Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Tax filing near you comes down to four routes: certified software with NETFILE, a free volunteer clinic, a paid preparer, or paper. Most people with a plain return use the first. For the 2025 return, the CRA’s date was April 30, 2026, and NETFILE stays open for 2025 returns until January 29, 2027.
Which way of filing suits you?
Match the route to your return, not to what’s convenient this week. A T4 job and a couple of receipts is a software job. A business, a rental or a sale of shares is where a preparer starts to earn the fee.
| Route | Fits when | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Certified software and NETFILE | Your return is simple to moderate | Some products are free for modest incomes, others charge |
| Free tax clinic | Modest income, no business or rental | Volunteers, run by community groups, walk-in, drop-off or appointment |
| Paid preparer | Business, rental, capital gains, or you want someone else to do it | Fees are set by the preparer, so ask first |
| Paper | You can’t file online | Mailed to a CRA tax centre |
What are the dates for tax filing?
For 2025 income, you could start filing online on February 23, 2026. Most people had until April 30, 2026 to file and to pay. Self-employed people, and their spouses, had until June 15, 2026 to file, but any balance was still due April 30.
We couldn’t find the dates for the 2026 return published yet. Plan on the CRA’s important dates page rather than on last year’s calendar, since a weekend or holiday can shift a date to the next business day.
Late is worse than it sounds. Filing late can hold up benefits such as the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit, and interest runs on what you owe.
Is a refund worth filing early for?
Yes, if you’re owed one. Money sitting with the CRA earns you nothing. Suppose you earn $60,000 in Ontario and your employer withheld $9,500 during the year. The tax refund calculator works out tax of about $8,320, so you’d get roughly $1,180 back. Withheld only $7,500 and you’d owe around $820, due by the deadline.
If you owe, filing early gains you little, since the payment is due on the same date. But do get the return done. Benefits depend on it.
Do you need to pay in instalments?
Some people do. If you earn income with no tax taken off, such as from self-employment or rent, the CRA may ask for payments through the year. Our tax instalment calculator splits the bill into four equal payments, and the self-employed tax calculator shows the size of the bill to start with. The self-employed tool lowers income tax with your deductions but not CPP, and it leaves out EI, so treat its total as a floor.
What goes wrong when filing?
Missing slips.
A T4 arrives from your employer, but the T5 from the bank doesn’t, and the CRA may well have a copy of both. The CRA’s own get-ready page puts tax slips first on the list of things to gather, so pull them together and count them before you open the software, then compare against last year’s return to see which one is missing. It takes five minutes and avoids a reassessment letter.
Guessing at credits is the other classic. Try the income tax calculator for a sanity check on the total. If the software’s figure is way off from yours, find out which of you forgot something. Maybe it’s you.
Where do these dates and figures come from?
Dates and NETFILE information come from the Canada Revenue Agency’s 2025 return pages, read in September 2026. The free clinic details are also the CRA’s. The calculator figures use the 2026 federal and Ontario rates in our own tools, which are not an official CRA product.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file my taxes online for free?
Often, yes. The CRA says some certified software is free or pay-what-you-want, and many products prepare a basic return free for modest incomes. Check the certified list on canada.ca.
What was the deadline for filing 2025 taxes?
April 30, 2026 for most people. Self-employed people had until June 15, 2026 to file, but had to pay any balance by April 30.
How long is NETFILE open?
For 2025 returns it opened on February 23, 2026 and runs until January 29, 2027.
Do I have to pay if I file late but owe nothing?
The CRA warns of penalties and interest when you owe. Late filing can also delay benefit payments, so file anyway.
Is there a walk-in place to file?
Free tax clinics offer walk-in service in some areas, but the CRA itself has no walk-in counter at its tax offices.
- 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.