What happens if I file my return late?

Important: To help Canadians affected by COVID-19, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec have extended the deadline to file your 2019 tax returns to June 1, 2020. Deadlines to pay taxes and tax instalments for individuals and self-employed taxpayers have also changed. Refer to our help article Tax updates due to COVID-19 for more information.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec require you to file your tax return on or before the April 30th deadline each year. If you’re self-employed, the deadline to file your return is June 15th but you still need to pay any tax owing by April 30th.

If you file late and you owe taxes to the government, the CRA and Revenu Québec (if applicable) charge interest and late-filing penalties on the amount you owe:

  • Interest is compounded daily starting May 1st and interest on penalties starts the day after your filing due date. Refer to the CRA website for their prescribed interest rates.
  • Late filing penalties are 5% on your tax owing plus 1% for each full month your return is late, to a maximum of 12 months.

Note: Even if you can’t pay your tax owing amount right away, you should file your return by the deadline to avoid late-filing penalties. Refer to the CRA website for information on making a payment or payment arrangements.

If you don’t owe taxes, you won’t be charged interest or penalties for filing late. However, you should still file on time to make sure there aren’t any interruptions to your benefit payments.

In special circumstances (like during natural disasters), the CRA and Revenue Québec remind affected Canadians to request for taxpayer relief. The taxpayer relief provision lets CRA cancel or waive penalties or interest when taxpayers can’t file their return or pay taxes on time due to circumstances beyond their control. Refer to the CRA website to see circumstances that might result in taxpayer relief.

Reminder: Be sure to register for direct deposit through the CRA My Account and Revenu Québec My Account services to avoid a delay in getting your tax refund and/or benefit payments.