Tax Credits and Benefits for Seniors: Part 1

Bankruptcy PeopleTax Credits and Benefits for  Seniors: Part 1 

Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit: If you are 65 years old, and over you could get up to $1,500 to help with the cost of making your home safer and more accessible. The Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit is a permanent, refundable personal income tax credit for seniors and family members who live with them. If you qualify, you can claim up to $10,000 worth of eligible home improvements on your tax return. The amount of money you get back for these expenses is calculated as 15 per cent of the eligible expenses you claim. For example, if you spend and then claim $10,000 worth of eligible expenses, you could be eligible to receive $1,500. The Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit can help with the costs of improving safety and accessibility in your home. Explore the interactive house below for examples of changes you could make. Seniors and their family members at all income levels are eligible.

Home and Vehicle Modification Program: It is possible to receive money to help with the cost of making your home and vehicle more accessible if you have a disability that restricts mobility. This money is a last resort option due to the minimum amount of cash in this program. However, the maximum government contribution for home and vehicle modifications is $15,000 per client for home modifications and/or $15,000 per client for vehicle modifications. The government contribution may be spent on the following goods and/or services: design schematics and professional fees of contractors, architects or other professionals needed to plan construction or installation. In addition, the equipment and supplies needed for the approved modifications, the cost of any warranties and the installation of any equipment, the approved structural alteration of the home and/or vehicle, including labour and/or training on the use of equipment, provided by the contractor/ supplier/ vendor.

taxOntario Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant: If you are 64 years old and over and own your own home, you are eligible to receive up to $500 to help with the cost of property taxes each year. You are eligible if your family net income for the previous year was $35,000 or less. The amount you receive is adjusted if you make between 35,000-50,000 and you are not eligible if you make over $50,000 per year. Here is how you apply for the grant: You complete the application for the Ontario Trillium Benefit and Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant, which is part of your personal income tax and benefit return. You have to report the amount of property tax you paid on line 6112 on the ON-BEN application. Remember to use total property taxes paid including the municipal and education property taxes.

Contact Rumanek & Company Ltd. for more information on bankruptcy and debt solutions. Or please fill out the free bankruptcy evaluation form. To learn more please visit our YouTube Channel. Rumanek & Company have been helping individuals and families overcome debt for more than 25 years.

How Can I Stop Collection Calls?

Financial-Planning-And-Analysis-Interview-QuestionsHow Can I Stop Collection Calls?

There are three different situations where an Ontario resident can stop collections calls.

  1. Where you are receiving collection calls concerning monies owing to a bank

In Canada a significant percentage of non-mortgage debt is owed to financial institutions regulated by the federal government. You can stop collection calls in connection with monies owing to a bank provided you do the following:

  • Send the organization calling you a letter by registered mail
  • In which you ask that it only communicate with you in writing,
  • You provide an address where you can be contacted in writing

This federal law gives the consumer receiving collection calls on monies owing to a bank the right to stop calls from not only collection agents but also the original creditor.

  1. Where you are receiving collection calls from a collection agency

An Ontario resident can stop collection calls from a collection agency, regardless of who the money is owed to. You can stop collection calls from a collection agency provided you do the following:

  • Send the collection agency a letter by registered mail
  • In which you dispute owing the alleged debt and you suggest the dispute go to court
  1. Where you are receiving collection calls from a law firm

An Ontario resident can stop collection calls from a law firm. You can stop collection calls from a law firm by hiring a lawyer to send the law firm a letter indicating the lawyer is representing you in this matter.

Contact Rumanek & Company Ltd. for more information on bankruptcy and debt solutions. Or please fill out the free bankruptcy evaluation form. To learn more please visit our YouTube Channel. Rumanek & Company have been helping individuals and families overcome debt for more than 25 years.  

Repair Your Credit Score

debt-septRepair Your Credit Score

A credit score does not fix itself. Your credit score is the sum total of the history reported to the credit bureau (either Equifax Canada or Trans Union of Canada by your creditors. Your credit score is affected by many factors such as your payment history, how much credit you are using of your total limit, enquiries by old and new creditors, etc. You should obtain a copy of your credit report every few years to be certain the information on your file is accurate, current and has no errors. If you find anything wrong in your credit report, notify the reporting agency immediately to correct your report. The last thing that you need when applying for a loan or mortgage is an unexpected problem. It takes time to fix a problem, even if you are not the cause of the problem.

As previously stated, your credit report and credit score is based on your history. Even if a debt that was delinquent is subsequently paid off or made current, the history will stay in your file up to 6 years. If a delinquent account has been sent to a collection agency or has resulted in a lawsuit, the information may show up twice. Once under the name of the creditor and a second time, under the public information section at the end of the credit report.

Your credit report and credit score is very important to you. It affects not only your ability to borrow but also the interest rate that you are charged. Very few people have a perfect credit score. If they had a perfect score, they likely would not need to borrow money anyway. For the rest of us, do your best to present yourself in the best possible way.

Contact Rumanek & Company Ltd. for more information on bankruptcy and debt solutions. Or please fill out the free bankruptcy evaluation form. To learn more please visit our YouTube Channel. Rumanek & Company have been helping individuals and families overcome debt for more than 25 years.

 

How does the passage of time affect an unpaid account?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHow does the passage of time affect an unpaid account?

If you do not make a payment to your creditor then there will be consequences—and in some circumstances very quickly. In some situations where you fail to make a payment your creditor might be able to seize monies in your bank account under what is called the right of set-off.

This can happen where you fail to make a payment on a credit card, personal loan, or line of credit and you have a bank account at the same financial institution. Your financial institution can simply take monies out of your bank account at that financial institution to make your overdue payment.

As your account remains unpaid you can anticipate the following: 30 to 60 days overdue: At this point you should anticipate that you will receive collection notices and collection calls from your creditor. Six months overdue: By this stage your account will receive an R9 rating which is the worst possible rating. Typically, at this time your creditor has forwarded your account to a collection agency. Where a creditor chooses to sue a consumer it will likely do so where the account is between six months and two years overdue

Two years overdue: If your creditor does not commence a lawsuit against you within two years of the date of your last payment then it might be difficult for your creditor to recover any monies from you. Seven years overdue: By this time under Ontario law any reference to your unpaid account must be removed from your credit report.

Contact <a href=”https://www januvia price.rumanek.com”>Rumanek & Company Ltd. for more information on bankruptcy and debt solutions. Or please fill out the free bankruptcy evaluation form. To learn more please visit our YouTube Channel. Rumanek & Company have been helping individuals and families overcome debt for more than 25 years.