Paper tax return in Canada: how to get the forms, where to mail them and how long it takes

Can you still file a paper tax return in Canada?

Yes. A paper tax return in Canada is still fully accepted, and the CRA sends it through the same assessment as an online return. The difference is time: you wait weeks longer for your notice of assessment and any refund.

The CRA's instruction is short: the only way to send a paper return is by mail. That rules out emailing, faxing or uploading a scanned copy of a return you completed by hand.

Who still files on paper

• People who prefer paper or do not have a computer or reliable internet at home
• Returns that NETFILE will not accept, such as a return for a deceased person, a bankruptcy return or a deemed resident's return
• Returns for years outside the NETFILE window; in the current season NETFILE takes 2018 to 2025, so a 2017 return goes by mail
• People filing after NETFILE closes on Friday, January 29, 2027 and before it reopens for the new season (the 2026 season reopened on February 23)
• Some complex returns, such as claims for foreign tax credits for more than 3 countries

If your only reason is an error message, check our NETFILE not working page first. If the rejection can be fixed and resent, you avoid adding weeks of paper processing time.

Getting the forms for a paper return

Starting with the 2025 tax year, the CRA stopped automatically mailing the income tax package to people who used to receive it. If a package used to arrive in your mailbox each February, do not wait for it. You now have to get it yourself.

What is in the package and what you must send

Each package is built for one province or territory, because the provincial tax form differs. For your mailed return you complete:

1. The Federal Income Tax and Benefit Return (the T1 itself).
2. Form 428 for your province or territory. Quebec residents skip this; they file a separate provincial return with Revenu Quebec.
3. Any schedules that apply to you, for example Schedule 11 for tuition or Form T2125 for self-employment income.
4. A copy of each information slip, such as T4, T4A and T5, plus provincial slips such as the Relevé 1 if you have them.
5. Any forms and supporting documents the federal guide (5000-G) tells paper filers to include, such as Form T776 for rental income. If a slip is missing, the guide says to attach your final pay stub or statement with a note naming the payer.

Where to mail your tax return in Canada

Resident individuals mail their paper return to one of three tax centres. Which one depends on your province or territory and, in Ontario and Quebec, on the tax services office that covers your area. The table below reflects the CRA's list for resident individuals.

The table does not apply to non-residents or deemed residents. If that is you, check the CRA's Where to mail your paper T1 return page before sending your return. Non-resident individuals use the Winnipeg or Sudbury tax centre depending on their country, and because of international mail delays the CRA is temporarily accepting non-resident income tax returns by fax, at the numbers listed on that page.

Where do I mail my tax return in BC?

British Columbia residents mail their return to the Winnipeg Tax Centre, Post Office Box 14001, Station Main, Winnipeg MB R3C 3M3, even though the centre is in another province. The same address is used from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and from the Ontario areas served by the Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Thunder Bay and Windsor offices.

Filing more than one return

The CRA asks for a separate envelope for each person, even for spouses at the same address. If you are filing a current-year return and late returns for one person, put them together in one envelope.

Paper tax return Canada processing time

The CRA's paper-filing page says paper returns are usually processed within 12 weeks. Its processing-times page sets a goal of processing 95% of paper returns within 8 weeks and 95% of electronically filed returns within 4 weeks. Plan around the 12-week figure, which is also how long the CRA asks you to wait before contacting it about a return filed from within Canada.

Those goals apply only to returns received on or before the due date. Returns for deceased people, bankruptcies, non-residents, emigrants and multiple years fall outside them, as do returns where the CRA needs more information. The CRA processes non-resident returns within 16 weeks.

A worked example

Say you mail your 2026 return on March 20, 2027. Adding 12 weeks puts the expected notice of assessment around June 12, 2027. Had you filed online the same day, the 4-week goal for electronic returns would point to about April 17. If you are counting on the refund for a bill, that gap is the real cost of paper. Our CRA refund processing time page covers what to do if the wait runs longer.

Tips to avoid delays with a mailed return

Set up direct deposit before you file, through My Account or your bank. With deposit on file, your refund goes straight to your bank account once the return is assessed instead of arriving later as a mailed cheque.

Pay any balance by April 30 even if the return is slow to reach the CRA. The payment deadline is separate from processing, and the CRA charges compound daily interest on any amount left unpaid after the due date. If the due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, a return received or postmarked on the next business day counts as on time. April 30, 2027 is a Friday.

Keep a complete copy of everything you mailed, including slips and receipts. The CRA may ask for documents later, and you are expected to keep supporting documents for 6 years.

If your paper return seems lost

The CRA asks people in Canada to wait 12 weeks after filing before contacting it about a return. After that, check My Account: if no return is shown as received, contact the CRA using the numbers on its official contact page. Ask the CRA before mailing a second copy of the same return.

If paper is simply your habit, you may have a faster option. People with low income and simple returns may be invited to use SimpleFile, and Budget 2025 proposed that the CRA file for some people itself. See automatic tax filing by the CRA and our overview of every way to file a tax return in Canada.