After you file: the CRA tax return timeline from send to refund

The CRA tax return timeline at a glance

The CRA tax return timeline has five stages: the CRA receives the return, checks and assesses it, issues a notice of assessment (NOA), pays any refund or records any balance, and then may review or reassess it later. How fast you move through those stages depends mostly on how you filed and whether the CRA needs anything from you.

For most people who file online and have direct deposit, the whole cycle from pressing send to seeing money in the bank fits inside about two weeks. Paper filers should plan for roughly three months. The numbers below come from the CRA's own processing-times tool and refund page.

What happens after you press send

When certified software transmits a return through NETFILE, the CRA sends back a confirmation number within seconds. That number proves the return was received; it does not mean the return was accepted as filed. Keep it with your records in case the CRA later says it has no return on file.

Next, the return enters automated checks. The CRA compares your slips against the T4, T4A, T5 and other information slips that employers and banks sent it, recalculates credits and deductions, and flags anything that needs a person to look at it. Returns that pass go straight to assessment.

Tax return status in Canada: the four labels

The progress tracker in your CRA account shows one of four states. Received means the CRA has the return but has not assessed it. In process means assessment is under way. Assessed means the NOA has been issued. Not received means the CRA has no record of it, or has not yet updated the status. The CRA refund status guide explains what to do at each one.

How long does the CRA take to process a tax return?

The CRA publishes service standards, which are targets it aims to meet for most returns filed on time. They are counted from the day the CRA receives your return and any supporting documents it asked for.

Returns for a deceased person, a bankruptcy, an emigrant or an international filer are outside these standards. So are returns filed late, several years filed together, and returns picked for review. The full breakdown, including why paper is so much slower, is on our page about how long the CRA takes to process a tax return.

Your notice of assessment

The notice of assessment is the CRA's official answer to your return. It lists the key line amounts the CRA accepted, shows a refund, an amount due or a nil balance, explains any changes, and gives your RRSP deduction limit and, if you have one, your FHSA participation room for next year.

Since February 2026, digital notices can only be viewed inside your CRA account. If you gave the CRA an email address and did not ask for letter mail, you get an email saying there is new mail in your account, and no paper copy arrives. Our notice of assessment guide walks through each section, and where is my notice of assessment covers finding and printing it.

When will I get my tax refund in Canada?

A refund is released once the return is assessed. With direct deposit, the NOA shows the words Direct deposit and the money goes to your bank account. Without it, the NOA shows Refund and a cheque is mailed separately to the address on file, which adds postal time.

The CRA asks you to wait 12 weeks after filing (16 weeks if you live outside Canada) before contacting it about a refund. Before that point, agents generally see the same information you see in your account.

Why a refund can be smaller or missing

• The CRA applied it to an amount you owe, or to another government debt such as a student loan or an EI overpayment.
• A family support garnishment order is on file.
• A sole proprietorship or partnership has GST/HST returns outstanding.
• The refund is $2 or less, which the CRA does not pay out.
• The CRA changed a claim during assessment, which the NOA explains.

If the refund is late rather than smaller, our CRA refund delay page lists the usual causes and a step-by-step plan.

If you owe a balance

For 2026 returns, most people must pay any balance by April 30, 2027. Self-employed people and their spouses or common-law partners can file until June 15, 2027, but the payment date is still April 30. Interest starts on unpaid amounts after that date even if your NOA arrives later.

If you cannot pay in full, file on time anyway. The late-filing penalty is 5% of the balance owing plus 1% for each full month late, up to 12 months, so a late return costs more than a late payment. People with $1,000 or more of personal tax debt can set up a payment plan themselves in their CRA account; see CRA balance owing for the options.

Reviews and letters after assessment

Being reviewed does not mean you did anything wrong. The CRA checks some claims before assessing a return and others after, and it asks for receipts for things like medical expenses, moving costs, tuition or support payments. A review before assessment pauses your NOA; a review after assessment can lead to a reassessment months later.

Review letters arrive in your CRA account mail. Reply by the date on the letter, ideally by uploading documents through Submit documents in your account. If you miss the deadline, the CRA may deny the claim and reassess. Our page on the CRA review letter explains what each type of request looks like and how to answer it.

Changing your return after the NOA

Wait for your notice of assessment before asking for a change. Then use Change my return in your CRA account, ReFILE in certified software, or Form T1-ADJ by mail. The CRA issues a notice of reassessment showing what changed, or a letter explaining why it did not make the change.

Online requests have a 2-week target; mailed ones take 14 to 16 weeks. The CRA cannot issue a refund from an adjustment that goes back more than 10 calendar years. Do not send a second complete return for a year that is already assessed, because it will be treated as a duplicate rather than a correction.

If you disagree rather than made a mistake

When your information was complete but you think the CRA applied the law wrongly, the route is a formal objection, not a change request. For individuals the deadline is the later of 90 days from the date on the notice and one year after the filing deadline for that return. The notice of reassessment page covers both routes in detail.

Planning for the 2027 filing season

Tax year 2026 returns are filed in early 2027. The CRA has not yet announced when NETFILE opens for that season; in recent years it opened in the last full week of February, and the 2026 season opened on February 23. The filing deadline for most people is Friday, April 30, 2027.

1. Register for a CRA account now if you do not have one, and add a backup multi-factor authentication option, which the CRA has required since February 2026.
2. Confirm your email address, mailing address and direct deposit details in the account.
3. Wait until your slips are in before filing, so the CRA's matching does not flag a missing T4 or T5.
4. File online, which puts you on the 2-week track instead of 12 weeks.
5. Download your NOA as a PDF when it appears and store it with your return.