As of July 2012, the Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) will include payments from the Ontario sales tax credit, the Ontario energy and property tax credit, and the Northern Ontario energy credit. The payments of these three credits will be combined and delivered on a monthly basis to better match the timing of the assistance with the expenses incurred by the taxpayers. You must apply and be eligible for at least one of these credits to receive the OTB.
The component of the sales tax is linked with the claiming of the GST, whereas components of the tax credit for energy costs and property taxes are linked with the claiming of ON-BEN.
To claim the OTB using the program, please follow these steps:
1- In the "QuikClik Navigator" section of your tax file, select "CRA questions" and apply for the GST/HST tax credit. Choose "Yes" from the drop-down menu and click on "Next" at the bottom of the page.
2- Return to the "QuikClik Navigator" and select "Ontario tax and credits".
3- On the screen to your right, select "ON-BEN - Application for 2015 Ontario Trillium Benefit (Ontario sales tax credit, Ontario energy and property tax credit, Northern Ontario energy credit) and the Ontario Senior Homeowners' Property Tax Grant".
4- Claim your credits, then click "Next" at the bottom of the page.
5- Return to the "Ontario tax and credits" section and, on the page to your right, select the line that corresponds to your situation ("ON-BEN - Declaration for home owners, tenants or college residence"). Enter your information.
6- Click the "Results" tab. A warning message might appear, indicating that your income is too high to claim the GST credit. Ignore this warning if you wish to receive the Ontario sales tax component.
The program produces an estimate of the Trillium benefit for July 2015 to June 2016.