Checklist for students: what to gather before you file

Updated October 1, 2026 · Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team · How we check

Students have fewer slips than most people, but each one is worth claiming. Print it if you like, and tick things off as they arrive. Is this your first return? Then it’s shorter than you’d think, and a parent or friend who’s filed before can check it with you.

Print or save as PDF

From your school

• T2202, the tuition and enrolment certificate, which usually arrives by the end of February.
• Any slip for scholarships, bursaries or awards that you received during the year.

Don’t panic over a big number on that second slip. The CRA’s guide for students says post-secondary scholarships, fellowships and bursaries are not taxable when you’re a full-time qualifying student in the program they’re for.

From work

• A T4 from each employer, including the summer job you’ve already forgotten about.
• Your last payslip, if you think a slip is wrong and need to check it.

Things people forget

These can save you real money, and they’re easy to miss because nobody sends you a reminder.

• The interest statement for any government student loan, since the interest earns a credit.
• Moving receipts, if you moved at least 40 km closer to school or to a job.
• Last year’s notice of assessment, which shows the tuition you carried forward.
• A decision on whether to transfer unused tuition to a parent, and how much.
• Your bank details, so a refund arrives by direct deposit.

What are the catches with those claims?

Loan interest counts only for government student loans, not a bank line of credit, and only the student named on the loan can claim it. The tuition transfer tops out at $5,000 a year federally, and it can go to your spouse or partner, or to your parent or grandparent or theirs. Whatever you don’t transfer carries forward for later. Moving costs are claimed against taxable scholarship income or against pay from the new job, so the receipts don’t help if you have neither.

What next?

The student guide explains each credit, and the filing guide walks through the steps. Want to see how credits add up? Try the tax credits calculator.

Not sure you need to file? File anyway, because you lose nothing and may get a few bucks back. Keep the tax calendar handy for the due date.

One tip from people who’ve done this: open the T2202 first, because the tuition number on it decides how much of everything else you can use, and you’ll want to know that before you start typing.

Frequently asked questions

When do I get my T2202?

Your school issues it by the end of February. You can usually download it from the student portal.

Can my parents claim my tuition?

Part of it, if you choose to transfer it. You can transfer up to $5,000 minus what you use yourself, and the rest carries forward for you.

Do I still file if I earned almost nothing?

Often it still helps. Filing builds your carry-forward amounts and lets you claim the GST/HST credit if you are 19 or older.