# Tax deadline Canada: 2027 filing and payment dates

Source: https://canadataxdesk.com/filing/tax-deadline-canada
Publisher: Canada Tax Desk (canadataxdesk.com), independent editorial site
Topic: Filing Your Return
Last updated: 2026-09-18

> The tax deadline in Canada for 2026 returns is Friday, April 30, 2027, for both filing and paying. Self-employed people and their spouses or common-law partners have until Tuesday, June 15, 2027 to file, but any balance owing is still due April 30. The CRA does not grant general extensions, so a late balance attracts interest from May 1.

## Key facts

- Filing and payment deadline (most people): Friday, April 30, 2027
- Filing deadline if you or your partner are self-employed: Tuesday, June 15, 2027
- Payment deadline for everyone: Friday, April 30, 2027
- RRSP contributions for 2026 (expected): Monday, March 1, 2027
- General filing extension: None offered by the CRA

## Tax deadline Canada: key 2027 dates at a glance

Returns for the 2026 tax year are due **Friday, April 30, 2027**. That single date is both the filing deadline and the payment deadline for most individuals. If you or your spouse or common-law partner ran a business in 2026, the filing date moves to **Tuesday, June 15, 2027**, while the payment date stays at April 30.

The CRA restates these dates in its filing-season news release, usually published in February. Neither 2027 date falls on a weekend, so the next-business-day rule should not come into play for them.

| Date | Day | What is due | Who it applies to |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| January 29, 2027 | Friday | Last day the current NETFILE season accepts returns for 2018 to 2025 | Anyone still catching up on an older return |
| March 1, 2027 (expected) | Monday | Last day to contribute to an RRSP and deduct it on the 2026 return | RRSP contributors |
| March 15, 2027 | Monday | First quarterly instalment toward 2027 tax | People the CRA asks to pay instalments |
| April 30, 2027 | Friday | File the 2026 return and pay any balance owing | Most individuals, and payment for everyone |
| June 15, 2027 | Tuesday | File the 2026 return; second 2027 instalment | Self-employed people and their spouses or partners |

Tax due dates in Canada for the 2027 filing season (tax year 2026)

The RRSP date is 60 days after December 31, 2026. The CRA lists the official date on its important-dates page each January; our RRSP contribution deadline page tracks it. The date NETFILE reopens for 2026 returns has not been announced yet; see the [NETFILE open date](https://canadataxdesk.com/netfile/netfile-open-date) page for the latest.

## Tax filing deadline vs payment deadline

Canada separates two obligations that people often treat as one. The **filing deadline** is the date your return must reach the CRA. The **payment deadline** is the date any balance owing must be paid. For employees and retirees both fall on April 30. For self-employed households they split by six weeks.

Missing each one costs something different. Paying late starts compound daily interest on the unpaid amount the day after the payment deadline; the CRA's prescribed rate on overdue taxes is 7% for July to December 2026 and is reset every quarter. Filing late with a balance owing adds a separate late-filing penalty on top of that interest.

> **No balance, no penalty:** If you are getting a refund or owe nothing, filing after April 30 does not trigger the late-filing penalty. It can still hold up benefit and credit payments that depend on your return, such as the Canada child benefit.

## What if the tax deadline falls on a weekend or holiday?

When a CRA due date lands on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday the CRA recognizes, a return counts as on time if the CRA receives it, or it is postmarked, by the next business day. A payment is on time if it is received on the first business day after the due date.

For the 2027 season this rule matters less than usual because April 30 is a Friday and June 15 is a Tuesday. It still applies to smaller dates. For example, the fourth-quarter GST/HST return for a quarterly filer is due January 31, 2027, which is a Sunday, so February 1 is the effective date.

## Tax deadline for self-employed people and their spouses

The June 15 filing date covers you if you carried on a business in 2026, and it also covers your spouse or common-law partner even if that person was an employee all year. One exception: a self-employed person whose business expenditures are mainly in tax shelters must file by April 30.

Interest on an unpaid balance still starts on May 1, 2027, so the practical plan is to estimate your tax in April and pay it, then finish the paperwork by June 15. Our [self-employed tax deadline](https://canadataxdesk.com/filing/self-employed-tax-deadline) page shows how to estimate the payment and how instalments fit around it.

