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You can find your Canada T4 online by signing in to CRA My Account and opening your tax slips, but only after your employer has sent the slip to the CRA. Employers give out T4 slips by the end of February, so most people can see theirs some time in March.
What if my T4 isn’t online yet?
Don’t panic.
The CRA can only show a slip once the issuer has filed it, and it doesn’t issue T4 slips itself. It just receives copies. If you signed in and found nothing, your employer may be late, or the slip may still be in processing.
The CRA says it should have most third-party slips by the end of February and have them ready to use by mid-March. So there are really three places to look, in this order.
- Your employer’s payroll portal or your inbox. Many employers post the slip there in February.
- My Account, once the employer has filed it.
- Your last pay stub of the year, which gives you a fair estimate if the slip never turns up.
Using pay stubs is allowed, though you should say in writing who issued the slip and what you did to get it. Some other slips arrive later. T3 and T5013 slips can wait until the end of March, and that’s worth knowing before you file early.
What do the boxes on a T4 mean?
A T4 looks busy, but you’ll only use a handful of boxes. Employers must issue one when they took off CPP, EI or income tax, or when they paid you more than $500.
| Box | What it shows |
|---|---|
| 14 | Employment income for the year, before deductions |
| 16 and 16A | CPP contributions, base and second additional |
| 17 and 17A | QPP contributions, for Quebec |
| 18 | EI premiums |
| 22 | Income tax your employer deducted |
| 26 | CPP or QPP pensionable earnings |
| 44 | Union dues |
| 52 | Pension adjustment |
Box 14 and box 22 do most of the work.
Can I file my return straight from the slip?
Yes, and you may not need to type anything. Certified tax software that supports Auto-fill my return pulls the slips the CRA holds in My Account into your return. You review each amount and decide what to report.
You have to be registered for My Account for this to work. And it only fills in what the CRA already has, so rent, medical costs, child care and moving expenses still go in by hand. The CRA itself suggests waiting until you have all your slips and receipts before you file, and that’s good advice. Filing twice to fix a missed slip is a nuisance.
What does a T4 look like in real numbers?
Take an Ontario employee paid $75,000 in 2026. The take-home pay calculator shows CPP of $4,246.45 and EI of $1,123.07 for the year. Box 16 would carry the base part and box 16A the small second-tier part, which together make that CPP figure.
Federal and Ontario income tax for the year comes to $12,704.65 in the tax refund calculator. Say box 22 on the slip reads $14,000, because the employer withheld a bit too much. The calculator gives an estimated refund of $1,295.35.
Real payroll systems work in steps through the year, so your slip can differ from a calculator by a few dollars, especially in the months where CPP or EI hit their yearly maximum and stop coming off your cheque, which is why a gap of hundreds is the one that should make you call payroll.
What should you check on a T4 first?
Read it against your last pay stub. Box 14 should be close to your year-to-date gross, and boxes 16, 18 and 22 should match the year-to-date lines. The payroll deductions calculator gives a sense of what those deductions ought to be on a given salary.
Look at your name and social insurance number too. A wrong digit sends the slip to the wrong file. If anything’s off, ask your employer for an amended slip. If you’ve already filed, you can request a change online through your CRA account or your tax software, and the CRA says online changes usually process within about two weeks.
Your slip is one part of the bill. To see where the rest of your income tax comes from, run the income tax calculator with your box 14 amount.
Where the numbers come from
Slip dates, box descriptions and My Account access come from Canada Revenue Agency pages on tax slips, T4 slips and Auto-fill my return. Payroll figures use the 2026 CPP and EI rates and Ontario and federal tax data on this site. The examples are estimates, not what any payroll system will print.
Frequently asked questions
When can I see my T4 in My Account?
After your employer files it with the CRA. Employers give out slips by the end of February, and the CRA expects most to be ready by mid-March.
What if my employer never sends a T4?
Ask them first. If you still can't get it, estimate your income from pay stubs and explain your efforts to get the slip.
Does everyone with a job get a T4?
An employer must issue one when it deducted CPP, EI or income tax, or paid you more than $500.
What is box 22 on a T4?
It's the income tax your employer already deducted from your pay during the year.
What if my T4 has a mistake?
Ask your employer for a corrected slip. If you've filed already, request a change online through your CRA account or tax software.
- How to file your tax return in Canada: steps and dates
What to gather, when your return is due and how to file in Canada, from the first slip to the notice of assessment that closes the year
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.