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Most Canadian returns are due April 30, and any tax you owe is due that day too. The self-employed have until June 15 to file, and the RRSP contribution deadline falls 60 days after December 31.
Most of the Canadian tax year hangs on a handful of dates, and come tax time you probably need only two or three of them. This page lists them for the current year with the weekend shifts already worked out, and each one links to the tool or guide that goes with it.
Who is it for? Almost everyone, for different reasons. If you earn a salary, the date that matters is the filing deadline in the spring. If you save in an RRSP, the contribution deadline falls 60 days after the year ends. If you work for yourself or run a business, the filing date moves to June 15, but any tax you owe is still due April 30, and quarterly instalments add four more dates to the year.
Look early. A date you know about in the autumn is a plan, and the same date discovered in April is a scramble. Scan the list below, note the ones that apply to you, and follow the links to see what each needs from you. A phone reminder a week ahead heads off most late fees. We don’t file anything for you, and the CRA’s own pages are the final word on any date.
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What are the dates this year?
Add these dates to your calendarWorks with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. Each date comes with a reminder one week before.
| Date | What happens | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, January 1 | New TFSA roomYour TFSA room for the year is added on January 1. | TFSA holders |
| Monday, March 2 | Slips are dueEmployers and payers must send T4 and most other slips by the end of February. | Employees and investors |
| Monday, March 2 | RRSP contribution deadlineThe last day to contribute and still deduct it on last year's return. | RRSP savers |
| Monday, March 16 | Tax instalmentFirst of four instalment payments, if you pay by instalments. | Self-employed and others |
| Thursday, April 30 | Filing deadline and balance dueMost returns are due, and any tax you owe must be paid. | Almost everyone |
| Monday, June 15 | Self-employed filing deadlineThe return is due for you and your spouse if either runs a business. Tax owing is always due April 30, whatever your filing date. The second instalment is due the same day. | Self-employed people |
| Tuesday, September 15 | Tax instalmentThird instalment payment. | Self-employed and others |
| Tuesday, December 15 | Tax instalmentFourth instalment payment. | Self-employed and others |
| Thursday, December 31 | Tax year endsIncome, donations and most deductions count for this year if they fall on or before this date. | Everyone |
Dates for 2026. A date on a weekend moves to the next weekday. Federal holidays are not modelled, and none of these dates normally meets one.
How are the dates worked out?
The rules are the CRA’s, and they’re simple. The RRSP deadline falls 60 days after December 31. The filing deadline is April 30, or June 15 if you run a business. Instalments are due on the 15th of March, June, September and December. Any date that lands on a weekend moves to the next weekday.
The weekend rule is easy to see in a real year. For the 2025 tax year, day 60 fell on Sunday, March 1, 2026, so the RRSP deadline slid to Monday, March 2, which is the date the CRA’s due dates and payment dates page shows. Priya, a freelance designer in Calgary, is a good case for the other pair of dates. She has until June 15 to file, but if she owes a balance she still has to pay by April 30, so she pays an estimate in April and files later with her slips in hand.
The tax deadline page gives the same dates with more detail on who they apply to. If you’re relying on a date, check it against the CRA’s own page too, because a rule can change between our yearly updates and you don’t want to find out late.
Which dates depend on you?
A business that files GST/HST quarterly files one month after each quarter ends, while monthly and annual filers have other dates. Employers send payroll deductions on a schedule set by the size of their payroll.
Neither fits on one calendar. The sales tax guide and the payroll remittance calculator cover them, and if you work for yourself the self-employed guide ties several of these dates together.
What if you miss a date?
Don’t panic, but don’t sit on it either. The usual cost of missing the April 30 payment date is interest on what you owe, and a late filing can add a penalty on top, so the sooner you file and pay, the less it grows. If you can’t pay in full, still file on time. The guide to dealing with the CRA covers what to do when a letter arrives.
What should you do next?
Is a date close? The filing guide lists what you’ll need to gather, and the checklists turn that into a sheet you can print. Planning an RRSP contribution before the deadline? Try the RRSP calculator and see what it saves you. The year’s limits are on the limits and rates page, and anything the CRA announces in between turns up on the tax news page.
Not sure which dates apply to you? Try My tax year.
Planning ahead? See the 2027 tax calendar.
Add the 2027 dates to your own calendar with this calendar file.
After you file, see when your refund should arrive, and what to do if you miss a deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a date move when it falls on a weekend?
When a due date lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the CRA treats the next business day as the due date. The calendar applies that shift for you.
Which date matters most?
For most people it is April 30, when the return is due and any tax owing must be paid. If you run a business, the return is due June 15 but the payment date does not move.
Are the dates the same every year?
The rules are fixed, and the calendar recalculates the weekday shifts for each year. The dates still change if the government changes a rule, so check the CRA page for anything you rely on.
Does the calendar include GST/HST and payroll dates?
Not as a fixed list, because those dates depend on your reporting period. Businesses can read the sales tax guide for how often they file.