Grrrr Tax receipts info - again pls

[DisneyPrincess]

I was writing out my tax receipts to parents and stopped everything since 5 pm... I am getting quite a headache at this point ---- its 10 pm now :mad:

I know there are a few discussions about tax receipts but, I have been reading and reading, even on RevCan website and I cant get my answers. I still need help please.

Do you put both parents names on receipts or you choose just one... like the mother perhaps ??

I open my daycare Jan 30th 2012... is it better to say from Jan 30th 2012 to Dec 31 2012 ??? Since I had unemployent in January last year, I wouldnt want to get in trouble and write Jan 1st 2012... Or should I just say : for tax year 2012 ?? I know that Revenue Canada tax receipt example says to mention : ''from ______ to ______'' so is it a MUST to write exact dates of services.

Now that SIN number yes and no thing really makes me nervous so, I went on the government website to apply for BIN number : first it gives me a link for BN and not BIN... do some of you have the right link for BIN or is it the same ? --- If I get the BIN number is it under my daycare name or personnal name ? and does it matter if all the cheques has been done to my personal name last year since I didnt have a BIN number and after I get the BIN number do parents pay me under my daycare name or can continue making cheques under my personnal name since I dont have a business bank account ? ARGHHH its sooooo complicated :(

Is it true what I have read on one thread : if you dont put your SIN number on receipts you can get a fine for each receipts without the SIN number ??? I thought that putting ''SIN number will be given upon request only'' was ok ...

Well thank you for any help, I will very much appreciate it !

[Inspired by Reggio]

My contract has a line that asks 'who should annual childcare tax receipts be made out to' so I follow that ... typically the lowest income earner is the one who claims childcare expenses however some clients might want the other persons or both.

My receipts for every FULL year I have been open just say for the tax year of 201X because it is most time efficient way to get my receipts done ~ however like you might FIRST year I was concerned because I had employment from other sources including EI sick leave so that year I did 'this receipt is for childcare services offered between September 3, 201X ~ December 31st 201X so it was clear I was not earning 'income during my EI time frame'.

As for the SIN verses BIN ... what province are you in because not all provinces have the BIN only option which is why CRA requests our SIN instead because ALL provinces have those ;) My understanding is that the BN is more expensive and time consuming to apply for from my understanding it automatically comes with the HST number, WSIB, OHIP and all the other packaged business remittance accounts which we do not need or WANT to have for our business cause we are except from them!

If you are in Ontario you want to go to the service Ontario website to register for JUST the BIN ... it is a one stop shop for all registrations so it will ask you about do you want the HST and other things but with registering through this portal you have the option to click NO to everything but the BIN .... you just want to the registration of your 'business name' if you are using one which is required under the Business Names Act in Ontario

https://www.appmybizaccount. gov.on.ca/wps/portal/mba_pub/!ut/p/c4/PY5BD4IwDIV_CweuG2dv QjyYqBCCEbyYjjSzcXTL NvTvOzCYpofX9-W9yrtMw_AmDZEsg5G9HB xoNMSvnQ1KOOsjGOFmZW gUbFn8cGVQROtolLclww BrOSCvm3RzLU_H6lHVl-7Qd3LIi0kBsjYUnnlhGY Od_Yh5sWaEvAgRUpGaAy Uv6RY1hYieWEP5v3YLvV m1b5HxM6Skjag5PY7STV Nz3mfZFy8JQnA!/

If you are not using a 'business name' I am not sure how it works to register for a BIN cause you technically would not need one?

As for banking the choices is your ~ if you want to create a business account you could however it comes with higher service charges and crap cause they assume you are full of money as a business :rolleyes: however you still have the option of having a business name but choosing to have your clients weekly cheques written out to your own legal name and using a regular chequing account cause we do not do enough 'business' for banks to really notice or care that we are depositing a few cheques each month ;)

While yes according to the CRA website you 'could be fined' for not providing proper information for taxes ~ just like a provider who has more than 5 children above her own 'could be fined' the reality of that actually happening IME are MINIMAL ... the lady on my street for example has had the Ministry out several times over her 'numbers' and never been fined ... IMO unless a business gets earmarked to be made an example of due to many infractions or public pressure you typically would get a 'warning' of the proper way to do things if you made a mistake and a chance to make it 'right' so to speak!

[DisneyPrincess]

I'm in Ontario also, and I do not want to give my sin number especially to one couple with whom it didn't end so well. So I'll get a bin number if its worth the 60$... I couldn't get the page to register on the cra website, it was giving just the bn form. Thanks ill try your link ;)

[gramma]

I do not include my SIN number on my receipts. Tax return does not ask for my personal information just the amount paid. The only instance where my sin is required is if the client gets audited. In that case i ask for a contact name for their audit and I provide the number to them directly.
In 17 years its never been a problem and I have had several accountants as clients over the years.

[apples and bananas]

When I had my kids in a home daycare I recieved reciepts without SIN on them and was still able to submit them with my taxes.

As a provider I do put my SIN on the reciept, however I don't like to. I'm thinking of getting a BIN instead. Are there any disadvantages to having a BIN?

[playfelt]

Actually if you go to the form the parents fill out for childcare expenses on their income taxes it asks for the name, address and SIN of any private person providing care. In theory they are to fill that in on the form they submit.

Whether it makes a difference if they don't or not I don't know.

[lainey76]

As per the CRA info session for DHP , a business number means nothing to them for a daycare provider as it tells them nothing they need and they want the SIN number to match amounts what you claim as income and what the parents claim as expenses.

[mimi]

I won't release my sin to anyone other than CRA.

[DisneyPrincess]

Ok so that darn BIN number is a solution and thats what I will do.

