Getting Married: What Changes for Your Taxes in Ontario

Getting married changes more than your name and your relationship status — it changes how the CRA calculates a range of benefits and credits, and it opens up some planning opportunities that weren’t available to you as a single filer. None of this happens automatically the moment you say "I do."

This guide walks through what changes for your taxes once you’re married in Ontario: what you need to report, how your benefits are affected, and a few planning angles worth raising with your accountant.

Tell the CRA You’ve Married

You’re required to update your marital status with the CRA for the year in which you married, even though you and your new spouse each continue to file your own separate tax returns. Canada doesn’t have joint tax returns the way some countries do — you still file individually — but your marital status feeds into how several credits and benefits are calculated.

Report your marriage using CRA My Account, by phone, or the appropriate form, and use the actual date of the marriage. That date is what the CRA uses to determine when your new marital status applies for benefit purposes.

Filing Separately, Assessed Together

Even though you file separate returns, some calculations blend your two incomes:

• The GST/HST credit shifts from being based on your individual net income to your combined family net income once you’re married.
• The Canada Child Benefit, if you have children, is likewise calculated on family net income going forward.
• Certain credits and deductions — for example, claims tied to a dependant or a spouse’s unused amounts — can sometimes be transferred between spouses where one of you doesn’t need the full benefit of a particular credit.

Because benefits move from an individual-income basis to a family-income basis, a marriage can raise or lower what a couple receives, depending on how the two incomes compare.

Pension Income Splitting and Spousal Planning

Married and common-law spouses in Canada can, in eligible circumstances, split certain pension income for tax purposes, which can reduce a household’s overall tax bill where one spouse has significantly higher pension income than the other. Eligibility depends on the type of income involved and both spouses’ circumstances, so this is worth reviewing with an accountant rather than assuming it applies to you.

Getting married is also a good moment to revisit beneficiary designations on registered accounts and to think about how spousal contributions or transfers might fit into your broader financial plan.

A Marriage Tax Checklist

• [ ] Update your marital status with the CRA, using the actual date of marriage
• [ ] Confirm both spouses’ addresses and direct deposit details are current
• [ ] Review whether the GST/HST credit and, if applicable, the Canada Child Benefit will be recalculated
• [ ] Ask an accountant whether pension income splitting or other spousal planning applies to you
• [ ] Review beneficiary designations on RRSPs, TFSAs, and life insurance
• [ ] Consider whether a marriage contract makes sense for your situation

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming you now have to file jointly. You don’t — you still each file your own individual return every year, even after your marital status changes.
• Forgetting to update your address or direct deposit information once one of you moves in with the other, which can delay benefit payments and notices.
• Overlooking a legal name change with the CRA if either spouse changed their name, since a mismatch between your name and your CRA file can slow down processing.
• Not revisiting beneficiary designations and estate planning documents at the same time as your tax filings — marriage can affect both, and they’re often handled together.

Frequently asked questions