· Deadlines
The filing deadlines worth putting in your calendar
A quick reference to the recurring CRA dates that catch individuals and small businesses off guard, and why the payment deadline is often not the filing deadline.
Most late-filing penalties we see are not the result of disorganized books. They come from one specific misunderstanding: assuming the deadline to file is also the deadline to pay. Those are frequently different dates, and interest starts running from the payment date regardless of when the return lands.
Here is the recurring shape of the year. Exact dates shift when they fall on a weekend or public holiday, so confirm the current year's calendar before relying on any of them.
Individuals
- Personal return (T1) — due April 30 for most people.
- Self-employed — the return is due June 15, but any balance owing is still due April 30. This is the mismatch that costs people the most in interest.
- RRSP contributions — deductible against the prior year if made within the first 60 days of the new year.
Corporations
- Corporate return (T2) — due six months after your fiscal year-end.
- Balance owing — generally due two months after year-end, extended to three months for many Canadian-controlled private corporations. Again: earlier than the filing deadline.
- Instalments — usually monthly or quarterly once your tax owing passes the threshold. Missing these creates interest even if you file perfectly on time.
Payroll and HST
- Source deductions — regular remitters send them by the 15th of the month following the pay period.
- T4 and T5 slips — due to both the CRA and your recipients by the last day of February.
- HST/GST — monthly and quarterly filers report one month after the period ends. Annual filers with a December year-end file by June 15, with payment due April 30.
The practical version
You do not need to memorize any of this. You need two things: books that are current enough to know what you owe before the payment deadline, and someone watching the calendar on your behalf. If you would rather that not be you, that's what we're for.
This is general information, not advice for your specific situation. Deadlines and thresholds change — check with us or the CRA before acting on them.