“In Canada, your marital or common-law status and the number of children you have can significantly impact the tax credits, benefits and deductions that you can claim,” said
Romance aside, many Canadians think being a couple comes with affordability and tax advantages: Over half of Canadians (57%) believe married or common law couples get more tax advantages than single Canadians, with 63% saying there should be more tax breaks for single Canadians who don’t get to share expenses with a partner. Overall, 80% say life is more affordable when you’re a couple versus single.
Over a quarter of Canadians would leave their partner if they won the lottery: When it comes to long-term relationship commitments, 73% of Canadians believe many people stay together in marriage or in common law relationships for financial reasons. Over a quarter of Canadians (27%) say if they won the lottery and had a partner, they’d likely split up with their partner.
Children considered a key sticking point for couples: Four in ten Canadian (40%) say marriage is mainly about practicalities if you’re planning to have, or do have, children. This view is higher among Canadians who identify as male (at 45%) versus female (36%). In addition, 83% believe that couples often stay together for the sake of their children.
Nearly one in four Canadians would embrace a 5-year commitment renewal over marriage: Nearly one in four Canadians (23%) like the idea of having a five-year relationship commitment, choosing whether or not you want to renew every five years instead of a lifelong marriage commitment.
Majority of Canadians willing to sign a pre-nup: A majority of Canadians (62%) say they would be happy to sign a prenuptial agreement if their partner was wealthier or had a much higher income than them compared to 25% who disagree.
Mixed level of understanding around tax implications of being single versus in a relationship: Canadians report having a mixed understanding of the tax implications for single versus married or common law partners, with 46% saying they have a strong understanding versus 42% who don’t have a strong understanding.
H&R Block Canada Points to Key Tax Considerations Impacted by Relationship Status:
- Basic Personal Amount (BPA) and Spousal Tax Credit: This is a tax credit that enables every Canadian to earn up to
$16,129 tax-free in 2025. If you’re married or in a common-law relationship, if one partner earns less than the BPA amount the other partner can use the difference to lower their income tax amount by claiming the Spousal Tax Credit. - Transferring Tax Credits: Married or common-law couples can transfer certain tax credits from one spouse to another if they don’t utilize the full credit, such as caregiver amounts, pension income amounts, age amount, and disability and tuition amounts.
- Spousal RRSP contribution: Contributions to Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) allow for income splitting, enabling a higher earner to contribute to an RRSP for a lower-income spouse who hasn’t maxed out their contribution in that tax year.
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST Credit): A quarterly credit payment based on household income for couples or sole income for single Canadians to help offset the cost of sales tax. Payments are up to $679 for single adults, and up to $1,358 for a family of four, but can only be received with a current tax return.
Canada Workers Benefit (CWB): A refundable tax credit for modest-income individuals and families based on adjusted family net income, for up to $1,633 for single Canadians and$2,813 for families, and supplement of up to$843 for people with a disability. Amounts vary inAlberta ,Nunavut , and Quebec.- Canada Child Benefit: This is a tax-free monthly payment from the federal government - only available to those caught up on their tax returns - to assist with the costs of raising a child based on household income, the number of children in the home, and if they qualify for the Child Disability Benefit. For the
July 2025 – June 2026 time period, the maximum annual benefits are$7,997 per child under 6, and$6,748 per child aged 6–17. Where there is shared custody the amount is split between parents. - Canada Care Expenses based on spouse with lowest income: Childcare deductions are generally based on the income of the lower-earning spouse or income of a single parent. Eligible childcare expenses like daycare, day camps, nursery schools, and nannies reduce taxable income, with maximum deductions of
$8,000 per child under age 7,$5,000 per child aged 7-16, and$11,000 for eligible children with disabilities for 2025 tax filing. - Canadian Dental Care Plan: Coverage?is calculated based on?household?income,?so a partner or spouse’s income may affect eligibility as it operates on a sliding scale based on adjusted net income of less than
$90,000 . - Amount for a Person Living Alone: In
Quebec , individuals may qualify for a tax credit if they lived alone for the entire year, if they lived only with people under 18, or lived only with full-time students. The tax credit can be up to$2,128 .
Differences between filing taxes as “single,” “married,” “separated,” or “common law”: Couples are?considered “common-law” if they live with a conjugal partner for 12 consecutive months?or earlier if they have a child together.?No matter the marital status, everyone needs to file an individual personal tax return.?
When to notify the CRA of a change in marital status: The CRA considers a couple to be legally separated after?90 days?of living apart. If marital status changes during the year, especially for those with children, it’s important to notify the CRA without delay to receive the correct amount of the Canada Child Benefit.?
“While there aren’t any specific tax credits or benefits for single Canadians, it does mean you could receive the full amounts for a number of tax credits and benefits rather than splitting amounts with a partner. It also means that, for benefits and credits that are based on household income, you often receive a higher amount given it’s evaluated based on one rather than two incomes,” said
About the survey
These findings are from a survey conducted by
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