Tax deadline nears for most Canadians

By Your Southwest Media Group

Most people who earn money should file an income tax return no later than Friday.

“As of April 12, more than 16.1 million income tax and benefit returns have already been filed,” a Canada Revenue Agency statement said. “More than 9.9 million refunds have been issued so far, resulting in a total amount of $22.2 billion.”

People who have signed up for direct deposit “can receive any refund you’re owed in as little as eight business days,” the statement added. “More than 8.4 million refunds have already been issued by direct deposit.”

April 30 is the annual deadline for most people to file their returns and pay any taxes they owe to avoid late-filing penalties and interest.

June 15 is the deadline for self-employed people and/or their spouses or common-law partners to submit their returns, but they must pay anything owing by Friday to avoid interest charges.

More than 15 million returns had been filed online using certified tax software, the statement said.

“Online filing is the fastest, easiest and most secure way to file your tax return,” the statement said. “It also provides quicker confirmation, faster refunds, fewer errors and immediate access to your notice of assessment.”

Some companies’ filing services are free, the statement noted.

Certain Canadians may be able to use the agency’s SimpleFile services, either digitally or by phone.

People may also file a return using a paper form and mail it in, but it takes about 12 weeks to process their notice of assessment and any refund owed.

“If you file online, it only takes about two weeks,” the statement said.

Those filing online and who are registered for an agency account may use its automatic fill-in service to add the information the agency has on file at the time of the request.

“This helps reduce errors, saves time and ensures the information you report matches the CRA’s records,” the statement said.

People may also later request changes to a return to correct amounts or include forgotten information, the statement said.