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The last day to file taxes in Canada is April 30 for most people. If you or your spouse or partner ran a business, you get until June 15. Right now, on September 30, 2026, both dates for the 2025 return have passed. If you haven’t filed yet, do it today, because the late-filing penalty grows every month.
Which filing date applies to you?
The 2025 return had two dates, and the CRA’s payment rule is the same for everyone.
| Who you are | File by | Pay by |
|---|---|---|
| Most people, 2025 return | April 30, 2026 | April 30, 2026 |
| Self-employed, or spouse or partner is | June 15, 2026 | April 30, 2026 |
| Most individuals, 2026 return | April 30, 2027 (a Friday) | April 30, 2027 |
| Self-employed, 2026 return | June 15, 2027 (a Tuesday) | April 30, 2027 |
The CRA’s page on filing due dates for the 2025 tax return confirms the 2026 pair. We couldn’t find the 2027 dates printed on a CRA page yet. They follow the same pattern as 2026, so treat them as expected and check the CRA’s due dates page in the new year.
What if the date lands on a weekend?
Then you get the next business day. A return is on time if the CRA receives it, or it carries a postmark, by the first business day after a Saturday, Sunday or holiday. Payments follow the same rule. For 2027 it won’t matter for most people, since April 30 falls on a Friday.
How bad is the penalty for filing late?
It only bites if you owe tax. Send the return late with a balance owing and you’ll pay a flat 5% of that balance. Add 1% more for every full month that passes, stopping after 12. File on time and you avoid this penalty even when you can’t pay yet. Interest still runs on what you owe.
Say your 2025 balance is $2,000 and you file four full months late. That’s $100 for the first 5%, plus $80 for four months at 1%, so $180 before interest. Filing at eight months late brings it to $260. On a smaller $500 balance, three months late costs $25 plus $15, or $40. Not a fortune, but a few bucks you could have kept.
Repeat offenders pay more. Got hit with a late penalty in 2022, 2023 or 2024, and had a demand to file from the CRA? Then the 2025 penalty is 10% of the balance and 2% for every full month, capped at 20 months.
Does filing late affect your benefits?
It can. The CRA warns that a late return can interrupt payments like the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit and Old Age Security, because those are worked out from your filed return. So even with nothing owing, getting the return in is worth the effort.
Can you still file a 2025 return now?
Yes. There’s no cut-off that stops you from sending a return after the deadline, and the sooner it’s in, the less the penalty and interest grow. Gather your slips, work out the rough result, and file through certified software or a preparer.
Say Sam in Regina forgot his 2025 return and owes $1,200. Each month he waits adds another 1% of that balance, or $12, plus interest on the whole amount. It’s a small clock, but it never stops ticking.
Late filing, missing slips and what to do first
Don’t wait for a slip that never arrives. File with what you have, and correct the return later if a T4 or T5 turns up. A return with a small error is easier to fix than one you never filed.
To see if you’re owed money or on the hook, run your numbers through the tax refund calculator. With a balance owing, the income tax calculator shows the full year’s bill. And if you were self-employed, the self-employed tax calculator is the place to start. It leaves out EI and treats deductions as lowering income tax but not CPP, so take its total as a rough guide.
Owing tax two years running? The tax installments calculator tells you if you should pay in four parts through the year instead of one lump on April 30.
Mistakes that cost money
The most common one is thinking the June 15 date gives more time to pay. It doesn’t. Self-employed filers still owe any balance on April 30, and interest still runs after that.
Another is skipping the return because you can’t pay. The penalty only applies when you file late, so send the return and deal with the payment separately, for example by asking the CRA about a payment arrangement.
Also, a return with zero income isn’t always optional. Benefits like the GST/HST credit depend on a filed return, so a nil return can still pay off.
The penalty figures here don’t include arrears interest, and we haven’t shown the rate. Look up the CRA’s current prescribed rate before you plan a payment.
What this page is based on
The filing and payment dates for the 2025 return, the weekend rule, and the late-filing penalty percentages come from the Canada Revenue Agency pages on due dates and on interest and penalties. The 2027 dates are our reading of the same rule, not a published date. No government body is connected to this website.
Frequently asked questions
When is the last day to file taxes in Canada?
For the 2025 return it was April 30, 2026 for most people. Self-employed filers had until June 15, 2026.
When do I have to pay if I am self-employed?
Any balance owing is due April 30, even though the filing date is June 15.
What if the deadline falls on a weekend?
The return counts as on time if the CRA gets it, or it's postmarked, by the next business day.
What is the penalty for filing late?
A flat 5% of what you owe, then 1% more per full month, stopping at 12 months. If you were penalized before, it's 10% and 2% a month, stopping at 20.
Is there a penalty if I file late but owe nothing?
No. This penalty is a percentage of tax owed, so with nothing owing it comes to zero.
- 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