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For the 2025 tax year, your income tax filing is due by April 30, 2026, and so is any tax you owe. Self-employed people get until June 15, 2026 to file, but the payment date doesn’t move. That last part trips up more people than any form does.
When is income tax filing due?
The CRA opened online filing for 2025 returns on February 23, 2026. Most people have until April 30. When April 30 falls on a weekend or a CRA holiday, the next business day counts as on time.
The CRA’s due dates page also lists March 2, 2026 as the last day to make an RRSP contribution that counts for 2025, which is why February is such a busy month for banks. Dates for the 2026 return aren’t posted yet. They usually appear on that page in the new year, so check there before you plan around any date you’ve seen elsewhere, including this one. Our tax calendar keeps the main dates in one place.
| Who you are | File by | Pay by |
|---|---|---|
| Most individuals | April 30, 2026 | April 30, 2026 |
| You or your spouse or partner ran a business in 2025 | June 15, 2026 | April 30, 2026 |
| Someone who died | Different dates apply | See the CRA page for deceased persons |
What does filing late cost you?
Owing tax and filing late costs you twice. The charge starts at 5% of what you owe for 2025 and adds 1% for each full month after that, and the CRA stops counting at month 12. Interest runs on top of that. The rate changes from time to time, so the CRA’s interest page is the place for the current number.
Here’s what the penalty looks like. Suppose the balance is $2,000 and the return arrives three full months late. Five plus three makes 8%, which is $160, and interest comes on top. Annoying, and completely avoidable. If you’re owed a refund, this penalty doesn’t apply, though filing late can hold up benefits such as the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit.
What if you can’t pay everything by the date?
File anyway. The penalty above is a charge for a late return, so a return that arrives on time avoids it even when the cheque is short. Interest on the unpaid balance still runs from the payment date, and paying what you can on April 30 keeps that interest smaller. Think of it as two separate clocks: one for the paperwork, one for the money. Stopping one doesn’t stop the other, and plenty of people let both run just because the bill stung.
How do you actually file?
You have four routes, according to the CRA: certified tax software, the SimpleFile service, a paper return, or a volunteer at a free tax clinic. You can also hand the papers to a paid preparer who files for you.
Before any of that, sign in to your CRA account and check your direct deposit details. A refund sent to a closed account is a bad way to spend a month. Then gather your slips. T4 and T4A slips are the obvious ones, but the CRA’s page lists others too, so look through your mail and your online accounts. Our before you file checklist puts it in order.
Not sure which way to go? The tax refund calculator gives you a rough idea of whether to expect money back or a bill, which tells you how much effort the return deserves.
What does a real return look like?
Take someone in Ontario with $85,000 of employment income and nothing else. The income tax calculator shows $15,551 of federal and Ontario tax, about 18.3% of income. CPP and EI take another $5,770. That leaves roughly $63,679 of take-home for the year.
Now drop to $60,000 and add a $5,000 deduction, an RRSP contribution for instance. Tax falls from $8,320 to $7,104. So the deduction saves about $1,217, which is 24 cents on each dollar. Where you sit in the brackets decides that number, and the marginal tax rate calculator shows it for your income.
What goes wrong when people file?
Missing slips come first, so look through your mail and your online accounts before you file. Second is the self-employed date confusion above: filing in June doesn’t mean paying in June. Picture Jordan, a self-employed plumber who files on June 10 and feels organized. The balance was due April 30, so interest has been piling up for six weeks. If you’re expecting to owe more than $3,000, the tax instalments calculator shows how quarterly payments would look. The $3,000 threshold and the four dates (March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15) come from the CRA, though the Quebec threshold is lower at $1,800.
The calculators here have limits worth knowing. They cover federal and Ontario tax, they leave out benefits and refundable credits, and they assume you take the standard credits. Treat the answer as an estimate, and let your return show the final figure. If the whole process still feels like a lot, our guide to filing your taxes breaks it into steps.
The sources behind this page
Filing and payment dates, the late-filing penalty and the ways to file come from Canada Revenue Agency pages for the 2025 return. Tax amounts in the examples come from the 2026 federal and Ontario rates in our calculators. This is an independent guide, separate from any government body.
Frequently asked questions
When is the income tax filing deadline for 2025?
April 30, 2026 for most people. If you or your spouse or partner ran a business in 2025, you have until June 15, 2026 to file, but any balance owing is still due April 30.
What is the penalty for filing late?
If you owe tax, the CRA adds 5% of the balance owing plus 1% for each full month late, to a maximum of 12 months. Interest is charged as well.
Can I file for free?
The CRA points to volunteers at free tax clinics, and its list of certified software shows some free programs. Free options often depend on income, a simple return or your province.
Do I have to file if I owe nothing?
Not always, but filing keeps benefits such as the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit coming. The CRA says late filing can interrupt them.
When is the 2026 return due?
We couldn't find the 2026 return dates on a CRA page yet. Check the CRA's important dates page before you rely on any date.
- 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