Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
The tax deadline in Canada is April 30 for most people, both to file and to pay. Self-employed people and their spouses file by June 15, but any balance is still due April 30. The next deadline belongs to the 2026 tax year: Friday, April 30, 2027, though the CRA has not published it yet.
What were the tax deadline dates for 2025?
You had until April 30, 2026 to file and pay. If you or your spouse had business income, the filing date was June 15, 2026, though the money was still due April 30. The RRSP deadline for 2025 fell on March 2, 2026, because March 1 was a Sunday and the day moved to Monday.
Missed one? File now, and don’t wait until you’ve sorted out the payment. The late-filing penalty is set out further down, and our guide to what to do about a missed tax filing deadline walks through the steps.
When is the tax deadline in Canada for the 2026 return?
As of 12 November 2026 the CRA’s important dates page shows no dates for the 2026 tax year, so none of what follows is official yet. The pattern hasn’t moved in years, though: April 30 to file if you’re an employee or other individual, June 15 if you run a business, and April 30 to pay in both cases. A date that lands on a weekend slides to the next business day, so check which weekday each one falls on.
| Item | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| File the 2026 return, employee | Friday, April 30, 2027 | Usual date, weekday checked, not yet announced |
| Pay the 2026 balance | Friday, April 30, 2027 | Usual date, not yet announced |
| File the 2026 return, business owner | Tuesday, June 15, 2027 | Usual date, weekday checked, not yet announced |
| Pay the 2026 balance, business owner | Friday, April 30, 2027 | Usual date, not yet announced |
| RRSP contribution for 2026 | Monday, March 1, 2027 | Sixty days after year end, not printed by the CRA |
| Tax instalments | March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15 | Usual dates on the CRA’s instalments page |
April 30, 2027 is a Friday and June 15, 2027 is a Tuesday, so neither one shifts. March 1, 2027 is a Monday. Treat those three as your working plan until the CRA publishes its own. Our 2027 tax calendar lists every date with its weekday.
One change is on the horizon. Budget 2026 proposes moving the T1 filing and balance-due date to May 15 for all individuals, self-employed people and their spouses included. The Department of Finance annex says it would apply from the 2027 tax year, so the first return affected is filed in 2028. It still needs to pass Parliament and the date may change. The 2026 return keeps the dates here, and the CRA has the date that applies to you.
What does the next twelve months look like?
From mid-November 2026, the dates run in this order: the December 15 instalment, then the RRSP date on Monday, March 1, 2027, then April 30 and June 15. Put all four in your phone now. For Sam in Calgary, who freelances on the side, the calendar looks like this: instalment in December, RRSP top-up before March 1, payment on April 30 even though the return can wait until June 15.
The 2025 return dates in the first section match the CRA’s own due dates and payment dates page, which lists April 30 and June 15 for the 2025 return and March 2, 2026 for the RRSP. It had no 2027 dates when we looked, so the 2027 table above stays our own working plan.
What happens if the deadline lands on a weekend?
A payment is on time if it arrives on the next business day after a Saturday, Sunday or recognized holiday. That’s what happened to the RRSP date in 2026.
Still, don’t build your plan on it. Pay by the earlier date and let the extra day be your cushion.
When are tax instalments due?
You may have to pay instalments if your net tax owing is more than $3,000 for 2026 and also in 2025 or 2024. In Quebec the threshold is $1,800. There are four payments a year, always on the 15th of March, June, September and December, according to the CRA’s income tax instalments page. Farmers and fishers have one date, December 31. The next one is December 15, 2026, a Tuesday.
Say you expect $9,000 of tax owing. The tax instalments calculator splits that into four equal payments of $2,250.00, and if a date has already gone by it asks you to pay now to catch up. You can also pay the amounts on the CRA’s own reminders or base them on last year’s figures, which can cost less if your income changed.
How much can you put in an RRSP by the deadline?
The RRSP dollar limit for 2026 is $33,810, and your own room is the lesser of that figure and 18% of last year’s earned income, less any pension adjustment, plus unused room. For 2027 the CRA’s limits table shows $35,390. The RRSP deadline guide for 2027 has the March date. Put the money in by the deadline and it counts on the 2026 return, which lowers the tax you owe. The RRSP calculator shows what a contribution could save you. And if you’re waiting on a refund, the tax refund calculator gives an estimate before you file.
What happens if you miss the tax deadline?
Filing late costs more than paying late. The CRA’s late-filing penalty page for the 2025 return gives these rates.
| Situation | Penalty | Most it can reach |
|---|---|---|
| First late filing | 5% of the balance owing, plus 1% for each full month late, up to 12 months | 17% |
| Repeat late filing (penalized in one of the three previous years and sent a demand to file) | 10% of the balance owing, plus 2% for each full month late, up to 20 months | 50% |
Take a $3,000 balance filed four full months late. The first-offence penalty is 5% ($150) plus 4% ($120), so $270, before interest on the unpaid tax. The same rules are expected to apply to the 2026 return, but check the CRA page when the 2027 filing season opens. Also see what is the last day to file taxes in Canada.
What trips people up?
- Believing June 15 gives self-employed people more time to pay. It doesn’t, since payment is still due April 30.
- Counting on the weekend rule. Pay a day early.
- Treating a 2027 date as official before it’s published.
- Filing late because you can’t pay yet. File on time anyway, since the late-filing penalty is charged on the balance owing and keeps growing each month. Pay what you can as soon as you can.
Where we checked this information
Checked in November 2026 on canada.ca: the important dates for individuals (April 30, 2026, June 15, 2026 and March 2, 2026 for the 2025 return, and no 2026 tax year dates yet), the instalments page, the late-filing penalty page and the RRSP limits table. The 2027 dates are our reading of the same pattern, with weekdays worked out by calendar. We’re an independent site, and no government body is behind it.
Frequently asked questions
When is the tax deadline in Canada?
For most individuals it is April 30, to file and to pay. For the 2026 tax year that is Friday, April 30, 2027. The CRA has not announced it yet. The date has not changed in years and a weekday date does not shift.
When do self-employed people have to file?
They have until June 15 to file, but the tax they owe is still due April 30. June 15, 2027 is a Tuesday. The extra time applies to people who run a business and to their spouses or common-law partners.
When is the RRSP contribution deadline?
For 2025 it was March 2, 2026. For 2026 it should be Monday, March 1, 2027, sixty days into the year, but the CRA has not printed that date yet. Money in by then counts on the 2026 return. The CRA’s 2026 table shows a dollar limit of $33,810.
When are tax instalments due?
March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. You may have to pay instalments if your net tax owing is more than $3,000 for 2026 and in 2025 or 2024 ($1,800 in Quebec). The next date is Tuesday, December 15, 2026.
What is the penalty for filing late?
For a first late filing the CRA charges 5% of the balance owing plus 1% for each full month late, up to 12 months. A repeat late filer pays 10% plus 2% a month, up to 20 months. Interest on the unpaid tax is extra.
What if the deadline falls on a weekend?
A payment or return is on time if it arrives on the next business day after a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, which is why the 2025 RRSP date moved to March 2, 2026. Do not plan around it, since banks and online services close earlier.