What To Know About Relocation Packages When You Move In Canada For A Job

Relocation Packages and Long Distance Moves

When you work for a company, and they ask you to move in Canada to take a new position in another city, you may get a relocation package. Relocation packages can come in the form of stipends for moving, salary bonuses, temporary housing, long distance moving services covered by the company, or other help getting settled in to your new home (and life!).

In this article, we’ll discuss what you should know about relocation packages when you move in Canada for a job.

Relocation expenses are not tax benefits for companies, usually.

According to the CRA, the expenses of moving an employee to a new city are not eligible for tax deductions. See this page:

• https://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/bnfts/prvdd/mvng/menu-eng.html

However, depending on the circumstance, an employee may be able to claim relocation costs as taxable benefits. See this page for more info:

• https://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/bnfts/prvdd/mvng/txbl-eng.html

There may also be taxable benefits if you get a home relocation loan by your company. See this page for more info:

• https://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/bnfts/prvdd/mvng/hm-eng.html

Relocation packages can include temporary accommodation, or company housing.

Sometimes, people who have to relocate for their jobs are put up in a home paid for by the company – for them and their family. It might be cheaper for the company than paying for you to travel a lot on business.

If you are asked to find the accommodation, for reimbursement later, check out our article on this topic here:

• Finding temporary accommodation when doing a cross country move in Canada

You can negotiate your relocation package when moving in Canada.

You may not realize this, but if your company is asking you to move long distance, they probably really want to keep you. That means you can ask for a custom relocation package. Of course, don’t go overboard. But for instance, if you need to take your family with you to check out houses before moving, you can ask for that. They may pay for that trip.

Relocation packages can include a lot you may not be thinking of. It’s not just the long distance move they’ll cover, or the housing and storage needs. A company may help your spouse get a job, pay for child care services, or even cover language training.

The point is to think about what you will need before and after the move, so you can ask the company for compensation in your relocation package. Not all will be willing to go that far, but it’s worth asking, and worth making a case. After all, you’d be uprooting your life to work for them.

While relocation packages may have become rare due to recent economic downturns, they are not totally abolished as a reasonable concept among businesses.

As an article linked to above notes, always maintain receipts of the cost of your move. Even if that includes meals paid for while road tripping with a trailer across the country. Track all of it. It may be needed when calculating the stipend a company will reimburse you for.

You can search for jobs with companies that offer relocation packages, if you want to move in Canada.

It may sound sly, but if you are job hunting, and also would like a change of scenery, there isn’t a lot stopping you from finding job postings with companies that are willing to pay you to move.

One way to do this is to visit a job website, and type in the word “relocation” in your search. You can get results where the company is actually advertising a relocation package as part of their job offer.

You can also google a company you want to work for, and then also type in the word “relocation” to see if they have job openings on the web that include these packages.

However, these can be few and far between.

Other times, the company may not advertise their relocation package policies so directly. If you know someone within the company, they may be able to give you an inside scoop on typical relocation packages. If the company has an HR department, you might be able to randomly call in to ask if they offer these incentives to eligible applicants.

Other times, you’ll just need to apply for the job you want. Then if you get selected, ask – in a professional way – if they can offer you help with your business move. If they see you are highly qualified, and a rare hire, it may just work out.

When you’re ready to move to another city in Canada, give us a shout! We can help you with the long-distance move, as well as temporary storage of your belongings until you get settled. Our storage comes in portable containers, which means your goods can be shipped when you want them, without unnecessary unloading.

See Other Relocation or Long Distance Moving Articles:

• What to know if you want to do an international move to Canada
• Long distance moving in Canada: 6 attractions to make it a road trip!
• Long Distance Movers Guide: Tips Adjusting to the Vancouver Community
• Tips for moving a household far away from ‘home’: International Moving and Long Distance Tips
• Tips on shipping a vehicle long distance in Canada?