Tax Refund When Leaving - What to Do?
 

Hello everyone!<BR>One more question before we go. I have downloaded the tax refund form.We are leaving Canada on a Sunday morning via Niagara Falls. Where do you get your receipts "stamped" ? Will they accept this downloaded form or do I need to pick up one -- and where, if so? We've never done this before so I appreciate the help. Thanks!!<BR> Maureen<BR>

You can get the refund at the Duty Free shops. However, if return via the Peace Bridge it may be difficult to see the Duty Free shop. You will need your license plate number and the original receipts which you will be required to submit. We always ask the hotel for a second copy of the bill so we will have one for our records. Since we charge our purchases, we will have the credit card receipt for our records. We have never used the downloaded form, but they will probably take it. If not, they will have the forms there. They may ask if you have the items with you. Most of the time they don't ask to see them, but they can.

When we returned from Canada, we stopped at the immigration station (there was no duty-free shop) and they stamped our receipts. The form that you download is the same as the one you would pick up.

If you are able to cross where there is a duty free shop, they will make the refund there. No need to mail the form and wait for the refund.

<BR>What are you referring to with "stamps"? <BR><BR>We were given a form and mail in envelope to return when we got home to the states. The hotel manager gave it to us and said nothing about 'stamps.'<BR><BR>We chose not to stop when crossing the border as we needed to save time.<BR><BR>We are about to mail in our receipts (having made copies for US to keep) -- will this be a waste of time?<BR><BR>Thanks.

You must have original receipts. You cannot use a VISA receipt. So be sure to have an actual til tape printed or retain your hotel receipts etc.

Oops: If your receipts were not stamped, you will not get a refund. This is to prevent Canadians from mailing receipts to friends in the US for them to send them back to Canada to get a tax refund.

We just returned from Quebec and the following applied: You must have a minimum TOTAL of $200 to apply for the tax, your hotel accomodations are eligible as are goods purchased (ie, clothes, paintings, etc.) as long as each receipt is at least $50 before taxes (we purchased a jacket for my daughter that was $49.99 - and was NOT eligible because of one cent - had I known at the time I would have put a post card in with my purchase and the total bill would have been over $50.) Food, gas, car rentals are not eligible. Also - very important - you must have itemized receipts - not just a credit card receipt - we had a credit card receipt from one hotel and a credit card receipt from a vendor where we bought some handmade jewelry and customs would not include them - they said it must be "itemized" as to what the receipt relates to. We drove home and stopped at the duty free store at the Maine border to process our receipts - upstairs was all the duty free goodies and downstairs was the custom's agent - they process your paperwork and issue your refund on the spot (in hopes that you will go upstairs and spend it on duty free goods which of course we did ! ). The forms to fill out are readily available at many stores and in hotel lobbies

I'm pretty sure hotel tax is not refunded anymore.<BR><BR>If your receipt if over $50 not including tax you can still qualify for a refund by having it stamped at the border at a duty free shop. Then you put all the receipts together and bring it back to the same shop. This works if you are going back and forth across the border a lot. The downside is that you have to bring back the item you bought. You have to have receipts totaling $200 or more for a refund but you can put together receipts that are $50 or more. Each receipt does not have to be $200.

So let me understand this. I should save all receipts and anything you buy OVER $50.00 you can get a refund? What about the hotel refund? Is it best to spend over 50.00?

http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/menu-e.html <BR><BR>Visit the above web site and go to Tax then International and Non Resident then Visitors to Canada then frequently asked questions. Everything is answered there.

Pete, yes, save all your receipts for over $50 CAN before tax. Yes, you will get your hotel taxes refunded.<BR><BR>I never knew I need a stamp, got refunds in 1999 and in 2002. In 1999 I flew Air Canada, this year took Amtrak.

We returned home to the U.S. yesterday from Vancouver by air. I was disappointed that we were unable to process the tax refund on the spot at the duty-free shop (as we have done on previous driving trips returning from Ontario to New York State).<BR><BR>The instuctions on the form indicate--"Before you leave, stamp your invoices for goods at Canada Customs. Mail the form, the original hotel bills, and stamped invoices for goods." [The hotel bill need not be stamped.]<BR><BR>Goods invoices must be for a minimum of $50CDN.<BR><BR>Just be sure you get the goods invoices stamped at customs (and do any duty-free shopping) before crossing the bridge back into the U.S.<BR><BR>BTW, if you are planning to shop at duty-dree, know your prices beforehand. It helps to know what you might pay at home for liquor, Canadian wines, Roots merchandise, maple sugar products, etc., before deciding that you might buy something. And then you must consider the exchange rate which does fluctuate--