As you may know, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has begun issuing 2018 tax slips. ACFO-ACAF anticipates that Phoenix-related errors on pay slips will continue to be an issue this year and we advise all members to review their T4s and Relevé 1s carefully.

You can view your T4 or Relevé 1 through the Compensation Web Application (CWA), as well as through the CRA and Revenu Québec websites if you have an online account. If you notice an error on your T4 or Relevé 1, we recommend that you inform your manager and fill out a Phoenix feedback form to ensure that the issue is recorded in Phoenix. More information on Phoenix-related tax issues is available on the PSPC website.

We also encourage you to contact an ACFO-ACAF Labour Relations Advisor (labourrelations@acfo-acaf.com) who can listen to the specifics of your issue and offer you advice, guidance and next steps in addressing it. It is important to know that you are still required to file your taxes by the April 30, 2019 deadline even if you must file them with an incorrect tax slip.

If you experienced a pay-related error that was being corrected while PSPC was in the process of preparing your tax slip, the corrections may not appear on the tax slip you were originally issued. You should automatically receive an amended tax slip once the data has been corrected, but we recommend that you keep your manager apprised of the situation.

Once any errors with your pay slip have been corrected, PSPC will send an amended slip directly to the Canada Revenue Agency and/or Revenu Québec who will automatically revise and adjust your tax returns accordingly. However, we again suggest you follow up with your supervisor to keep them informed.

Please note that the employer has stated that it will reimburse employees for expenses of up to $200 per year related to obtaining tax advice. We encourage you to take advantage of this offer if necessary.

As always, we encourage all members to contact ACFO-ACAF with any Phoenix-related issues you are experiencing. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at labourrelations@acfo-acaf.com or 1-877-728-0695.