Make sure you maximize the benefits you are entitled to if you are First Nations, Inuit, or Métis
The CRA want to help you get the benefits and credits you are entitled to. To make sure you continue getting your benefit and credit payments, you, and your spouse or common-law partner, need to file your taxes. This is true even if your income is tax exempt under section 87 of the Indian Act or you had no income at all. Here are a few tips to help you.
Thinking of calling us? Before you do, find the answers you need for tax-filing season!
Every year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tracks the questions people ask us and use that information to design new services and improve our processes. We want to offer you the best service possible, so you can easily access the tax and benefit information you need.
Before calling us, use the tips below to save time this tax season! You might be able to find the information you’re searching for and avoid long wait times over the phone that come with our busy tax season.
Received a T4A slip from the CRA? Here’s what you need to know
Did you receive COVID-19 benefit payments from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in 2022? If you did, you should receive a T4A Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income slip. These payments are taxable, and you need the information on your T4A slip when filing your income tax and benefit return.
If you receive correspondence from the CRA, you should open it and take the actions requested. If you have questions about the correspondence you receive, you should call the telephone number given in the letter. Additional information is available on the Benefits being reviewed? Here’s what you need to know page.
June 15, 2022, is the deadline for self-employed individuals to file their 2021 income tax and benefit return
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is here to support you and your business in meeting your tax obligations.
If you are a self-employed individual, or if your spouse or common-law partner is self-employed, you have until June 15, 2022, to file your 2021 income tax and benefit return.
What are my tax obligations as a self-employed individual?
If you earned self-employment income from a business that you operate yourself or with a partner, you have to report that income by filing a tax return.
When you're self-employed and you operate your business, you must pay the following:
personal income tax
Canada Pension Plan contributions
Employment Insurance premiums if you are eligible and have registered to participate
Reporting your income also means that the CRA will have the most accurate information on file to determine if you are eligible for provincial and territorial tax credits and benefits, the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit.
Update on the Government of Canada issuing debt notification to ineligible Canada Emergency Response Benefit recipients
The quick and decisive actions taken by the Government of Canada to provide income support through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) helped more than 8 million workers and their families stay afloat, and millions more through the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) that followed.
As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada selected an attestation-based approach to provide this urgently-needed income support to Canadians in a timely fashion. Individuals determined if they were eligible for benefits based on established, publicly available criteria. The Government has been clear throughout the pandemic that while there will not be any penalties for those who applied for these benefits in good faith, individuals will have to repay the emergency benefits for which they were not entitled.
Have you received a letter related to COVID-19 benefits? Don’t worry, we are here to help!
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is standing by to assist Canadians who may have received correspondence indicating that they will now have to repay some or all of the COVID-19 individual benefits that they received during the pandemic. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada used an attestation-based process to provide urgently-needed income support to millions of Canadians. This relied on individuals determining if they were eligible for benefits based on established criteria. It was expected that some individuals would later be found to be ineligible and be required to repay some or all of the benefits provided. The CRA and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) are working together to ensure that those who received COVID-19 benefits were, in fact, entitled to them.
File your return by the deadline: Last-minute tax-filing tips to help you
The 2021 tax-filing deadline for most individuals is April 30, 2022
Since April 30, 2022 falls on a Saturday, your tax return will be considered filed on time if:
we receive it on or before May 2, 2022; or
it's postmarked on or before May 2, 2022.
You have until June 15, 2022, to file your tax return if you or your spouse or common law-partner are self-employed. Please visit our Are you self-employed? The Canada Revenue Agency can help you understand your tax obligations tax tip for helpful information.
If you owe taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), your payment will also be considered paid on time if we receive it, or it is processed at a Canadian financial institution, on or before May 2, 2022.
Are you self-employed? The Canada Revenue Agency can help you understand your tax obligations
If you're self-employed, we understand that navigating your tax obligations may seem complicated. But don't worry! The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is focused on supporting you. To get ready for tax-filing season, we've put together helpful tips and information for self-employed individuals.
The 2021 tax-filing deadline for self-employed individuals is June 15, 2022. You have until June 15, 2022 to file your 2021 tax return if you or your spouse or common law-partner are self-employed.
The 2021 payment deadline is April 30, 2022. Although your 2021 tax-filing deadline is June 15, 2022, your payment is still due on April 30, 2022.
Make sure you maximize the benefits you are entitled to if you are First Nations, Inuit, or Métis
If you are First Nations, Inuit, or Métis, you are subject to the same tax rules as any other resident in Canada unless your income is considered tax exempt under section 87 of the Indian Act. To continue getting your benefit and credit payments, you need to do your taxes, even if your income is tax exempt or you had no income at all. Here are a few tips to help you get the benefits and credits to which you are entitled.
