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You have three ways to get an income tax return done in Canada: certified software, a free volunteer clinic or a paid preparer. For a 2025 return, the CRA says NETFILE stays open until 29 January 2027, so if you haven’t filed yet there’s still a route.
Which income tax services exist, and who uses each?
| Service | Best for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Certified software | Employees and pensioners who can enter slips | Varies, some free for modest incomes |
| Free tax clinic | Modest income, simple return | Free |
| Paid preparer | Business, rental, investments, foreign income | Set by the preparer, ask first |
We won’t rank products or firms. We can’t confirm prices or free-tier rules from an official source, and they change each season.
How does certified software work?
The CRA certifies software from private companies, and it lists 17 products for the 2025 return, TurboTax being one example. You type in your slips, the program does the maths and NETFILE sends the return. The CRA says costs vary, and many products prepare a basic return free if your income is modest or your situation is simple.
The catch is that free often has conditions: a province, an income cap, no self-employment. Read those before you start typing, not after.
If you already know your income, you can predict the answer first. On $52,000 of employment income in Ontario, the income tax calculator shows federal and Ontario tax of $6,625.43, an average rate of 12.7%, with $3,733.35 more going to CPP and EI. When the software lands on something very different, you’ve probably mistyped a slip, or you have income the calculator doesn’t cover, and either way you want to find out before you hit send.
Are free tax clinics really an option?
Yes, for the right return. That’s the catch. Volunteers at community clinics do simple returns for people with modest incomes, and the CRA runs a directory to find one. They can’t take self-employment, rental or business income, or capital gains. The exact income limits differ between CRA pages, so we’ve left them out. Read the current ones on the clinic page.
When is a paid preparer the better service?
When your return has anything a clinic refuses, or when the software’s questions stop making sense to you. Rental income and self-employment are the usual reasons. Look up the rental income tax calculator or the self-employed tax calculator to see how large the numbers get.
The CRA advises checking that a preparer is certified for EFILE, using its directory. It also says a preparer completes Form T183, which you sign to authorize the filing. Your signature is on it. Read before you sign, and take your time, since a slip you forgot to hand over is easier to add now than to fix later.
What if you owe money?
Filing and paying are separate. For the 2025 return the filing date was 30 April 2026, or 15 June 2026 if you or your spouse were self-employed. Any balance was due 30 April either way. We haven’t found the 2026 dates on a CRA page yet, so treat them as unknown until they appear.
Owing a lot two years running is a signal about your withholding or instalments. If you’re self-employed, the tax instalments calculator splits expected tax into quarterly payments. As an example it shows $2,250 a payment for $9,000 of expected tax, four times a year.
Late filing and late payment bring interest and possibly penalties. We haven’t confirmed the current rates on an official page, so read the CRA’s page on them before you assume a number.
Where do the numbers come from?
The software facts, including the 17 certified products and the NETFILE dates, come from the CRA’s certified software page. Clinic guidance comes from its free tax clinic pages. Preparer guidance comes from its page on using a professional tax preparer. Tax figures come from the 2026 federal and Ontario data in our calculators. This website has no connection with the CRA or any other government body.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still file a 2025 return?
The CRA says NETFILE is open until 29 January 2027 for 2018 through 2025 returns, though software availability varies.
Is tax software free?
Costs vary. The CRA says many products prepare a basic return free if your income is modest or your situation is simple.
Who can use a free tax clinic?
People with a modest income and a simple return. Volunteers can't file self-employment, rental or business income, or capital gains.
What is Form T183?
It's the form you sign to authorize your preparer to file electronically. It must match the return they send.
When was the 2025 return due?
30 April 2026, or 15 June 2026 if you or your spouse were self-employed. Any balance owing was due 30 April.
- 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
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.