Basic personal amount

The basic personal amount is just one of the non-refundable tax credits every Canadian resident is entitled to claim on their income tax return. This amount changes year to year, in order to keep up with inflation. In 2019, the federal basic personal amount is equal to $12,069; this amount is applied to your return to reduce the amount of income you’re required to pay tax on.

For example: Let’s say you made $35,000 in 2019. Applying your federal basic personal amount will reduce your federal taxable income from $35,000 to $22,931 ($35,000 – $$12,069. This means that instead of being taxed on the entire $35,000, you’ll only be taxed on the $22,931 amount.

You’re also entitled to claim a corresponding provincial basic personal amount, which varies in amount depending on which province or territory you live in.

Note: If you moved to or from Canada in 2019, your basic personal amount will be adjusted to reflect the amount of time you lived here during the year.