Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Your TurboTax account, or the account with any tax software, is just a login to a company’s site, and it isn’t connected to your CRA account. That’s the first thing to sort out when you can’t find last year’s return. Software companies keep their own copy of what you entered. The CRA keeps the official record. This page is a neutral guide to getting into a software account and to what you can rely on when you can’t. TurboTax is one example, and we say nothing about its features, prices or offers.
Why does a tax software account matter at all?
Because the account is where the software keeps your answers. Some products may carry your name, address and earlier figures forward, which would save ten minutes, but check that in the provider’s help pages. It doesn’t save you from checking each number, because the return is still yours and the CRA holds you responsible for it.
Whether a given company stores old returns, for how long, and if downloads are allowed are questions for its help pages. We couldn’t confirm those details for any one provider, so we won’t guess.
What if you can’t sign in to your TurboTax account?
The steps are the same for any software login. Work through them in this order.
- Try the password reset with the email you think you used. People often have two.
- Search old email for the welcome message or a receipt. It usually names the address.
- Think back: did you sign in through a Google or Apple login rather than a password?
- Contact the provider’s support with your name and the tax year.
Don’t google “account recovery” and call the first phone number that appears. Scam support numbers turn up in search results. Go to the company’s site by typing it in.
Say Jordan in Winnipeg hasn’t opened the software since 2023 and can’t remember which of three email addresses it was. The reset email will only go to the right one, so Jordan tries each in turn, then searches the inbox for “receipt”. It takes ten minutes, and it beats starting a fresh account that has none of the old numbers in it.
Do you need the software login to file this year?
No. You can file with any tax software the CRA certifies, and the CRA publishes a list of certified products. A new account works fine. You’ll need your NETFILE access code from your latest notice of assessment if you have one, though the CRA says it isn’t mandatory, and first-time filers won’t have a code.
Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) certifies tax software developed by third party service providers.
Find certified tax software, canada.ca
Old returns are a different story. If you need a past year’s figures and the software won’t give them up, your CRA account has your tax information, and you can ask the CRA directly.
| 2025 return | Date |
|---|---|
| Earliest online filing | 23 February 2026 |
| Filing deadline, most people | 30 April 2026 |
| Payment of tax owing | 30 April 2026 |
| Filing deadline, self-employed | 15 June 2026 |
The dates for the 2026 return haven’t been published, so don’t plan around these until the CRA posts new ones.
How can you check what the software tells you?
Run the same income through an independent estimate before you press send. Take an Ontario employee earning $85,000. The income tax calculator gives federal tax of $10,226.60, Ontario tax of $5,324.46, so $15,551.05 in all, plus $5,769.52 for CPP and EI. That leaves $63,679.43.
If your software shows something far away from that, the cause is usually a slip typed in twice, a missing credit or an RRSP deduction that only one side knows about. It’s not proof of an error either way, since the calculator counts the basic personal amount, the employment amount and the CPP and EI credits only.
The tax refund calculator does the other half: enter what your employer withheld and it shows the refund or balance. And the tax credits calculator covers federal credits only, so provincial ones need the software’s own screens.
What mistakes happen with software accounts?
Duplicate accounts are the big one. You sign up again with a different email, get a blank return and file it, and your earlier work sits in the other account. Use one email for tax matters.
Shared logins are another. Give a partner your password and every slip, address and social insurance number is open to them. The software may let each person have a separate account, so check.
The third is trusting the number on screen. Software follows what you type. A T4 typed in with a wrong digit produces a confident, wrong refund.
Finally, save a PDF of the finished return and your notice of assessment on your own device. The CRA says to keep slips, receipts and a copy of what was filed for at least six years, and that duty doesn’t move to the software company.
What if you think someone else got into your account?
Change the password right away, and change it anywhere else you used the same one. Look through the return for edits you didn’t make, such as a new bank account for the direct deposit. If anything looks off, tell the software company’s support and check your CRA account for changes to your banking details.
A password manager helps here, or at least a long password nobody could guess. It’s the cheapest bit of protection you will set up all tax time.
What this page is based on
Filing dates and the access code rules come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s guidance for the 2025 return. Record keeping follows the CRA’s preparer page. Example tax figures come from the 2026 federal and Ontario data in our calculators and are estimates. This site has no tie to the CRA or to any software company.
Frequently asked questions
Is my software account the same as my CRA account?
No. Software accounts belong to the company. Your CRA account is separate and holds your official tax information.
Do I need my old software login to file this year?
No. Any CRA certified software works, and the CRA publishes a list. A NETFILE access code from your notice of assessment is optional.
Where do I find my NETFILE access code?
On your latest notice of assessment. First-time filers won't have one, and the CRA says it isn't mandatory.
How long should I keep my return?
The CRA says at least six years, along with your slips and receipts.
Can I get last year's return back?
Ask the software provider's support, since we couldn't confirm what each one stores. Your CRA account also holds your tax information.
- How to choose a tax preparer in Canada
How to decide if you need a tax preparer, what a preparer does, the questions to ask before you hire one and where to find free help in Canada