Sending a tax return

After completing your return in certified tax software, you can electronically send the return to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

On this page:

• Send the return electronically
• Confirm the return was received
• After using tax software

Send the return electronically

Outage (planned or unplanned)

NETFILE will be undergoing scheduled maintenance from Friday, October 16, 2026, from 10:00 p.m. (Eastern time) until Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. (Eastern time).

The service will be temporarily unavailable during this period. If you experience technical difficulties after 6:00 a.m. (Eastern time) on Sunday, October 18, 2026, please contact us for assistance.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

You can use the NETFILE service in tax software to electronically send the tax return to the CRA.

The service is available daily with the following exceptions:

• 3 am to 6 am ET for daily maintenance
• February 1 to 22, 2026 for tax year updates

If you are unsure about any restrictions that may apply to your situation, you can check to confirm you can use the NETFILE service.

If you cannot use the NETFILE service, you can print your return and mail it to the CRA.

CRA security of your personal information

We accept responsibility for the security of information once we receive it. We take precautions to ensure that there is no unauthorized access to your data, and ensure the confidentiality of data you send using NETFILE. We use sophisticated security and encryption to protect this website and your personal information.

We are also responsible for making sure personal and financial information is sent in an encrypted format between your computer and our servers. This ensures that computer hackers and other Internet users can’t view or alter the data you send to us.

Optional authentication step New: February 2027

The following tax software users will have the option to authenticate and sign in to their CRA account before submitting a 2026 tax return:

• Individuals filing their own taxes
• Representatives filing on behalf of others

The new optional authentication step provides an extra layer of security by verifying the identity of the individual filing the tax return and helps protect against unauthorized or fraudulent tax filings.
To use the optional authentication step, make sure you are registered for and have access to your CRA account.

If you do not use the authentication step

While the authentication step is not mandatory, if you do not sign in using your CRA account:

• You will not be able to use any information from your most recent tax return to confirm your identity with the CRA
• The CRA will have to use other information for authentication purposes

Confirm the return was received

You will get a confirmation message in your tax software after sending the return to the CRA.

The message will include a code, which confirms the CRA has successfully received your completed tax return.

After using tax software

There are 3 possible outcomes from your tax return:

• Get a refund
• Have a balance owing
• Have no refund or balance owing

The CRA will send you a notice of assessment (NOA) with the outcome of your tax return. The NOA and any refund are usually sent within 2 weeks.