How to File Your Taxes in Canada
A practical step-by-step guide to preparing and filing your Canadian personal income tax return.
The short version
- Gather your slips and receipts, choose how to file, check the return, send it, and keep a copy.
- Most Canadians file online with NETFILE-certified tax software. Some programs are free.
- Sign in to CRA My Account first: “Auto-fill my return” pulls most slips straight into certified software.
- Other ways: CRA's SimpleFile service, a free tax clinic, a tax preparer, or paper.
- 2026 returns are due April 30, 2027 (June 15 if you or your spouse were self-employed).
How to File Your Taxes in Canada, Step by Step
Filing a Canadian return is less like surgery and more like assembling a bookshelf: tedious, mostly instructions, and the trouble starts when you skip a step and end up with a leftover piece. Here are the steps in order.
Step 1: Gather Everything
Our printable tax filing checklist has the full list. Slips arrive by the end of February: T4 (employment), T4A (pensions, fees, scholarships), T5 (investment income), T3 (trust and fund income), T5008 (securities sold), T4E (EI), RRSP contribution receipts, and T2202 (tuition). Add receipts for anything you claim: child care, medical, donations, moving, union dues, and business or rental records if you have them. Our Canadian tax deductions and Canadian tax credits pages list what's worth claiming.
Missing a slip? Most are in CRA My Account a few weeks after the issuer sends them, and what to do about a missing T4 covers the rest. Not sure what a slip means? The tax document analyzer reads it and tells you which line each box goes on.
Step 2: Choose How to File
- Tax software (NETFILE). The most common way. Use software certified by CRA; the list is published each year and includes free options. Sign in to your CRA account inside the software and “Auto-fill my return” downloads most of your slips.
- SimpleFile. A CRA service for people with low or fixed income and simple tax situations, by phone or online. CRA invites eligible people.
- A free tax clinic. Volunteers file simple returns at no cost if your income is modest. See find the right tax help for CRA's suggested income limits.
- A tax preparer or accountant, who files for you electronically (EFILE).
- Paper. Still allowed. Slower, and nobody catches your math.
Step 3: Enter, Then Check
Software does the arithmetic; it doesn't know what you forgot. Before sending, check three things: every slip is in, especially from a job you left; the deductions and credits you claim have receipts behind them; and the final number looks sensible. Compare it with the income tax calculator. If they're far apart, something is missing.
Want a second set of eyes on the finished return? That's exactly what Return Check is for: it flags mismatched slips and the claims CRA adjusts most, before you file.
Stuck on a line or a slip?
Ask it in plain words: which line, which form, whether you can claim it. You get the answer and the CRA source.
Step 4: Send It
NETFILE submits directly to CRA and confirms receipt in seconds. Some software asks for a NETFILE access code, an 8-character code printed on your most recent notice of assessment; it's optional in most cases. Set up direct deposit in My Account if you haven't: refunds arrive faster.
Step 5: Read Your Notice of Assessment
CRA sends a notice of assessment once your return is processed. Read the “explanation of changes.” If CRA changed something you disagree with, you have the later of one year after your filing due date or 90 days to object; our guide on what to do after a CRA reassessment covers it.
Step 6: Keep Your Records
Keep the return, slips and receipts for six years from the end of the tax year (details in how long to keep tax records). If you find a mistake later, change your return with ReFILE through your software, or “Change my return” in My Account. Don't file a second complete return.
Deadlines
2026 returns: April 30, 2027, or June 15, 2027 if you or your spouse had self-employment income (balance still due April 30). Every date is on Canadian tax deadlines. Not sure you even need to file? Read do I have to file taxes in Canada.
How-to-File Questions
What is the easiest way to file taxes in Canada?
For most people, NETFILE-certified tax software with “Auto-fill my return”, which downloads your slips from CRA. Some certified programs are free.
Can I file my taxes for free in Canada?
Yes. CRA lists free certified software, free tax clinics help people with modest incomes and simple returns, and CRA's SimpleFile service is available to eligible people it invites.
Do I need a NETFILE access code?
Usually not. It is optional for most filers; it is the 8-character code on your most recent notice of assessment.
How do I fix a mistake after I filed?
Use ReFILE through your tax software or “Change my return” in CRA My Account, or form T1-ADJ. Do not file a second complete return.
How long should I keep my tax records?
Six years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
Sources: CRA, Get ready to file a tax return; Tax software for filing personal taxes (NETFILE); Free tax clinics. Checked October 2026. SimpleFile eligibility is decided by CRA; we describe it in general terms.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.