The remuneration and benefits that you provide to your employees normally is required to reported as a taxable benefit on their annual T4 slip. However there are some benefits that your employee can receive from you that are non taxable benefits. These include overtime meals, gifts under $500 and contributions to a private health services plan.
Cash and near‑cash gifts or awards are always a taxable benefit for the employee. A near‑cash item is one that can be easily converted to cash such as a gift certificate, gift card, gold nuggets, securities, or stocks. For more information, see Rules for gifts and awards and Policy for non‑cash gifts and awards. You may give an employee an unlimited number of non-cash gifts and awards with a combined total value of $500 or less annually.
Example 1
You give your employee a $100 gift card or gift certificate to Six Cent Press. The employee can use this to choose whatever merchandise or service the store offers. We consider the gift card or gift certificate to be an additional remuneration that is a taxable benefit for the employee because there is an element of choice.
Example 2
You give your employee tickets to a Giants game on a specific date and time. This is not a taxable benefit for the employee since there is no element of choice.
More information on these non-taxable benefit can be found in this CBC article.
More deatils on CRA’s website.