Are you 70 or over? Do you use—or are you thinking about using—home-support services to make your life easier and stay in your own home?

If you have expenses for eligible services, you can receive the refundable tax credit for home-support services, even if you have no income tax to pay.

Eligible services include:

• housekeeping;
• grounds maintenance (mowing the lawn, raking leaves, setting up and removing a temporary car shelter, maintaining a pool, etc.);
• snow removal;
• home nursing care (drawing blood and blood tests, injections, taking blood pressure, etc.);
• meal preparation or grocery delivery;
• help with bathing or dressing.

See Eligible Services and Expenses Based on Your Place of Residence for the services eligible for the tax credit and the expenses you can have partially refunded.

Click Seniors to see all the other deductions and credits you can claim.

Two ways to claim the credit

Apply for advance payments

You must apply for advance payments for the current year by December 1. After that date, you must claim the tax credit in your income tax return.

See Applying for Advance Payments of the Tax Credit for Home-Support Services for Seniors for more information.

Claim the credit in your income tax return

Complete Schedule J to claim the tax credit in your income tax return. Be sure to keep your invoices and supporting documents for the services in case we ask to see them.

See Claiming the Tax Credit for Home-Support Services for Seniors to learn more about the credit.