Printable tax checklists for Canadian taxpayers

A checklist won’t do your taxes for you. It stops you from sitting down to file and finding out the one slip you need is still in the mail, which is a more common problem than a hard tax rule. Each page here prints on a single sheet, and you can tick the boxes on screen first.

These pages are for the practical part of tax time, the gathering. If you’re filing for the first time, you probably don’t know which slips exist yet. If you’ve filed for years, you may still forget the receipt that turns out to matter. And if you’re self-employed, the list of costs you can claim is long enough that something always slips through.

Pick the sheet that matches your situation, tick off what you already have, and the gaps show up before the deadline does. Print it and pin it somewhere, or keep it open in a tab while you hunt through the filing cabinet. When the boxes are ticked, you’ll know what to gather, what to double-check and what to do next, and you can move on to the filing guide with everything in front of you.

We don’t prepare or file returns, and a checklist isn’t advice for your own case. It’s a prompt, nothing more.

Most read right now

• First time tax filing in Canada

  The slips to gather, the dates and the late penalty, with a worked example.

• T4 Canada: what each box means

  Pay sits in box 14 and tax withheld in box 22, and here is what to do if yours is wrong.

• Home office expenses

  Your employer must sign Form T2200 before the claim counts.

• Self employed tax deductions

  What you can claim, and how the 50% meals rule works.

• Last day to file taxes in Canada

  April 30 for most people, June 15 for the self-employed, and the penalty if you miss it.

Which checklist do you need?

• Documents to gather for your tax return

  The slips, receipts and personal details to have ready before you file.

• Self-employed expenses you can claim

  The costs of running a business that people most often forget.

• Before you file your tax return

  A last check of your details, slips, claims and payment.

• Newcomer tax steps

  What to arrange in your first months in Canada.

• Student tax return

  The slips and receipts students should gather.

• Buying a home

  The costs and taxes to plan for at closing.

Where do these come from?

They’re our own plain-English summaries of what the CRA asks for. They aren’t the CRA’s forms, and they don’t replace the filing guide, which explains what to do with each item. Start with how to file your tax return if you haven’t filed before, and keep the tax calendar nearby for the dates.

If a checklist is tied to a big change, such as a move, a new job or a first home, the life events pages explain the tax side behind it. Stuck on a word, like T2202 or notice of assessment? The glossary has it in a line or two.