OTTAWA, ON, April 14, 2021 /CNW/ - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely. We know it is difficult for some Canadians to meet their tax filing obligations. We are working to support you during these difficult times, while, at the same time, ensuring that the tax system is administered fairly.
If you have delayed filing your income tax and benefit return due to the COVID-19 situation or otherwise, the CRA wants you to know that we are here to help you navigate your unique tax situation. If you owe taxes this year, maybe for the first time, we will help you find solutions that do not create undue stress.
If you haven't already filed your taxes for the 2020 tax year, you still have time. To get started, you can use this step-by-step guide to help you fill out your return.
Why is filing on time so important?
It is essential that you file your 2020 personal income tax and benefit return by April 30th, 2021. Doing your taxes, and doing them on time, is the best way to ensure your entitled benefit and credit payments, such as the Canada child benefit, the GST/HST credit, and any related provincial or territorial benefits, are not interrupted. Even if you owe tax, don't risk having your benefits interrupted by not filing.
It is also important to file on time if you receive COVID-19 recovery benefits such as the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB), or Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB). The CRA uses information from both your 2019 and 2020 returns to confirm your eligibility to receive these benefits. Filing on time avoids having your recovery benefit payments paused while we validate your eligibility. The CRA is committed to having validation and security measures in place, to ensure that we deliver benefit payments only to people who are entitled to receive them.
If you file on paper, we encourage you to file before April 30, 2021, as, due to delays caused by COVID-19, the CRA may take 10 to 12 weeks to process paper returns. Please note that if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed, you have until June 15, 2021 to file your income tax and benefit returns.
Pre-payment validation for COVID-19 recovery benefits
The CRA has implemented additional up-front verification and security measures for COVID-19 recovery benefits to help ensure that those receiving the benefits are eligible as these benefits were designed to replace income.
If their records do not show that an applicant has earned the minimum amount of $5,000 required to be eligible, the CRA will ask the applicant to provide documentation to support their claim before their application is processed.
Applicants are encouraged to file their 2019 and 2020 taxes by April 30, 2021 as this is the best way to ensure that the CRA can process their application within 3-5 business days. If the CRA needs additional information, it may take up to eight weeks for them to process the application from the time the requested documentation is received.
Need to make a payment?
You can pay the amount owing to the CRA in many ways:
- through your financial institution's online or phone banking service
- using the My Payment service, which lets you make payments to the CRA online with your Visa® Debit, Debit MasterCard®, or Interac® Online debit card from a participating financial institution. You can access My Payment from My Account or MyCRA
- setting up a preauthorized debit through My Account and MyCRA to:
- make preauthorized payments to the CRA from your account at a Canadian financial institution
- pay an overdue amount or make instalment payments
- by credit card, PayPal, or Interac e-Transfer through a third-party service provider
- in person at any Canada Post outlet using cash or a debit card, with a QR code you can create using My Account or MyCRA
- in person at a Canadian financial institution with a remittance voucher
For more tips, and for help on COVID-19 benefits and the tax filing process, check out our tax tips on COVID-19 benefits and the tax filing process.
Stay connected
- Follow the CRA on Facebook
- Follow the CRA on Twitter – @CanRevAgency
- Follow the CRA on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list
- Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader
- You can also watch our tax-related videos on YouTube
SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency
Media Relations, Canada Revenue Agency, 613-948-8366, [email protected]
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