Last chance saloon for expiring tax credits: File it or lose it.

H&R Block Urges Canadians to Check for Expiring Tax Credits and Dig Deep for Relevant Expense Receipts

Calgary, AB – December 4, 2025 – A number of tax credits have or will soon expire, which means hundreds of thousands of Canadians risk putting money back in their pockets. H&R Block Canada points to the importance of claiming these credits before it’s too late, and urges Canadians that it’s never too early to start preparing for tax filing season. 

“Our advice to all Canadians is start preparing for tax filing season early. Not just for this coming tax season, but to ensure you haven’t missed credits and deductions from past years,” states Yannick Lemay, Tax Expert at H&R Block Canada. “The more time you give yourself to prepare, the easier it is to ensure you navigate the more than 400 tax credits and benefits, understand any that may be being phased out, and dig out old receipts - so you don’t miss out on money that’s yours.”     

What Key Tax Benefits and Credits Are Expiring?

Canada Carbon Rebate: The government will no longer pay this tax rebate after October 2026. For anyone that missed claiming these once quarterly rebates, or those that didn’t file their taxes from prior years, you could miss out on more than $1,000 each year. 

H&R Block Canada urges Canadians to ensure they have claimed any rebates owed from past tax returns, which was available to residents of Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador in the form of four payments each year. 

GST/HST Holiday Tax Break: The federal government temporarily eliminated GST/HST on a wide range of essential products, such as groceries, clothes, footwear, etc., between December 14, 2024, and February 15, 2025. This means that no GST/ HST should have been charged at the point of sale for qualifying items during that time. If you were charged HST/ GST on a qualifying item and weren’t able to get it refunded by the retailer, or the tax was already remitted to the CRA, you can apply for a rebate directly from the CRA.  

2024 Charitable Donation Deadline Extension Expiration: The government extended the deadline for claiming charitable donations on 2024 tax returns. This means that eligible donations made up to February 28, 2025, can be treated as 2024 donations. In some cases, you can claim up to 54% back in your pocket, depending on your province and income level.

Statistics Canada reports that just over five million Canadian tax filers donated nearly $13 billion in charitable donations in 2023. As one of the most commonly missed tax credits, H&R Block Canada encourages all Canadians to ensure they gather all charitable donation receipts in preparation for tax filing. If you’ve missed submitting any receipts over the last 10 years, you can still claim them through a tax return amendment. 

Home Renovation and Accessibility Credits Amendments: While both the Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit (MHRTC) and the Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) are continuing, as part of the federal budget, the government announced that ‘double-dipping’ restrictions will likely come into effect in 2026. This means you won’t be able to claim the same expense under both HATC and MHRTC. The MHRTC is a tax credit calculated on a maximum of $50,000 in eligible expenses per year to create a secondary unit for a senior (65+) or someone with a disability. The HATC is a tax credit that helps cover the cost of renovations up to $10,000 a year to make a home more accessible or easier to live in for a senior aged 65+, or someone with a disability.

Canadians are encouraged to speak with a tax expert to ensure they have claimed any accessibility renovations that they may qualify for using both credits while still allowed under current rules. This applies to this coming tax season and   to prior applicable returns.   

Never too Early to Prepare for Tax Filing Season, and Never too Late to Claim Missed Credits (well, up to 10 years): It can be overwhelming to navigate the hundreds of tax credits and benefits that are constantly shifting, so it’s not surprising that a 2025 survey commissioned by H&R Block Canada revealed that nearly 4 out of 10 Canadians (37%) didn’t feel they had a good understanding of all the tax credits and benefits when filing their taxes. A further 50% had no clue whether they would get a refund or not. Furthermore, nearly 2 out of 3 Canadians (65%) were not aware that you can amend your tax return from the past 10 years to claim benefits, deductions, or credits that you’re entitled to, but missed. When learning about this, nearly 38% said they believe there are amounts they could still claim.  

“Every year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians leave money on the table when they file their taxes,” said Lemay. “Through H&R Block Canada’s Free Second Look program, for nearly half of Canadians that filed a return elsewhere the year prior, we found an average of almost $3,000 in unclaimed credits and benefits. Over a number of years, missed tax credits and deductions can add up to a huge amount of money you miss out on.” 

Visit an H&R Block office near you to speak to a Tax Expert in person, or file online using our tax software. Our Expert Help service is here to support you, and don’t forget to try Free Second Look to see if you’re like one of the thousands of people we’ve found missed credits and benefits for, from previous years.

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About the Survey

These findings are from a survey conducted by H&R Block from February 12-13, 2025, among a representative sample of 1,790 Canadians. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About H&R Block Canada

A trusted partner of Canadians for over 60 years, H&R Block Canada is Canada's tax leader. Serving almost 1,000 locations across Canada, H&R Block's team of Tax Experts use the latest in technological advances combined with real-world expertise to help people file taxes in office, through drop off service, upload their documents remotely, or use do-it-yourself Tax Software. H&R Block Canada can support in the preparation of personal, small business, corporate, U.S., rental, and estate taxes. H&R Block's comprehensive education program, Tax Academy, trains new experts and ensures our Tax Experts continually update their skills. Learn more at www.hrblock.ca or 1-800-HRBLOCK.