How do I claim my dependant’s unused tuition amounts?

In order to claim your dependant’s unused tuition amounts, the dependant has to be either:

  • your or your spouse’s/common-law partner’s child or
  • your or your spouse’s/common-law partner’s grandchild

To find out how much your dependant can transfer to you, you first need to complete your dependant’s tax return. If your dependant doesn’t need all of their 2020 tuition amount to reduce their tax payable, any unused amount can be transferred to you. The maximum amount your dependant can transfer to you is $5,000, federally (provincial amounts might differ).

Make sure that your dependant completes the Transfer section on the back of their T2202 slip or part 3 of their TL11A, or TL11C slip indicating who the recipient of the transfer will be and the federal and provincial amounts being transferred. Both you and your dependant will need to keep a copy of this document with your records.

Notes:

  • Your dependant can only transfer current year tuition amounts to you. Any unused tuition, education, and textbook amounts your dependant has been carrying forward from previous years can only be claimed by them.
  • If your dependant is a Québec resident, they’ll only be able to transfer a provincial amount if they’ve received an RL-8: Amount for post-secondary studies slip.