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For most people, the 2025 personal tax return had to be filed by April 30, 2026, and any tax owing was due the same day. If you or your spouse ran a business, the filing date moved to June 15, 2026, but the payment date didn’t.
The 2026 return isn’t due yet, and the CRA hadn’t published its dates when we checked. Until it does, assume the same pattern and confirm on the CRA page.
For most people, the 2025 return has to be filed on or before April 30, 2026, and payment is due April 30, 2026.
CRA, Filing due dates for the 2025 tax return, canada.ca
What do you need before you start a personal tax return?
Slips first. Your employer sends a T4 and your bank sends interest slips. A pension plan sends its own. The CRA gets copies of these too, so a missing slip is a problem for you, not for them.
Then the receipts. If you’re claiming deductions or credits, the CRA says to keep your receipts and supporting documents for six years from the end of the tax year they relate to. That’s longer than most people think.
Waiting for every slip before you file is usually the better move. Filing early with half the numbers gives you a return you may need to correct later.
A simple checklist helps. Slips (T4, T5, T4A and the like), last year’s notice of assessment, RRSP receipts, tuition and medical receipts, your social insurance number and your banking details for direct deposit. Put them in one folder before tax time and the job takes an evening.
Which way should you file?
Online, through certified tax software, is the route the CRA promotes. NETFILE opened on February 23, 2026 and stays open until January 29, 2027, and the CRA lists the software it has certified. Some products offer free filing for simple returns. Who qualifies depends on the provider and the year, so read the terms.
The CRA’s Auto-fill My Return service pulls in the slips it holds in your My Account and drops them into the software. It won’t have everything. Tips and one-off earnings that never got a slip aren’t there, and the CRA says you’re responsible for anything missing.
The service can only use information the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has on file at the time of the request.
CRA, Auto-fill My Return, canada.ca
A paper return still works. It’s slower, and it’s the option most people skip for good reason.
If you’re stuck choosing software, our guide to tax apps and software covers what to ask before you pay anyone.
How much tax will you owe, or get back?
Here’s a case worth running through. You earn $60,000 in Ontario, and your employer withheld $9,000 during the year. The income tax calculator puts your federal tax at $5,338.30 and Ontario tax at $2,982.20, a total of $8,320.50. That leaves a refund of $679.50, as the tax refund calculator confirms.
| Item | No deduction | $3,000 RRSP deduction |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable income | $59,435 | $56,435 |
| Tax for the year | $8,320.50 | $7,566.72 |
| Tax already withheld | $9,000.00 | $9,000.00 |
| Refund | $679.50 | $1,433.28 |
So a $3,000 RRSP contribution adds about $754 to the refund. The RRSP calculator shows what that money could grow into.
The tools count the basic personal amount and the employment and payroll credits only. Childcare and medical costs aren’t in there, and neither are the benefits you might get, so your real refund can be higher.
What goes wrong on a first personal tax return?
Missing income is the big one. A side gig, tips or a T5 you forgot about all count as income. Tips and odd earnings are the ones the CRA says Auto-fill won’t catch, so you have to remember them yourself.
Second, the wrong province. Your tax is set by where you lived on December 31, not where you worked. Third, filing late. The CRA says filing on time also keeps benefit payments such as the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit coming without a break.
What if you owe and can’t pay? File anyway. We couldn’t confirm the penalty amounts on a CRA page, so we won’t quote any, but the safe path is to file by the deadline and contact the CRA about payment.
And if you’re self-employed, budget for the tax as you go. The self-employed tax calculator shows both halves of CPP, which surprises many first timers.
What happens after you file?
You get a notice of assessment from the CRA, which says what it worked out for the year. Compare it with your own figures, and keep it, since many preparers and lenders ask to see it. If the numbers differ, don’t panic. A slip may have arrived late, or a credit was adjusted. Read the explanation on the notice first, then decide whether to ask the CRA about it.
Our sources
Dates and rules come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s 2025 filing dates page and its guidance on tax software, slips and Auto-fill My Return. Tax figures come from our calculators, which use the CRA’s 2026 federal rates and Ontario’s 2026 rates. The examples ignore credits beyond the basic personal amount and the payroll credits.
Frequently asked questions
When was the personal tax return due for 2025?
April 30, 2026 for most people. Self-employed people had until June 15, 2026, but any balance was still due April 30.
How long should I keep my receipts?
The CRA says six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
What is Auto-fill My Return?
A CRA service that loads the slips it holds into your tax software. It doesn't include tips or occasional earnings without a slip.
Can I file on paper?
Yes, the CRA still accepts paper returns. Online filing with certified software is the route it promotes.
Does a refund change if I add an RRSP deduction?
Yes. In our $60,000 Ontario example a $3,000 contribution raised the refund from $679.50 to $1,433.28.
- 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