Important: Starting 2017, the Manitoba tuition fee income tax rebate is being phased out, with the maximum rebate amount for 2017 reduced to $500. For 2018 and subsequent tax years, this tax credit will be eliminated and any unused credit amounts will expire.
The Manitoba Tuition Fee Income Tax Rebate is a non-refundable tax credit designed to help recent graduates pay for their education while they live and work in Manitoba. If you’re a recent graduate and you work and pay taxes in Manitoba, you can receive a rebate of up to 60% on all your eligible tuition fees (up to a lifetime maximum of $25,000)!
You can claim this credit if:
- You were a resident of Manitoba on December 31
- You completed your program of study and graduated after December 31, 2006 and
- You didn’t claim your tuition fees in a previous year
Note: It doesn’t matter if you completed your post-secondary studies in Manitoba or elsewhere; if you currently live and work in Manitoba and you’ve met the conditions above, you can claim this credit.
If you carried forward any unused rebate amounts after your initial claim in a previous year, be sure to claim these amounts on your 2017 tax return. Once the tax credit is eliminated in 2018, all unused credit amounts will expire.
How much is the rebate worth?
The annual rebate amount that you receive will be the lesser of:
- 10% of your total tuition amount
- Your Manitoba tax payable or
- $500 for 2017 ($2,500 for 2016 and prior years)
Can I take advantage of this rebate while I’m still in school?
Prior to 2017, you could claim 5% of the tuition fee rebate while you were still in school. However, for school terms starting April 2017, the tuition fees income tax rebate advance has been eliminated. As a Manitoba student, you can still claim the education amount and the tax credit on eligible tuition and ancillary fees.
Note: The federal education amount tax credit is no longer available but you can still claim the federal tuition tax credit.
Where do I claim this?
Follow these steps in H&R Block’s 2017 tax software:
Before you begin, make sure you told us that you lived in Manitoba on December 31, 2017.
- On the PREPARE tab, click the IN THIS SECTION icon.
- Under Unused tuition amounts you carried forward from a previous year, interest paid on a student loan, and money received for school (a scholarship, grant, etc.) click the Add This button.
- Click the STUDENTS icon. You will find yourself here:
- Under the CREDIT AMOUNTS heading, select the checkbox labelled Manitoba tuition fee income tax rebate (T1005), then click Continue.
- When you arrive at the page for the Manitoba tuition fee income tax rebate, enter your information into the tax software.
