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Employment Expenses Line 22900

Note: Before tax year 2019, line 22900 was line 229.

In the Canadian Income Tax and RRSP Savings Calculator, employment expenses can be included on the "other deductions" line.

Conditions For Claiming Employment Expenses

Personal Protective Equipment

Expenses Not Deductible From Employment Income

Expenses Related to Employment

Employees Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)

Other Employment Expenses

GST/HST on Employment Expenses - Employee and Partner GST/HST Rebate

Shareholder-Employees

TaxTips.ca Resources

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Resources

Conditions For Claiming Employment Expenses

Expenses that are paid to earn employment income are sometimes deductible, including any GST/HST that was paid on them. This can only be done if your employer requires you to pay the expenses, and either you didn't receive reimbursement for the expenses, or the amount you did receive is included in your income. Form T2200 must be completed by your employer in order to claim employment expenses - see below.

Personal Protective Equipment

Where an employer requires an employee to pay for and use personal protective equipment while carrying out their employment duties, the cost of these items may be deductible. See Technical Interpretation 2020-0867061I7, and the June 2021 Life in the Tax Lane video from Video Tax News.

Expenses Not Deductible From Employment Income

Expenses that are NOT deductible include premiums paid for medical, dental, group insurance, and emergency travel medical insurance. Some of these items may be deductible as medical expenses.

Premiums paid for disability insurance coverage are also not deductible, but if you eventually have to receive disability insurance, it may be tax free if you have paid the premiums. See our article Disability Insurance - Pay Your Own Premiums.

Expenses Related to Employment

Employee work-space-in-home expenses - includes info re working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as information re those still working at the regular place of business, but possibly incurring additional expenses.

Employee motor vehicle travel expenses

Employees meals and lodging expenses - transport and railway employees

Employee clothing and footwear

Employee tool deductions

- Tools deduction for employed tradespersons

- Tools deduction for eligible apprentice mechanic

- Gain on disposal of employee tools

Labour Mobility Deduction For Eligible Tradespeople

Moving Expenses Deduction Line 21900

Employees Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)

Employees earning commission income can claim CCA if certain conditions are met.

Employed musicians can claim CCA on a musical instrument if it had to be provided as a condition of employment.

See T4044 Employment Expenses - Chapter 10 Capital Cost Allowance for more information, including information on enhanced CCA for used ZEVs purchased after March 1, 2020. See also How to calculate capital cost allowance in the same guide, for detailed information on what amounts to enter into each column of the CCA schedule on Form T777.

When a capital property is sold, the amount to enter in column 5, Proceeds of Disposition, is the LESSER of:

	the proceeds of disposition of the property after deducting related outlays and expenses, and
	the capital cost (original purchase price) of the property

Other Employment Expenses

Income Tax Act s. 8

Some other expenses may be deducted as office or employment expenses:

	legal expenses incurred to collect or establish a right to amounts owed to the taxpayer that would be included in the taxpayer's employment income when received. See the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) interpretation bulletin IT-99R5 Legal and Accounting Fees (Archived) - see link at bottom.
	certain clergy residence rent (or fair rental value for a residence owned by the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse or common-law partner) and utility costs. See the CRA interpretation bulletin IT-141R Clergy residence deduction (archived), and CRA web page Line 23100 Clergy residence deduction - see links at bottom.
	teachers exchange fund contribution not exceeding $250 in a year

dues and other expenses of performing duties, as long as these are not reimbursed to the taxpayer, including

	annual union dues. See CRA Line 21200 Annual union, professional or like dues link at bottom. Union dues in box 44 of your T4 slips will include any GST/HST paid, if applicable. If you have a receipt for union dues from your union, it will indicate if GST/HST was charged.
	annual professional membership dues paid to maintain a professional status recognized by statute. See CRA interpretation bulletin IT-158R2 Employees' professional membership dues (Archived) - see link at bottom.
	office rent, or salary paid to an assistant or substitute, if the payment is required by the contract of employment
	employer's CPP, EI or QPIP premiums paid on the salary of an assistant or substitute
	cost of supplies consumed directly in employment duties, if the payment of these costs is required by the contract of employment

	employee's registered pension plan contributions. See CRA interpretation bulletin IT-167R6 Registered pension plans - employee's contributions - see link at bottom.
	employee's contributions to a retirement compensation arrangement. See CRA Guide T4041 Retirement compensation arrangements - see link at bottom.
	salary reimbursement, or disability payment reimbursement

	forfeited amounts under a salary deferral arrangement
	excess employees profit sharing plan (EPSP) amounts
	forfeited amounts under an employees profit sharing plan. See CRA interpretation bulletin IT-379R Employees profit sharing plans - allocations to beneficiaries (Archived) - see link at bottom.

Other employment expenses which may be deductible and are explained in the CRA guide T4044 Employment Expenses (see link at bottom), include:

	costs of power saws for employees working in forestry operations
	sales expenses of commission employees (complete a TD1X form to have income tax deductions based on your net commission income after expenses)

Performing artists expenses:

	musical instrument costs for taxpayer employed as a musician. This includes maintenance, rental, insurance, and capital cost allowance.
	artists' employment expenses.
	See CRA interpretation bulletin IT-525R Performing Artists - see link at bottom.

In order to claim many of the above deductions, CRA form T2200, Declaration of Conditions of Employment (see link at bottom), must be completed by the employee and employer.

Form T777 Statement of Employment Expenses (see link at bottom) must be completed, and the deductions are claimed on line 22900 of the tax return.

GST/HST on Employment Expenses - Employee and Partner GST/HST Rebate

The above deduction amounts will include GST/HST and any provincial retail sales tax paid. You may be eligible for a refund of the GST/HST included in the costs. See Employee and Partner GST/HST rebate on the GST/HST page.