The federal government has made some changes to simplify the process of filing for tax deductions associated with home office expenses. In the event that eligible expenses exceed $400, a form T2200S signed by your employer is required.
For months we have been sharing with the Administration our members’ concerns about the significant out-of-pocket expenses they have been incurring while working from home. UTFA is pleased that the Administration has now agreed to furnish these forms, a process that has been automated via the HR Service Centre.
We are aware that any tax deduction may not fully offset the cost of an individual UTFA member’s shift to remote work. For example, capital purchases such as computers are not eligible expenses. Within the context of the current round of bargaining, UTFA has proposed improvements in Professional Expense Reimbursement Accounts (PERA) to address this issue. Other faculty associations in the province have been able to negotiate a one-time-only increase in PERA in order to offset some of these costs for their members.
In the meantime, the link to HR self-service to request a T2200S form is here.
Jun Nogami PhD, FAAAS, P. Eng.
VP Salary Benefits Pension & Workload
UTFA
Terezia Zorić
UTFA President