When does NETFILE open for the 2027 tax season?

NETFILE dates for the current season

Is NETFILE open right now? Yes. The service opened for the 2026 season on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. Eastern time and stays open until Friday, January 29, 2027. During that window it accepts original returns for tax years 2018 to 2025, so a late 2025 return or an older unfiled year can still go through today.

What it will not accept yet is a return for the 2026 tax year. That year only becomes eligible once the CRA reopens the service for the 2027 season.

When NETFILE usually opens for the 2027 season

The NETFILE 2027 opening date is not yet announced. The CRA normally publishes it in the fall, and in recent years the service has come back in the last full week of February. In 2027 that week runs from Monday, February 22 to Friday, February 26. Treat that as a projection based on past years, not a confirmed date.

What time does NETFILE open?

On opening day in 2026 the service started accepting transmissions at 6:00 a.m. Eastern time, which is 3:00 a.m. in British Columbia and 7:30 a.m. in Newfoundland. Outside opening day, it is available around the clock except for daily maintenance from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern time.

Why NETFILE shuts down each winter

Every year the CRA takes the service offline for a few weeks so it can update its systems for the new tax year: new rates, new credits, new form lines and the next range of eligible years. In 2026 that shutdown ran from February 1 to February 22.

Tax software companies also release their updated versions for the new year around the same time, and the CRA certifies them before they can transmit. If you try to send during the shutdown, the transmission will fail no matter how correct your return is. Our page on NETFILE not working covers that and other connection problems.

What you can do before NETFILE opens

The weeks before the opening are the best time to prepare, so you can send on day one if you expect a refund.

1. Check that you can sign in to your CRA account, and that a backup multi-factor authentication option is on file. The CRA began requiring one in February 2026.
2. Set up or confirm direct deposit so a refund is not delayed by a cheque in the mail.
3. Collect your slips. T5 slips must reach you by the last day of February, so some investment slips may arrive after the service reopens.
4. Find the access code on your most recent notice of assessment, or note that you will file without it.
5. Read our tax season changes page, since 2026 is the first full year at the 14% lowest federal rate.

Key dates after the NETFILE open date

For 2026 returns the deadline for most people is Friday, April 30, 2027. Self-employed people and their spouse or common-law partner have until Tuesday, June 15, 2027 to file, but any balance owing is still due April 30. The CRA confirms these dates in its filing-season news release, usually in February. Full details are on our tax deadline page.

SimpleFile, the CRA's invitation-based service, opened later than NETFILE in 2026, on March 9. Its 2027 date is also not yet announced. For everything else about sending a return online, start with the NETFILE Canada guide.