Last-minute tax-filing tips

File your income tax and benefit return before the deadline! Most Canadians’ income tax and benefit returns for 2018 are due on April 30, 2019.

Haven’t filed your return yet? Don’t panic! Here are some tips to make last-minute filing easier:

• File your return online for free – Take a look at the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) list of certified software packages and web applications. Find a software that fits your budget, or find one for free!
• Register for My Account – My Account is a secure portal that lets you view your income tax and benefit information, and manage your tax affairs online. It’s convenient, easy to use, and secure. Once you’re fully registered, My Account lets you view your detailed notice of assessment or reassessment, the status of your return, your personalized benefit and credit information and much more. Register for My Account today.
• Use Auto-fill my return – If you are fully registered for CRA’s My Account, you can file your return online with a tax preparation software that includes the Auto-fill my return service. Auto-fill my return makes online filing simpler – automatically fill in parts of your return with information that you already have on file at the CRA, including your T3, T4, and T5 slips.
• Pay electronically – Make your tax payments online! Just choose from the available payment methods. Payment methods include online banking, My Payment (with your Interac® Online, Visa® Debit, or Debit MasterCard®), and pre-authorized debit from your account at a financial institution. For more information, watch our video Change it up: Pay your taxes online.
• Explore payment arrangements – If you cannot pay your entire balance owing for 2018 before the payment deadline, consider making a payment arrangement. If you are eligible, a payment arrangement will let you make smaller payments over time, until you pay the whole balance, including interest that has accumulated. To set up a pre-authorized debit agreement, use My Account or call us at 1-888-863-8657.
• Take advantage of free tax help – If you need help, and have a modest income and a simple tax situation, volunteers from the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program or the Income Tax Assistance –Volunteer Program in Quebec may be able to prepare and file your tax return for you, for free. To find a clinic near you and to determine your eligibility, go to Canada.ca/taxes-help.
• Contact a CRA Liaison Officer - If you are self-employed or an owner of a small business and you want to be sure your books and records support the income you earned and any expenses you are claiming, you can contact a CRA Liaison Officer for free, in-person help with your books and records (and any other tax questions you may have). A visit from a Liaison Officer does not constitute an audit, and will not result in the CRA making reassessments to past tax filings. For more information or to request a visit or seminar, go to canada.ca/cra-liaison-officer.
• Change your return – You will have to wait to receive your notice of assessment from the CRA before you can make a change to your return. Don’t worry, it's easy to make a correction if you realize that you made a mistake after filing it. For more information, go to Changing a Return.
• File on time – Even if you cannot pay your entire balance owing for 2018, you should still file your return on time to avoid a late-filing penalty or having your benefit payments stopped or delayed.

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Contacts

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca