Tax season starts today! File your 2024 income tax and benefit return to get the benefits and credits you may be eligible for

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 24, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, you can start filing your 2024 income tax return online. For most individuals, the deadline to file is April 30, 2025, and any amounts owed must also be paid by this date.

By filing on time, you will begin or continue to receive the benefit and credit payments you are eligible for, and you may even get a refund.

Filing an income tax and benefit return can help you access benefit and credit payments like:

• the GST/HST credit (up to $533 for an eligible individual)
• the Canada child benefit (up to $7,997 for each child under 6 and up to $6,748 for each child aged 6 to 17)
• the Canada workers benefit (up to $1,590 for an eligible individual)
• related provincial and territorial benefit programs

The simplest and fastest way for you to file your taxes is online. The CRA has a list of certified tax software products that are user-friendly, secure, and some of which are free.

Individuals with a modest income and a simple tax situation may be able to have their taxes filed for free by volunteers at a tax clinic. Additionally, the grant program for organizations that offer these clinics has been extended for a fifth year. This funding will provide support for the costs of hosting a clinic.

The CRA is further expanding its automatic tax filing initiative, increasing the number of invitations sent to low-income individuals to use the SimpleFile by Phone service to 2 million. If you are eligible, you will receive a letter informing you that you can complete your tax return simply, securely and for free over the phone. You may also be invited to try out a new digital option as part of a pilot.

The CRA is here to help you file your taxes easily and get the benefits and credits that you are entitled to, with digital services readily available to find you the answers you need quickly—without having to call in. These services include:

• Your CRA account lets you access the My Account portal to view your personal income tax and benefit information, such as tax slips and notices of assessment from previous years and allows you to manage your tax affairs online.
• When using certified tax software, the Auto-fill my return service automatically fills in parts of your income tax and benefit return with information that the CRA has available at the time of the request.
• If you file your taxes online and have direct deposit set up, your refund could be in your bank account in as little as eight business days.
• A new online chat service within My Account where you can discuss account-specific issues with a live CRA agent.
• A Check CRA processing times tool for income tax and benefit returns and other tax-related requests.

If you, or your spouse or common-law partner who was living with you at any time in the year, are self-employed, you generally have until June 15, 2025, to file your taxes. Since this date falls on a Sunday, the CRA will consider your income tax and benefit return filed on time if it is received on or before June 16, 2025.

The CRA provides free tax help to support small business owners and self-employed individuals understand their tax obligations through meetings with a Liaison Officer.

Amounts owed to the CRA must be paid by April 30, 2025, to avoid paying interest. Several payment options are available to accommodate different situations, including online banking, debit, and credit card. If a payment cannot be made on time or in full, you can contact the CRA to set up a payment arrangement.

Quotes

"Tax season has officially started! Regardless of your situation, it is important to file your tax return. This will allow you to receive the benefits and credits to which you are entitled, such as the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit, or the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Several tools are available to help you, and our teams at the Canada Revenue Agency are ready to serve you across the country."

-       The Honourable Élisabeth Brière, Minister of National Revenue

Quick facts

• Information about taxes, filing options, and the digital services and programs that help make tax filing easier for individuals is available at canada.ca/taxes.
• Individuals who had no income for 2024, or income that is not taxable or tax exempt, must still file an annual income tax and benefit return to receive eligible benefit and credit payments. A list of who has to file an income tax and benefit return is available online.
• The Department of Finance recently announced that it will introduce legislation in Parliament in due course, related to the capital gains inclusion rate change with a new effective date of January 1, 2026. Full details are available in the CRA's tax tip on capital gains taxation changes.
• The CRA is working diligently to update its systems to reflect the currently enacted capital gains inclusion rate of one-half. However, this update may not be completed on February 24, 2025. The CRA recommends that those impacted by this situation wait until the updates are completed in the coming weeks before filing their income tax and benefit return. The CRA will grant relief in respect of late-filing penalties and interest until June 2, 2025, for individual filers and until May 1, 2025, for Trust filers to provide additional time for taxpayers reporting capital gains to meet their tax filing obligations.
• The fastest way to make adjustments to a tax return is using ReFILE or Change my return. By submitting an adjustment request electronically, it will take about two weeks to process rather than paper requests which can take 8 to 10 weeks.
• The CRA has numerous security measures, technologies, processes, and controls to ensure the security of taxpayer information. These include multi-factor authentication throughout the CRA sign-in services, and proactively revoking CRA user IDs and passwords that may have been obtained by unauthorized third parties through external sources.
• It is important to watch for scams this tax-filing season. Tools to help protect yourself against fraudulent schemes and how to report any scams, suspicious activity, or suspected tax evasion are available at Canada.ca/taxes-fraud-prevention.

Associated links

• Tax season starts on February 24! Here's what you need to start filing 

Contacts

Alain Mukeba 

Press Secretary 
Office of the Minister of National Revenue 
[email protected]

Media Relations 
Canada Revenue Agency 
613-948-8366
[email protected]  

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SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency