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You can run most of your business taxes with the CRA online on canada.ca. A business owner who files GST/HST, payroll or corporation income tax uses My Business Account, and if you’re a GST/HST registrant with a reporting period starting in 2024 or later, you must file your returns electronically. Mail brings a penalty unless you qualify for an exemption.
What do you need before you can file business taxes online?
A business number, first. The CRA calls Business Registration Online the fastest way to get one, and it needs an existing CRA account, recent tax filing history and the optional extra-protection setting on your account switched off. Save or print the number when it appears. The CRA warns it won’t be sent to you.
The same registration can add program accounts, such as GST/HST, so you don’t need a separate trip for each.
How do you file a GST/HST return in your CRA account?
Sign in to My Business Account, pick GST/HST and your RT number, then choose “File a return.” You’ll enter your amounts, review them and tick the certification box. A six-digit confirmation number shows the CRA accepted the return for processing.
Have your business number and the “from” and “to” dates of the reporting period ready. The session times out after 35 minutes of inactivity, and if it does you lose whatever you’d typed. So gather the figures first.
Not sure what to charge or what came out of a total? The GST and HST calculator adds the tax to a price, and the HST reverse calculator strips it back out of a tax-included figure.
Which filing methods exist?
The CRA lists six for GST/HST. Here’s what the page says about each.
| Method | What the CRA says |
|---|---|
| CRA account | My Business Account or Represent a Client |
| NETFILE form | Online without a CRA account, needs an access code |
| Financial institution | Electronic data interchange through participating banks |
| Accounting software | Upload through GST/HST Internet File Transfer, needs an access code |
| Phone | TELEFILE, needs an access code |
| Paper return, penalties for most filers |
For most small firms the CRA account route is the least fuss, since you can pay or set up direct deposit for a refund in the same place.
Can a bookkeeper file for you?
Yes, but they need authorization. Representatives send a request through Represent a Client, and you approve it inside My Business Account. Offline, Form AUT-01 authorizes a representative for phone, mail, fax or in-person access. Only give access to someone you’d trust with your bank statements.
What about payroll and corporate tax online?
Same login, different account. If you have staff, the payroll remittance calculator estimates what you’ll send in. For a corporation, the corporate tax calculator gives a rough bill on active business income. We haven’t listed due dates here, because we can’t find 2026 filing dates on a page we’ve read, and they depend on your reporting period.
Working for yourself with no corporation? Your profit lands on the personal return. Use the self-employed tax calculator, but remember its deductions lower income tax without lowering CPP, and it leaves EI out.
Is paper ever the better choice?
Rarely. Mail carries a penalty for most filers, it’s slower to confirm, and you get no receipt number. The one real reason to avoid the online routes is if you can’t get into a CRA account, in which case NETFILE with an access code is the CRA’s other online option.
Mistakes that cost time
Registering for the wrong account is common. So is missing the confirmation number, which is your only proof the return went in. Write it down.
And watch for lookalike sites. Every page we used sits on canada.ca. If a site offers to file your CRA return for a fee, check who they are before you pay, and don’t type your CRA sign-in details anywhere except the CRA’s own login.
Where the numbers come from
The steps and rules above come from the Canada Revenue Agency’s pages on registering for a GST/HST account, filing a GST/HST return and My Business Account, all read in 2026. Calculator outputs use our own engine. This site isn’t connected to the CRA or any government.
Frequently asked questions
Is online GST/HST filing required?
For a registrant with a reporting period beginning in 2024 or later, yes, apart from a few exceptions such as charities. Mail filing carries a penalty.
How do I get a business number online?
Use Business Registration Online. It needs an existing CRA account and some tax filing history.
What proves my GST/HST return was filed?
The six-digit confirmation number shown after you submit.
Can I file without a CRA account?
Yes, the CRA lists NETFILE, which needs an access code.
How do I let my accountant file for me?
They send a request through Represent a Client and you approve it in My Business Account.
- Self-employed taxes in Canada: income, CPP and GST
How tax works when you are self-employed in Canada: reporting income and expenses, paying both halves of CPP, instalments and when to register for GST
Information only. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns or offer tax services, and we have no connection with the CRA, Revenu Québec, any government or any company named on this page. Check the figures that matter with an official source or a qualified professional.