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An individual tax return is the yearly T1 form where you report what you earned, subtract what the rules let you subtract, and settle up with the CRA. For 2025 it was due April 30, 2026 for most people, and the same day was the payment deadline. If you get a T4, this is the one you file.
Who has to file an individual tax return?
Not everyone is legally required to, but almost everyone benefits. The CRA is blunt about it: you need to file every year to get, or keep getting, the benefit and credit payments you’re entitled to. That covers things like the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit. A student with $9,000 of income and no tax owing still has a reason to file.
We didn’t find a single tidy list of who is obliged to file that we could confirm across every case, so we won’t pretend to give one. The CRA’s page on getting ready to file is the place to check your own situation.
What goes on the return?
Start with income. Your employer’s T4 gives employment income, and other slips cover interest (T5), benefits (T4A) and so on. Then come deductions, the things that shrink your taxable income, like an RRSP contribution. Last are credits, which cut the tax itself. The order matters. A deduction saves tax at your top rate, while a credit takes a fixed percentage of the amount off the tax bill.
You’ll also need your address, marital status and contact details to be current with the CRA. Out-of-date details are the most common reason a payment goes astray.
Dates for the 2025 return
| What | Date |
|---|---|
| Online filing opened | February 23, 2026 |
| Most people file and pay by | April 30, 2026 |
| Filing if you or your spouse had a business | June 15, 2026 |
| Paying a balance if you had a business | April 30, 2026 |
| If a date lands on a weekend or holiday | Next business day counts |
The CRA hasn’t posted 2026 return dates that we could find. The pattern is usually the same, but confirm it in the new year.
A worked example on $60,000
Take someone living in Ontario, no partner, with $60,000 from one job. In our income tax calculator, taxable income comes to $59,435 and total tax to $8,320.50 (federal $5,338.30, Ontario $2,982.20). CPP and EI add $4,339.75, and $47,339.75 is left.
Now say their employer withheld $8,000 across the year. The tax refund calculator gives a balance owing of $320.50. A $3,000 RRSP deduction lowers taxable income to $56,435 and turns that into a $433.28 refund. If you’re not sure how much a deduction saves you, the marginal tax rate calculator shows the rate on your next dollar.
These figures leave out credits and benefits. Your actual return will probably show a little more back.
Mistakes that cost money
Filing late is the expensive one. The CRA adds 5% of what you owe, then 1% more for each full month the return stays late, for as long as a year. Interest on the unpaid amount compounds daily. Get penalised in one of the three earlier years and the next one climbs. Filing on time without paying still avoids the late-filing penalty, though interest keeps running.
Other slips are quieter. Forgetting a T4A, guessing at an RRSP figure instead of reading your notice of assessment, or ignoring a partner’s business (which moves your date to June 15 but not your payment date). Read every slip once against your CRA account before you send anything.
Where the numbers come from
Dates, the penalty and the filing advice come from Canada Revenue Agency pages for the 2025 return, read in September 2026. The worked example is ours, from calculators built on 2026 federal and Ontario figures, so it will differ a little from a 2025 return. We have no connection with the CRA.
Frequently asked questions
What is an individual tax return?
It's the T1 form where you report income, claim deductions and credits, and work out whether you owe tax or get a refund.
When was the 2025 individual tax return due?
April 30, 2026 for most people. June 15, 2026 if you or your spouse or common-law partner carried on a business, though any balance was still due April 30.
What if the due date is on a weekend?
Nothing is late if the CRA has it the next business day. Payments get the same treatment.
What is the penalty for filing late?
A flat 5% of what you owe, then 1% more per month the return is overdue. The monthly part stops after a year, and repeat offenders can pay extra.
Do I file if I owe nothing?
Usually yes, because filing keeps your benefit and credit payments going. Check the CRA's get ready page for your own case.
- 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.