Families with young children are now in the full swing of balancing work with new summer activities and camps for the kids.
The options, if you manage to book early enough, are amazing. The University of Victoria offers summer day camps in the Humanities in English, French and German, but the science fanatic in your household may prefer a Science Venture camp in Veterinary Medicine (for Grades 3 and 4) or Engineering Design (for Grades 7 to 9). There are lots of other options for week-long sports camps or camps where kids go on different fun outings and adventures.
While the costs for these camps, or even summer daycare, can certainly add up, Sharlane Bailey, Owner of Canwest Accounting, reminds parents and guardians to collect receipts for these camps because as long as they are more than two hours a day and last a full five days, they can be written off on your taxes the same way as standard daycare fees, even though it isn’t year-round care.
“We know that many parents and grandparents try to take as much time off as possible during the summer to be with young children, but that often isn’t enough to cover the entire two-month summer break,” said Bailey. “While camps can be a costly additional expense during the summer, there’s some relief in that it’s a tax deduction. Some parents don’t know that until it’s time to file their income tax return and then they have to scramble to track down the receipts.”
If you have any questions about childcare expenses or other tax deductions, please call to make an appointment or drop in at either the Victoria or Langford locations of Canwest Accounting.
DISCLAIMER
The suggestions and advice provided by Canwest Accounting should not be relied upon in place of professional advice. You are responsible for checking the accuracy of relevant facts and opinions provided.