Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Cantax is a product name, and we can’t tell you what it costs, what it covers or whether it suits you. What we can do is show how to pick tax software in Canada. The one hard rule from the CRA is that software used to file your own return online should be NETFILE certified, and for 2025 returns the CRA listed 17 certified providers.
What is Cantax, and should you look at it?
Most people who search this name want a straight answer, and we haven’t got one. We haven’t verified its features, price, who it’s built for or how it compares with anything else, and this site has no link with it. Any page that promises otherwise is selling something.
So ask the questions that work for any product. Who is it aimed at: a person filing one return, or a preparer filing many? Does it file electronically with the CRA? Does it handle your situation, whether that’s employment slips, rental income, self-employment or a move between provinces? The seller’s own page has to answer those, and you should read it with that in mind.
How do you check that tax software is certified?
Open the CRA’s certified tax software page and look for the product name. Each provider has a details page there, so you can see how it works before you hand over any information. If the name isn’t on the list for the year you’re filing, don’t use it to file your own return online. It takes two minutes and saves a lot of grief.
What does the CRA certify?
NETFILE certified software lets you calculate a return and send it to the CRA electronically. The CRA certifies the products every year, and the list on its site is where to check a name before you buy or download anything. If a product isn’t there, it isn’t a way to file your own return online.
The CRA also says that with a modest income most software will prepare a basic return for free, and otherwise there’s usually a fee. Read that as a reason to compare, not to pay at the first screen. NETFILE runs from 23 February 2026 to 29 January 2027 for tax years 2018 to 2025.
Professionals work differently. Registered tax professionals send returns through the CRA’s EFILE service, and a preparer filing more than 10 returns has to file them electronically. So a tool sold to firms is normally built for that job. It might be more than you need for one return.
| You are | CRA route | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Filing your own return | NETFILE certified software | Name on the CRA list, fee stated before you start |
| Paying a preparer | EFILE | Preparer certified, you sign the authorization |
| Running a practice | EFILE, electronic filing above 10 returns | Fit for your client mix, support and updates |
How can you test software before you trust it?
Use a case where you already know roughly the answer. Take $60,000 of employment income in Ontario. The income tax calculator gives $8,320.50 of federal and Ontario income tax, made up of $5,338.30 federal and $2,982.20 Ontario. Enter the same figures in the software. If it lands far away, find out why before you file.
Then try one change. Deducting $6,000 for an RRSP contribution should cut the tax to $6,890.91, a saving of $1,429.59. The RRSP calculator shows how the deduction and the growth fit together. If the software’s saving is nowhere near, you’ve learned something about how it handles deductions.
The tax credits calculator is a useful third check, but it covers federal credits only.
What goes wrong with tax software?
Missing slips, mostly. Software can only add up what you type in, so before you start, open your CRA account and check that every T-slip you were sent is in the pile, because one missing slip throws the whole figure off. Next comes the wrong province, since your tax follows where you lived on 31 December. Also watch for unstated fees at the last step, and for filing with a product that isn’t certified.
Here’s how it plays out. Alex moved from Winnipeg to Halifax in June and picked the first province the software suggested, the old one. The figures looked fine on screen and were still wrong. Reading the summary page before you send is what catches that. At tax time everyone’s in a hurry, and hurry is how a wrong province slips through. Spend the extra five minutes on the review screen, and compare the total with your own rough figure.
Self-employed filers face one more trap. Business income means CPP on both halves and possibly instalments. The self-employed tax calculator gives an estimate, though it leaves EI out.
And what about the refund? Software shows an estimate, and the CRA’s assessment is what counts. The CRA says electronically filed returns usually take about 2 weeks.
Our sources
The NETFILE facts, the 17 certified providers for 2025 and the filing window are from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s certified software page, read in 2026. The EFILE points are from the CRA’s page for tax preparers. Tax figures in the examples come from our 2026 income tax calculator. We couldn’t confirm any product’s features or prices, and left them out on purpose.
Frequently asked questions
What does NETFILE certified mean?
The CRA certifies tax software each year so you can calculate and file a return electronically. Check the product's name on the CRA list before you use it.
Is tax software free in Canada?
The CRA says most software will prepare a basic return for free if your income is modest, and otherwise there's usually a fee. Check the price before you enter your data.
What is EFILE?
It's the CRA service registered tax professionals use to send returns electronically. A preparer who files more than 10 returns has to file them electronically.
How can I check the software's answer?
Run the same income through a calculator and compare. Big gaps mean a missing slip, a wrong province or a wrong deduction.
Can you tell me what Cantax costs?
No. We couldn't verify prices or features for any named product, and this site has no link with it.
- How to choose a tax preparer in Canada
How to decide if you need a tax preparer, what a preparer does, the questions to ask before you hire one and where to find free help in Canada