Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
A taxes app is only worth using if the CRA has certified it for the year you’re filing. Check that first, because uncertified software can’t send your return through NETFILE, the CRA’s online filing service.
I’m assuming you mean an app or program that prepares and files a Canadian personal return. Which product is best isn’t something this page can tell you. Prices, free tiers and features change every season, and none of them could be confirmed on an official page. What I can show is how to choose one and how to check what it gives you.
What should a taxes app do for you?
Two jobs, really. It has to calculate your return correctly, and it has to file it electronically. Everything else is decoration, including the slick design, the chat window and any promise of a big refund.
The CRA certifies tax software every year and publishes the certified products on its list of certified tax software. If an app isn’t on that list for the current tax year, look elsewhere. The CRA also says it can’t be held responsible for programming errors in the software, so a certified badge tells you the product can file, not that the answer is right.
How do you pick one without paying too much?
Start with the CRA’s list, then open the provider’s own page and read what’s included. The CRA notes that most software will prepare a basic return for free if your income is modest, and some providers offer free filing based on a simple tax situation or where you live. What counts as modest or simple is the provider’s call, so read the terms before you type in your details.
Ask four plain questions:
- Does it cover your situation, such as self-employment, rental income or a move between provinces?
- Does it support Auto-fill My Return?
- What does it cost to file, print or amend?
- Does the free version include the forms you need, or only a stripped-down return?
Privacy is on you. The CRA says it doesn’t look at the privacy policies of software developers, so you’ll have to read the provider’s policy yourself. Your return holds your SIN, your address and your income, which is about as personal as paperwork gets.
Does Auto-fill save time?
Usually. Auto-fill My Return loads the slips the CRA has in your My Account straight into the software. You review them instead of typing every box.
But it only pulls what the CRA already has on file at the moment you run it, which may be before a late slip arrives. Tips and occasional earnings that never got a slip won’t be there, and it’s up to you to add anything missing. Treat the auto-filled return as a first draft.
How can you test the answer?
Before you trust a result, run your numbers through something independent. Take a case like this. You earn $60,000 in Ontario and your employer withheld $9,000. The income tax calculator shows $8,320.50 of federal and Ontario tax. The tax refund calculator turns that into a refund of $679.50.
| Check | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Total income | Your T4 boxes and other slips |
| Tax already paid | Income tax deducted on your T4 |
| Refund or balance | A calculator run with the same income |
| Credits claimed | Output of the tax credits calculator (federal only) |
Expect a gap. The calculators count the basic personal amount and payroll credits and leave out childcare, medical claims and donations. If the app’s refund is higher than the tool’s, ask which extra credit it found. If it’s lower, look for a missed slip.
One more habit worth having: print or save a PDF of the finished return before you send it. Say Sam in Calgary switches apps one year and can’t easily get at last year’s return in the old one. A copy on your own computer costs nothing and saves a headache when you need last year’s numbers for a loan or a benefit application.
What if you find a mistake after you file?
Don’t file a second return. For a T1 from 2022 to 2025, the CRA’s ReFILE service lets certified software send an amended return, and the CRA’s NETFILE page has the details. Check that your app supports ReFILE before you buy it, since not every product does and some charge to amend.
What mistakes do people make with these apps?
Accepting every suggestion is the first one. Software asks questions to find credits, and a click on the wrong answer claims something you don’t qualify for. Stuck on a question? Stop and look it up.
Second, filing on deadline day. The 2025 return was due April 30, 2026, or June 15 for people with business income, though the tax was still due April 30. Servers get busy, and rushing leads to errors. Pour a double-double and file a week early.
Then there are the records, which people forget. The CRA says to keep receipts and support for six years, whatever software you used. If you’re self-employed, the self-employed tax calculator gives you a sense of the bill before you enter a thing.
Where does this information come from?
Certification, free filing wording, privacy policy wording and Auto-fill details come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s tax software pages, and so do the NETFILE dates (February 23, 2026 to January 29, 2027). The calculators gave the worked figures, on 2026 rates. There’s no price, discount or product comparison anywhere here, because none could be verified. This site isn’t affiliated with the CRA.
Frequently asked questions
Does a taxes app have to be certified?
To file through NETFILE it does. The CRA certifies software each year and lists the products on its website.
Are any tax apps free?
The CRA says some certified software is free for people with a modest income or a simple tax situation. Terms depend on the provider.
Does the CRA check the privacy policy of tax software?
No. The CRA says it doesn't look at those policies, so you should read the provider's policy yourself.
Will Auto-fill My Return find all my income?
Only what the CRA has on file. Tips and occasional earnings without a slip aren't included.
How can I check the app's refund?
Run your income and tax withheld through a separate calculator. In our $60,000 Ontario example the refund is $679.50.
- How Canadian income tax works: brackets and credits
How federal and provincial Canadian income tax stack up, what marginal and average rates mean, and how credits and deductions change your bill