## Business and GST/HST due dates for the same season

Sole proprietors who are registered for GST/HST have a separate return with its own dates. Monthly and quarterly filers must file and pay within one month after the end of each reporting period. An annual filer who is an individual with business income and a December 31 year end pays the GST/HST by April 30 and files by June 15, matching the income tax dates.

| Obligation | Due date | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Income tax balance for 2026 | April 30, 2027 | Interest starts the next day |
| 2026 T1 return with Form T2125 | June 15, 2027 | Also applies to the spouse or partner |
| Annual GST/HST payment (individual, December year end) | April 30, 2027 | Return itself due June 15, 2027 |
| Quarterly GST/HST return for October to December 2026 | February 1, 2027 | January 31 is a Sunday |
| 2027 income tax instalments | March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15 | Only if the CRA requires instalments |

Selected 2027 due dates for self-employed filers

## Is there a tax deadline extension in Canada?

No general extension exists. The CRA does not accept a request to push back April 30 the way some other countries allow an automatic filing extension. The June 15 date for self-employed households is a different deadline, not an extension, and it never moves the payment date.

What the CRA can do is cancel or reduce penalties and interest after the fact when something outside your control, such as a serious illness, a natural disaster or a CRA error, stopped you from filing on time. That is done through a [taxpayer relief request](https://canadataxdesk.com/filing/rc4288-taxpayer-relief-request), and the CRA reports an average processing time of about 16 months, so it is a remedy, not a planning tool.

If you know you will be late, the cheapest move is still to pay an estimate of what you owe by April 30. A payment made before the return arrives sits on your account and stops interest on that amount, and it shrinks the balance the late-filing penalty is calculated on.

## What happens after the April 30 deadline

- **You owe tax and have not filed:** the penalty is 5% of the balance plus 1% for each full month late, up to 12 months, and daily interest runs on the balance and the penalty. The [late filing penalty](https://canadataxdesk.com/filing/late-filing-penalty-canada) page works through examples.
- **You filed but did not pay:** no late-filing penalty, only interest. People owing $1,000 or more can set up a payment arrangement themselves in their CRA account.
- **You expect a refund:** no penalty, but the refund, and any benefits tied to your return, wait until you file.
- **You are unsure what to do first:** file the return, even if it is incomplete in small ways, and correct it later. The [how to file a tax return in Canada](https://canadataxdesk.com/filing) guide covers every filing method.

## Common questions

### When is the tax deadline in Canada in 2027?

Friday, April 30, 2027 is the deadline to file 2026 returns and pay any balance. Self-employed people and their spouses or common-law partners can file until Tuesday, June 15, 2027.

### Is the tax deadline in Canada April 30 or May 1?

April 30. Because April 30, 2027 is a Friday, there is no shift to the next business day; interest on an unpaid balance starts May 1.

### Can I get an extension on my taxes in Canada?

Not in advance. The CRA offers no general filing extension, though it can later waive penalties and interest through taxpayer relief if circumstances beyond your control caused the delay.

### What was the tax deadline in Canada in 2026?

For 2025 returns it was April 30, 2026 for most people and June 15, 2026 for self-employed people and their spouses, with any balance due April 30, 2026.

### Does my spouse get June 15 if I am self-employed?

Yes. The CRA extends the June 15 filing date to the spouse or common-law partner of a self-employed person, but both must still pay any balance by April 30.

## Sources

- [Filing due dates for the 2025 tax return](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/important-dates-individuals/filing-dates-tax-return.html)
- [Due dates and payment dates - Personal income tax](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/important-dates-individuals.html)
- [Instalment payment due dates](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/payments/payments-cra/individual-payments/income-tax-instalments/due-dates.html)
- [GST/HST reporting requirements and deadlines](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/file-gst-hst-return/reporting-requirements-deadlines.html)
- [Prescribed interest rates, October 1 to December 31, 2026](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/prescribed-interest-rates/2026-q4.html)
- [Taxpayer relief: cancel or waive penalties and interest](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/complaints-disputes/cancel-waive-penalties-interest.html)