It’s tax time! You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers.
Employees of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are working hard to answer questions you may have about your tax affairs. We want to help you file your income tax and benefit return and ensure you receive the benefits and credits you’re entitled to.
To help you, these are answers to the top questions we’re asked at tax time. You can also check out our questions and answers about filing your taxes page for more answers to common questions.
New to Canada and new to doing your taxes?
New to doing your taxes? Don’t worry, we’re here to guide you through the process and answer your questions. We’ve put together tips and information to help you this tax season.
You can also watch our video series for newcomers. It’s available in 12 different languages: Arabic, Cantonese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Russian, Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, and Urdu.
The first thing to know is that you have to complete and file an income tax and benefit return every year to:
receive certain benefits and credits you may be entitled
to receive a tax refund you are owed
Make sure you maximize the benefits you are entitled to if you are First Nations, Inuit, or Métis
If you are First Nations, Inuit, or Métis, you are subject to the same tax rules as any other resident in Canada unless your income is considered tax exempt under section 87 of the Indian Act. To continue getting your benefit and credit payments, you need to do your taxes, even if your income is tax exempt or you had no income at all. Here are a few tips to help you get the benefits and credits to which you are entitled.
Go digital and make taxes easier
This tax season, the best way for you to avoid delays and get the tax information you need is to try our easy-to-use digital services. No need to wait on the phone, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has many online tools to help you!
Tax preparers and professionals: Here’s what you need to know for the 2022 tax-filing season
Since April 30, 2022, falls on a Saturday, your clients’ return will be considered filed on time in either of the following situations:
we receive it on or before May 2, 2022
it is postmarked on or before May 2, 2022
Your clients have until June 15, 2022, to file their return if they or their spouse or common law-partner are self-employed.
Reporting reminder for business: Declare your COVID-19 subsidies
If you received one or more emergency subsidies, the amounts you received are considered government assistance and are taxable. You must report the subsidies amounts on your income tax or information return for the tax year (fiscal period) in which you are considered to have received them. The wage and rent subsidies are generally considered to have been received on the last day of the claim period they relate to.
Home office expenses for employees – What you need to know for the 2022 tax-filing season
Due to ongoing challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians are still working from home. That’s why the Government of Canada is extending the temporary flat rate method so that Canadians will continue to have a simpler way to deduct home office expenses for the 2021 tax year.
With the temporary flat rate method, eligible employees can claim a deduction of $2 for each day worked at home in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum amount employees may claim using this method has been increased to $500 (it was $400 in the 2020 tax year) for the maximum of 250 working days (200 days in the 2020 tax year).
The eligibility criteria for the temporary flat rate and detailed methods remains the same for the 2021 tax year.
Employees who were not required to work from home in 2021, but who worked from home because their employer gave them the choice to do so, are still considered to have worked from home due to COVID-19.
What you need to know for the 2022 tax-filing season
Last year, Canadians filed almost 31 million income tax and benefit returns. Having the information you need on hand to file your return makes the filing process that much easier. We want to help you get ready, so you are in good shape when it comes time to file your return this year.
Here you will find information on filing options, COVID-19 benefits, and what’s new for this tax-filing season.
The tax-filing deadline for most individuals is April 30, 2022…
Temporary expansion to the eligibility for the Local Lockdown Program (periods 24 & 25)
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has remained committed to ensuring that Canadian businesses are supported financially as our economy recovers.
On December 22, 2021, the government announced a temporary expansion to the eligibility for the Local Lockdown Program to ensure Canadians are protected and businesses continue to receive the support they need as public health restrictions continue to be in place across the country.
These temporary changes will only be in effect from December 19, 2021, to February 12, 2022 (Periods 24 and 25). The application portals for Period 24 of the business subsidy programs open on February 7, 2022, at 6:00 am EST.
Running a business is difficult; understanding your tax obligations doesn’t need to be
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offers free Liaison Officer services to owners of small businesses and self-employed individuals to help them understand their tax obligations. A visit from a Liaison Officer is 100% confidential: the information you choose to discuss with them will not be shared with other areas of the CRA, or anyone else.
Did you know that the CRA has helped over 17,000 small business owners and self-employed individuals virtually through the Liaison Officer service since the beginning of the pandemic and over 69,000 small business owners and self-employed individuals since the start of the program in 2014.
What students need to know this tax season!
As a student, you may have many questions about taxes and might be filing an income tax and benefit return for the first time. We understand that many students have unique personal and financial situations, especially given the last year. Let’s make sure you don’t miss out on benefits and credits to which you may be entitled. Find out what you could get and what you need to know in this tax tip.