Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Canada's tax season for the 2025 return ran from February 23, 2026, when NETFILE opened, to April 30, 2026, the filing and payment date for most people. Self-employed filers had until June 15, 2026, with tax still due April 30. For the 2026 return, the usual dates are April 30 and June 15, 2027.
When is tax season in Canada?
It is a spring event, and the CRA's calendar for the 2025 tax year is below. The CRA's dates page lists no 2026 return table yet, so for the next season the dates here follow the usual rules and the CRA's own announcements.
| Event | 2025 return (2026 season) | 2026 return (2027 season) |
|---|---|---|
| RRSP deadline | March 2, 2026 | March 1, 2027 |
| NETFILE opens | February 23, 2026 | Not posted yet |
| File and pay, most people | April 30, 2026 | April 30, 2027 (usual date) |
| File, self-employed or spouse of one | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2027 (usual date) |
| Pay, self-employed | April 30, 2026 | April 30, 2027 (usual date) |
| NETFILE closes | January 29, 2027 | Not posted yet |
When a date lands on a weekend or a CRA holiday, a return received or postmarked on the next business day is on time, and so is a payment received that day. April 30, 2027 is a Friday and June 15, 2027 is a Tuesday. A longer list of dates sits in our tax calendar for 2027.
What is new for the 2027 tax season?
The CRA says about 1 million people will get an invitation in March 2027 to a pre-filled 2026 return in their CRA account. You need to be registered for the account, have your mail preference set to electronic, and meet income and residency conditions. Our page on the CRA pre-filled tax return lists the criteria.
The CRA also says a new optional sign-in step for online filers starts with the season beginning February 22, 2027. You sign in to your CRA account to confirm you are filing for yourself or are authorized to file for someone else. For the 2026 return it is optional, and first-time filers with no CRA account can still file through NETFILE.
What should you do now to get ready?
Tax time feels far away, but what shapes your next return happens all year. Start a folder, paper or digital, and drop every receipt and slip into it as it arrives. Check your RRSP room before the end of the year, and note that contributions made in the first 60 days of 2027, up to March 1, count for the 2026 return. If you owed a big amount last spring, look at your withholding or your instalments now, while there is time to change them.
It costs nothing and it saves the February scramble.
What should you gather before you file?
- T4 slips from each employer, and T5 slips for interest or dividends
- Receipts for donations, tuition, child care and medical costs
- RRSP contribution slips
- Last year's notice of assessment
The CRA's advice is to have every slip in hand before you start. Sign up for direct deposit if you have not, since a refund usually arrives faster that way. See how to get your T4 online if a slip is missing.
How much could you get back?
A refund is tax already withheld minus the tax you owe. Say you live in British Columbia, earned $75,000 and had $14,000 withheld. The tax refund calculator estimates a refund of about $2,080. With a $5,000 RRSP deduction, the estimate rises to about $3,490, which is $1,410 more from the same paycheques. These are estimates, so your assessment can differ.
What if you owe money?
Pay by April 30, even if you file later. Filing on June 15 as a self-employed person does not move the payment date. Interest on unpaid tax compounds daily, and the CRA's rate was 7% a year for October 1 to December 31, 2026. At that rate, $1,000 unpaid for 61 days, from May 1 to June 30, adds about $11.77.
If you owed a lot this year, ask why. Someone with self-employment income and no tax withheld may need to pay instalments. You have to pay them when net tax owing is more than $3,000 ($1,800 in Quebec) for 2026 and for 2025 or 2024. The usual due dates are March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. See tax instalments for individuals.
What if you miss the deadline?
File anyway, and file as soon as you can. With a balance owing, the penalty is 5% of it plus 1% for each full month late, up to 12 months. On $2,000 and three full months, that is $160 before interest. After a late filing in 2022, 2023 or 2024 plus a demand to file, the rate is 10% plus 2% a month. If you cannot pay it all, file on time and pay what you can. More in what to do after you miss a deadline.
Which mistakes cost people the most?
Filing too early, before a late slip turns up, is the first, because a missing T5 or a corrected T4 means an amended return. The second is claiming what you cannot back up, since the CRA can ask for receipts. The third is forgetting that your return decides more than your refund: benefits such as the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit depend on it, so file even when you owe nothing.
Sources and what we checked
We checked the figures and rules on this page against the official pages below in November 2026. This is an independent information page with no connection to the CRA or any government.
- CRA: important dates for individuals
- CRA: NETFILE overview
- CRA: pre-filled tax return
- CRA: enhancing security for online filing
- CRA: who has to pay instalments
- CRA: late-filing penalty
- CRA: prescribed interest rates, fourth quarter of 2026
Frequently asked questions
When does tax season start in Canada?
For the 2025 return, NETFILE opened on February 23, 2026. For the 2026 return, the CRA has not posted an opening date. It says a new optional sign-in step for online filers starts with the season beginning February 22, 2027. The usual filing deadline is April 30, 2027.
What is the tax deadline in Canada?
For the 2025 return it was April 30, 2026 for filing and for paying tax owing, for most people. For the 2026 return the usual date is April 30, 2027. If the date falls on a weekend or CRA holiday, the next business day counts.
What if I am self-employed?
You had until June 15, 2026 to file the 2025 return, and the same goes for your spouse or common-law partner. Any balance owing was still due April 30, 2026. The 2026 return follows the same pattern, with the usual dates June 15, 2027 for filing and April 30, 2027 for paying.
Should I file if I earned very little?
Usually yes. Benefits and credits such as the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit are based on your return, and the CRA says filing on time keeps those payments from being disrupted. A nil return still tells the CRA what you are entitled to.
When is the RRSP deadline for the 2026 return?
March 1, 2027, the 60th day of the year. For the 2025 return it was March 2, 2026, because March 1 fell on a Sunday. Contributions made by the deadline can be deducted on the earlier year's return, so the cutoff matters if you want the deduction now.
- How Canadian income tax works: brackets and credits
How federal and provincial Canadian income tax stack up, what marginal and average rates mean, and how credits and deductions change your bill