Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
The CRA’s record-keeping requirements come down to one rule: keep your records and supporting documents for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. For a 2025 return, filed by April 30, 2026, that means keeping everything until the end of 2031.
Keep your records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, unless you have permission from the CRA to destroy them earlier.
Keeping Records, canada.ca
How long do you keep which records?
Six years is the default, and it runs from the end of the tax year, not from the day you filed. A few situations stretch it out.
| Situation | How long to keep records |
|---|---|
| Normal return filed on time | Six years from the end of the tax year |
| Return filed late | Six years from the date you filed |
| Objection or appeal under way | Until it’s fully settled |
| Records that affect selling or closing a business | Longer, per the CRA’s business page |
| Corporation that has been dissolved | Two years after dissolution |
The CRA can also tell you, in person or by registered mail, to keep records longer. If it does, that instruction beats the six year rule.
| Tax year | Keep until the end of |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 2029 |
| 2024 | 2030 |
| 2025 | 2031 |
That second table is our own arithmetic for a calendar year filer who files on time.
What do the record-keeping requirements mean for an employee?
Keep a copy of each return, every notice of assessment or reassessment, and the proof behind anything you claimed. That means receipts, cancelled cheques and bank statements. Filing online doesn’t change this, even when you don’t send the receipts in. The CRA may ask for them later.
Most people worry about the big claims: an RRSP receipt, tuition, medical costs. Take a look at the tax credits calculator for a sense of which claims are worth the paper trail. A $10,000 RRSP contribution on $80,000 of Ontario income cuts tax by $3,115, per the RRSP calculator, so that receipt is worth filing carefully.
Say Jess in Moncton gets a notice at tax time asking for her medical receipts from two years back. If she kept a folder, it’s a ten-minute job. If not, she’s phoning pharmacies.
What extra records does self-employment need?
More, because the whole result comes from your own numbers. On $80,000 of net business income in Ontario, the self-employed tax calculator shows $13,233.57 of income tax and $8,892.90 of CPP, $22,126.47 in all. Every dollar of that depends on income and expenses you can prove.
The CRA says records are all your accounting and other financial documents, and they must be kept organized. Landlords are in the same boat. A rental with $30,000 of rent and $14,000 of expenses leaves $16,000 of net income, with $4,744 of extra Ontario tax on the rental income tax calculator. If you can’t show the $14,000, the CRA can disallow it.
Paper, scans or electronic files?
Either works, with limits. If you keep your books on a computer, they must be in an electronically readable format, even if you also print them. The CRA has separate pages on scanning paper and backing up electronic files. Back up in a second place, and check that your files still open.
The CRA business page says records go at your place of business or your residence in Canada, unless it gives written permission to store them elsewhere. Off-shore electronic storage needs CRA authorization too.
What should you do with old records?
Once the six years are up, you can shred them. Do it in one sweep each year, say every January, and write down what you destroyed and when. Keep anything that’s tied to an asset you still own, like a receipt for a building or equipment, since its cost may matter when you sell.
Mistakes that cause trouble
Shredding too early tops the list. Businesses need written CRA permission to destroy records early, using Form T137 or a letter to the tax services office, and destroying them without permission can lead to prosecution. Second, throwing out slips because the software already has the numbers. Third, mixing personal and business spending, which makes every expense harder to prove.
A cloud folder you can’t reach when the CRA writes to you doesn’t count for much.
What this page is based on
The six year rule, the exceptions, the electronic records rules and Form T137 come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s record-keeping pages, read in October 2026. The tax examples use 2026 federal and Ontario rates in the linked calculators. If you’re a GST/HST registrant, check the CRA’s GST/HST pages for any extra rules.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I keep tax records in Canada?
Six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to. If you file late, it's six years from the filing date.
What records should an individual keep?
A copy of each return, notices of assessment or reassessment, receipts, cancelled cheques, bank statements and proof for any claim.
Can I keep records electronically?
Yes. If you keep books on a computer, they must be in an electronically readable format. The CRA also has rules for scanning paper.
Can I destroy records early?
Businesses need written CRA permission, using Form T137 or a letter to the tax services office.
Where must records be kept?
The CRA's business page says at your place of business or your residence in Canada, unless it gives written permission to keep them elsewhere.
- 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