There is no teenager exemption. There is a basic personal amount.
Slide your yearly income and watch how much of it is taxed federally — for most student incomes, the answer is none.
At this income no federal tax is owed at all — the basic personal amount covers it. Money withheld from your pay would come back when you file.
2025 federal amounts. Provincial and territorial tax is calculated separately and is not included. Educational example only.
Filing depends on your situation, not your age
Canada does not exempt teenagers from income tax. Whether a return is required depends on the type and amount of income and on personal circumstances. Even when it is not required, filing often produces a refund of tax that was withheld, and it can establish eligibility for credits and benefits later.
- CPP contributions generally begin the month after you turn 18, so your slips change that year.
- Student income can include employment income, tips, interest, self-employment income and some scholarships.
- Whether a scholarship is taxable depends on the situation — do not assume either way.
Does this count as income you may need to report?
- Wages from a part-time job
- Cash tips from serving tables
- Birthday money from a relative
- $400 from tutoring classmates
- Selling your own old bike once
Quick check
Answering every check in this lesson completes it automatically.
Where a refund actually comes from
Withheld on the left, owed in the middle. The difference is the refund — your own money coming back.
A refund is not a bonus. It is your own money being returned because more was withheld during the year than you turned out to owe — and filing a return is the only way to get it back.
Federal amounts only, 2025 rates and basic personal amount. Credits, provincial tax and your own circumstances change the real result. Educational example only.
Check your understanding
Answering every check in this lesson completes it automatically.
Ben earned $6,200 and had tax withheld
Ben is 17 and earned $6,200 last year. His T4 shows $190 of income tax deducted. He assumes filing is pointless because his income was low.
One rule about your Social Insurance Number
Your SIN is required for employment and for filing. It is not required by websites, marketplaces, buyers, or anyone messaging you about a job that seems unusually easy. Treat a request for it the same way you treat a request for a banking password.
- Give it to an employer, the CRA, or a financial institution that legitimately needs it.
- Never send it in a chat, a form you did not seek out, or an email.
- Keep your slips and receipts in one place until you file.
One more
Answering every check in this lesson completes it automatically.
Age does not decide whether you file. Filing is usually how you get your own money back.
0 of 3 checks answered