I called the CRA this morning and they dont know too too much either hey :thumbdown: However the girl put me on hold to ask and yes the BIN number is useless to US to use since we cant get HST and other programs BUT since they can get our SIN number through that and it is in fact ''safer'' to put on tax receipts for parents since they dont get to know our SIN number, just the gov does.

I tried applying online but it didnt let me so I will call back at 1-800-959-5525 and they can do it for me by phone. Thats the number I was told to call by the agent that did the meeting at the CCPRN in Ottawa for tax info for daycares, anytime I have worries or questions concerning my daycare and the CRA

[Wonderwiper]

I don't put a parents name on the receipt at all. I say childcare receipt for: ...child's name. I also don't put my sin. I have a BIN but mostly because I wanted to call my daycare a particular name. My understanding is that if you use bin number then parents must make their payments out to that name, which would then require a business bank account. I am too cheap to do that, ha ha! A way around that I suppose would be to make your business name the same as your name.

[DisneyPrincess]

Sorry my mistake, do not call that number I wrote down for a BIN, I have to deal with Service Ontario and not the CRA for that since its a provincial and not federal issue.

Actually when you call the CRA they dont know squat... I called them last summer about another issue that had to do with the government and my tax declaration and the agent didnt know what on earth I was talking about.

Reggio how did you do this, you delt with Service Ontario only right ??? But when I go to the link you gave me, I filled out my Business name, my address and phone number etc... but it didnt ask for my SIN number ???

[mimi]

I am so tempted to make a disparing remark about government employees, but I won't, I'll be good. :rolleyes:

[DisneyPrincess]

Yah I give up for the BIN number, I talked to 3 people at CRA, they dont know s(*& then I talked to Service Ontario, they dont know s&%* so.... I guess no SIN number unless it is asked for by Renenu Canada when they call me and if they give me problems, I printed out the rights to protect the SIN number as suggested to Service Canada themselves !!

[Inspired by Reggio]

....Reggio how did you do this, you delt with Service Ontario only right ??? But when I go to the link you gave me, I filled out my Business name, my address and phone number etc... but it didnt ask for my SIN number ???

Hmmm ~ mine is about to expire but not expired yet so it's been a while but they do ask for the SIN at some point ~ I believe when you get the section on 'payment'.

[Momof4]

Ladies, my children were small in the 80's and 90's and those were the days of 'babysitters' with no receipts or structure and a lot of tv watching and hot dogs and KD. Every single year for many years I claimed my childcare on my taxes and never had any receipts and was never questioned. I always paid by cheque so I had proof. Now, things are very different thank goodness! So many wonderful home daycare providers who want to do everything right and providing quality care for the families.

I have a dcMom who works for CRA SMALL BUSINESS SECTION. She has not ever asked for my SIN for her receipts or her taxes. Don't worry or let other people freak you out!

[SongSparrow]

When I had my first 2 children in childcare I never put my sitter's SIN on the tax form, just her name and address and it was never a problem. I don't put my SIN on the receipts I give out, but the past few years I have had parents who are filing with tax software that requires the SIN before it will let you submit so I have had them or their accountant call me and I gave it out over the phone. I have had more than a few parents lose their receipt and have been glad my SIN was not on it then!

[michellesmunchkins]

I refuse to give parents my SIN number! I don't care if they are filing with computer software on their own or not. Almost every family loses their receipt at some point in time and all my personal info is on them (name, address, phone number). Can you imagine what could happen if our sin numbers were on there too. I will only give it to Revenue Canada if they call me and can say that I have NEVER gotten a call and have never been questioned by CRA. Just my two cents, but I'm soooo not comfortable giving my SIN to every person I work with.

[treeholm]

One of my clients is an accountant, and she called the night before her taxes were due and told me her accountant needed my SIN. I said no way. My business number is on my receipts, and the CRA can track my income that way. I was just surprised that neither she nor her accountant knew that, but she completely understood when I told her that I will not give out my SIN to anyone other than the CRA directly.

[Artsand crafts]

I though you did not have a choice other than provide the SIN number... Parents sometime have lost receipts. That had made me mad! I do not have business number, though.

[Artsand crafts]

I refuse to give parents my SIN number! I don't care if they are filing with computer software on their own or not. Almost every family loses their receipt at some point in time and all my personal info is on them (name, address, phone number). Can you imagine what could happen if our sin numbers were on there too. I will only give it to Revenue Canada if they call me and can say that I have NEVER gotten a call and have never been questioned by CRA. Just my two cents, but I'm soooo not comfortable giving my SIN to every person I work with.

What do you tell parents when they request your SIN specifically since accountants or softwares ask for them? Won't you have a penalty or something from CRA because you did not provide it. When I started I called CRA and they told me I had no choice other than give my SIN number.

[michellesmunchkins]

I just tell them to have a tax professional call me or the CRA can call me themselves. I have never had a penalty and if they even tried to enforce one I would fight it because its just not safe to give your SIN number to every person you work with. Just think about how many families over the years we work with and how many lost receipts that could add up too. Identity fraud is huge! I have no qualms giving it to Revenue Canada but I've had some real winner families who I would never trust in a million years to give my SIN number too. Who knows what those parents would do with it also. I keep ALL my paperwork for the year and totally ready if they were to ever question me. I've had a client who worked for CRA and she even told me not to give it to parents!

[Artsand crafts]

Thank you for your comment Michellmunchkins!

[michellesmunchkins]

No problem. Not sure that is the case in other provinces and not even sure if my previous client was right though lol I just know that I'm not comfortable giving it basically to random strangers. yes they trust me with their children, but I don't trust them with my identity. Who knows, mabye this year is the year the gov't decides to nail me for it but I still won't give it to parents!