Important: Beginning January 1, 2017, the education and textbook tax credits have been discontinued (students will still be able to claim the tuition tax credit). If you’ve got unused education and textbook credits from years prior to 2017,  you’ll still be able to claim them or carry forward these amounts for use on future returns. Refer to the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) website for more information regarding these changes. 

If you attended a university outside of Canada, the TL11A certificate you receive from the university certifies your eligibility for the Canadian tuition tax credit, which is claimable on your Schedule 11 (and Schedule T, if you’re a Québec resident).

To qualify for the tuition tax credit, you must have paid at least $100 in school fees, and attended university full-time (3 consecutive weeks for each course as of 2011) while studying for your bachelor’s degree or an equivalent level. As you enter your information into the tax software from your TL11A, make sure that the total time you studied part-time and full-time doesn’t equal more than 12 months.

Note: H&R Block’s tax software automatically claims the tuition tax credit for you based on the information you entered on the TL11A page in the software.

If you don’t need the full tuition tax credit amount to reduce your tax payable this year, you can carry forward the rest to use in a future year or transfer it to a family member. You can transfer any unused tuition amount to your spouse, parent or grandparent, or your spouse’s parent or grandparent. You’ll only be able to do this, however, for credits you earned this year (transfers of a previous year’s tuition, education, and textbook amounts aren’t allowed).

Note: You might receive a tax certificate other than a TL11A if you commuted to an American university or if you’re a deemed resident of Canada. If you commuted to a university in the U.S., you’ll receive a TL11C certificate. Enter your TL11C in the same manner as listed in the Where do I claim this? section below. If you’re a deemed resident of Canada and attended a university outside of the country, you’ll receive a TL11D. Unfortunately, as a deemed resident you won’t be able to file your return using H&R Block’s tax software; instead, you’ll need to download and file a return that applies to your situation.