Canadian Tax Deadlines
Find important Canadian personal, business, corporate, GST/HST and payroll filing and payment deadlines.
The short version
- 2026 personal returns: file and pay by Friday, April 30, 2027.
- Self-employed (you or your spouse): file by Tuesday, June 15, 2027, but pay by April 30.
- RRSP contributions for 2026: by Monday, March 1, 2027.
- Instalments: March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.
- When a deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, CRA generally accepts it on the next business day.
My Tax Calendar
A list of deadlines is only useful if you remember to look at it. So tick what applies to you below and you get your own dates for the next 12 months, in order, with the next one at the top. Then add them all to your calendar in one click, with a reminder a week before and a day before each one.
Getting the dates into your calendar:
1. Apple Calendar (Mac): click “Add all dates to my calendar”, then double-click the file my-cra-deadlines.ics in your Downloads folder and click OK.
2. Google Calendar: click the button to download the file, then go to calendar.google.com, click the gear (top right), Settings, Import and export, choose the file and click Import.
3. Outlook: download the file, then double-click it and click Save and close, or in Outlook choose File, Open and export, Import/Export.
Canadian Tax Deadlines That Actually Cost Money
CRA deadlines aren't suggestions. Miss the filing date with a balance owing and you pay a late-filing penalty of 5% plus 1% for each full month late (up to 12 months), on top of daily compound interest. Miss it twice in four years and the penalty doubles. And if you're owed benefits, a late return delays the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST credit) and the Canada Child Benefit. So here they are, on one page.
Individuals: 2026 Tax Year
| What | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Last day to contribute to an FHSA for 2026 | December 31, 2026 |
| Last day to sell investments for a 2026 capital gain or loss (settlement date) | Last trading days of December 2026; check with your broker |
| RRSP contributions deductible for 2026 | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| T4, T4A and T5 slips issued to you (missing one?) | By the end of February (February 28, 2027 is a Sunday, so the next business day is accepted) |
| File the 2026 return and pay any balance | Friday, April 30, 2027 |
| File if you or your spouse had self-employment income | Tuesday, June 15, 2027 (payment still due April 30) |
| Object to a notice of assessment or reassessment | The later of one year after your filing due date, or 90 days after the notice |
Run the exact objection date for your notice with the CRA objection deadline calculator. For what goes on the return itself, see the Canadian income tax guide.
Instalments
If your net tax owing was more than $3,000 in the current year and in either of the two previous years ($1,800 in Quebec), CRA expects quarterly instalments: March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. Mostly this catches self-employed people, landlords, retirees and investors. The self-employed tax calculator estimates them, and tax instalments for self-employed explains the three ways to calculate them.
Not sure which deadline applies to you?
Tell the assistant your situation (employee, self-employed, business, estate) and it lists your deadlines in date order.
Businesses and Employers
| What | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Payroll remittances (most small employers) | The 15th of the month after the pay was made |
| T4 and T4A slips and summaries for 2026 | End of February 2027 (next business day, March 1) |
| GST/HST, annual filers | Three months after fiscal year-end; individuals with a December 31 year-end file by June 15 and pay by April 30 |
| GST/HST, monthly or quarterly filers | One month after the end of each period |
| T2 corporation return | Six months after the corporation's year-end; see corporate tax deadlines |
| Corporate tax balance | Two months after year-end; three months for many small Canadian-controlled private corporations |
More on these in small business taxes in Canada, the GST/HST guide and GST/HST filing periods.
Estates and Trusts
- Final return of someone who died between January 1 and October 31: due April 30 of the next year (June 15 if they were self-employed). Death between November 1 and December 31: six months after the date of death.
- T3 trust return for a calendar-year trust: 90 days after year-end, which is March 31, 2027 for 2026.
Got a reassessment? That's the deadline that matters most
The objection deadline can't be extended by asking nicely after it passes. The objection SmartFile works out your date from the notice and prepares the whole objection.
If You Already Missed One
- File anyway, right now. Penalties grow monthly; interest grows daily.
- Pay what you can while you sort out the rest.
- Missed by circumstances beyond your control? Ask for taxpayer relief on form RC4288.
- Missed an objection deadline? You can ask CRA for an extension of time, but only within one year after the deadline, with a good reason. See the CRA guide.
Tax Deadline Questions
When are 2026 taxes due in Canada?
April 30, 2027 for filing and payment. If you or your spouse were self-employed, the filing deadline is June 15, 2027, but any balance is still due April 30, 2027.
What is the RRSP deadline for the 2026 tax year?
March 1, 2027. Contributions made by then can be deducted on your 2026 return.
What happens if a tax deadline falls on a weekend?
CRA generally treats a return or payment as on time if it is received or postmarked on the next business day.
When are CRA instalment payments due?
March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15, if your net tax owing exceeds $3,000 in the current year and either of the two previous years.
When is a corporation tax return due?
Six months after the end of the corporation's tax year. The balance owing is generally due two or three months after year-end.
Sources: CRA, When to file your corporation income tax return; RC4022; P148; RRSP limits. Checked October 2026. Days of the week are calculated for 2027; confirm any deadline that falls near a statutory holiday on canada.ca.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.