

Example – A common space is shared for work

Chloe and Jason worked from the dining room table because of the COVID-19 crisis. The room represents 12% of their home's total area. Each person used half of the space. Chloe worked there 40 hours per week and Jason worked there 25 hours per week. There are 168 hours in a week (24 hours x 7 days).

They must calculate their expenses as follows:

Chloe:
(40 hours / 168 hours) x 6% x 100 = 1.4%

Jason:
(25 hours / 168 hours) x 6% x 100 = 0.9%

Chloe and Jason can therefore respectively claim 1.4% and 0.9% of their home office expenses.

On March 17, 2020, we notified financial institutions that Revenu Québec had granted a release of garnishments on current bank accounts for tax debt so that everyone could get the government assistance they were entitled to (such as the federal Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Québec's Incentive Program to Retain Essential Workers (IPREW)).

Given the evolving situation, we gradually began applying recovery measures on October 5, 2020, while respecting the relief measures still in effect. Consequently, as of that date, we can once again send financial institutions seizure by garnishment notices for Québec tax debts.

Requirements to pay (GST debts) are still suspended until further notice. However, the recovery of GST debts resumed on February 15, 2021, and is covered by relief measures such as those for Québec tax debts. Consequently, we may once again send financial institutions requirements to pay for GST debts.

For information specific to your situation, call us at 1 866 832-6816.

Scammers are taking advantage of the current COVID-19 crisis to contact you in various ways to obtain personal information.

The phishing fraud technique is used by ill-intentioned people who send mass emails or texts that seem to come from a known organization or business. The fraudulent emails or texts encourage you to click on links or to open attachments, allowing the scammers to steal your personal information. Phishing may also involve installing malicious software on your electronic devices, such as your computer, laptop, tablet or cellphone.

Typical examples of emails or texts that may be sent during the current COVID-19 crisis are:

• “If you'd like the latest COVID-19 pandemic update, click here.”
• “To receive the COVID-19 related benefit, click here.”

Be on your guard, as the consequences of responding to a fraudulent message can be significant, ranging from unauthorized use of your confidential information to theft of your information or identity. The access or theft is used to commit fraud.

To learn more about protecting yourself against these scams, see Data Security. Remember to always use caution online.

If you believe that you have been the victim of identity theft or a scam, contact us so that we can put additional measures in place to protect your personal information.

For more information about what to do if you have been scammed or your identity has been stolen, see Identity Theft in Brief! on the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec website.

Yes. Revenu Québec had temporarily stopped using payments to pay debts to the MTESS for people who receive social assistance benefits. This ended on July 31, 2021. Effective August 1, 2021, Revenu Québec can once again use your solidarity tax credit payments or your income tax refund to pay your debt to the MTESS. However, if you receive social assistance benefits from the MTESS or the family income used to calculate your solidarity tax credit is less than $21,470, Revenu Québec will only use up to 50% of your solidarity tax credit payments to pay your debt to the MTESS and other debts (tax debt, amounts owed to another government department, support debt, etc.).

Yes. Revenu Québec can use your solidarity tax payments or your income tax refund to pay amounts you owe, such as tax debts, amounts owed to other government departments and your support debt. However, if you receive social assistance benefits from the MTESS or the family income used to calculate your solidarity tax credit is less than $21,470, Revenu Québec will only use up to 50% of your solidarity tax credit payments to pay your debt (including the money you owe the MTESS).

To help in the fight against COVID-19, we have closed our service centres indefinitely. You can, however, continue to drop documents off in our mail chutes and use our online services in My Account for individuals and My Account for businesses. To find out how to reach our client services, click Contact Us.

You can use My Account for individuals to do a number of things, such as change the information for your advance payments of the tax credit for childcare expenses or view your notices of assessment.