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What’s new for the 2025 filing season? (March 2026)

When Canadians sit down to prepare the tax return for the 2025 tax year, the forms they use will appear to most taxpayers to be identical to the ones completed at this time last year. That appearance is deceptive, as the tax return form is never the same from one year to the next. In some cases, the change is one which happens each year – the increase in taxable income brackets and tax credit amounts resulting from the indexing of those amounts for inflation. Those changes are built into the figures which appear in the return form, and the taxpayer doesn’t need to do anything in order to benefit from such changes when completing and filing the return.

That’s not necessarily the case for other tax changes. Each year, new tax measures are introduced. In addition, the rules on the computation of income can be changed and existing tax deductions and credits can be extended, changed, or withdrawn altogether. In such cases, it’s up to the taxpayer to make sure that income is accurately reported and a claim is made for every deduction and credit available under the current rules – and conversely, to ensure that claims are not made for deductions or credits for which the taxpayer is not eligible for 2025.

At the beginning of tax filing season, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) posts information on its website to alert taxpayers to the substantive tax changes which they will find when completing their tax return, as well as any changes made to the Agency’s administrative policies and practices which could affect taxpayers who are filing their return for 2025. Such information is also highlighted in the General Income Tax and Benefit Guide for 2025. This year, the substantive tax changes made are relatively narrow and technical in nature, affecting only taxpayers who do specific types of work, or who have specific living or health circumstances, or those who make particular types of investments. Most of this year’s changes relate to tax administration – the policies and procedures which govern the completion and filing of returns for 2025.

The changes to such administrative policies and procedures include the following.

Changes to EFILE

Most Canadian taxpayers do not prepare and file their own returns. During last year’s filing season, 60% of returns were filed using EFILE, a system in which an accredited EFILER prepares a taxpayer’s return and files it electronically with the CRA on the taxpayer’s behalf. (Individual taxpayers can also prepare and file their own tax returns electronically, but such filings are done using the CRA’s NETFILE service.)

To properly prepare and EFILE a return, the EFILER needs to have access to the information found in the taxpayer’s online tax CRA account. In previous filing seasons, such access could be gained using the “Authorize a Representative” function found in EFILE software for individuals.

That was changed beginning July 15, 2025, and an EFILER can no longer use EFILE software to request access to another taxpayer’s online tax account. Instead, EFILERS must request such online access through the “Represent a Client” function on the CRA website, and the access will be provided only once the taxpayer confirms it within their CRA account.

More information on changes to the CRA’s processes for naming and authorizing a representative can be found at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/representative-authorization/confirm-representative.html#individual.

Regaining access to a CRA account

For good reason, the online CRA accounts of taxpayers are protected by multiple levels of security. To access their accounts, taxpayers must enter a UserID and password. As well, at the time the taxpayer is logging in, they are sent a one-time six-digit numeric code as part of the Agency’s Multi-Factor Authentication requirement, and must enter that code.

Most taxpayers don’t log into their online CRA accounts that frequently, and so it’s not that unusual for a taxpayer to forget or mislay their login information. As well, if a taxpayer inputs the incorrect User ID or password too many times in an attempt to get it right, their online account will be locked and therefore inaccessible.

In previous years, taxpayers who were locked out of their CRA online accounts or simply forgot their login information had to call the CRA to re-establish access – a process which could take some time, especially during tax filing season.

The CRA has now instituted a self-service option which enables taxpayers to regain access to their online account where they have forgotten or misplaced their log-in credentials, have been locked out of their account, or simply want to change their sign-in options. Information on how to do that is available on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/cra-login-services/help-cra-sign-in-services/cra-userid-password.html#section3.

Change in marital status during 2025

The marital status of a taxpayer has a significant effect on the types of tax deductions and credits for which they may be eligible. Generally speaking, where a taxpayer is married (or living common-law) their eligibility, especially for tax credit or benefit programs like the Goods and Services/Harmonized Sales Tax Credit or the Canada Child Benefit, is determined, in part, by the combined income of both spouses, and is not based on individual income. As well, the ability to claim personal tax credits, like the spousal tax credit, or to make a spousal registered retirement savings plan contribution, depends on the taxpayer having a spouse at the end of the tax year.

Consequently, a change in marital status usually has an effect on one’s eligibility for a variety of tax deductions and credits and the ability to engage in particular tax planning strategies. The CRA’s listing of income tax changes for 2025 includes a reminder that taxpayers are required to inform the CRA of a change in marital status by the end of the following month after that status has changed. Where a taxpayer’s marital status changed during 2025, they must enter the date of the change on page 1 of the tax return. Taxpayers who must do so should be aware that the CRA will recalculate benefits and credits received based on the new marital status, which could mean either increased or decreased eligibility for benefits and credits.

One final point – while the general rule is that a change in marital status must be communicated to the CRA by the end of the month following the month of the change, that’s not the case where a couple separates. A separation does not generally exist (for tax purposes) until the spouses have lived separate and apart for 90 days, as the result of a breakdown in their relationship. Once that 90-day separation period has passed, the taxpayer must inform the CRA that they are now separated, and the effective date of that separation, for tax purposes, will be the date the spouses began living apart.

When it comes to substantive changes to tax rules for 2025, the only change which will affect all taxpayers is a reduction in the tax rate applied to the first income tax bracket (for 2025, income up to $57,375). Effective as of July 1, 2025, that rate was reduced from 15.0% to 14.0%. Because the change took effect mid-year, the effective tax rate for 2025 on the first income bracket is 14.5%. As with changes in tax bracket and tax credit amounts, the tax rate reduction is built into the tax return form (or tax return software), and there’s no need for the taxpayer to do anything to benefit from the change.

That’s not the case for other substantive changes to the tax system which took effect in 2025. Those changes are relatively technical and narrow in effect, but should be noted by the taxpayer groups who are affected by them. A listing of such changes, with links to the information provided by the CRA on the nature and effective date of those changes, is set out below.

For those using the Income Tax and Benefit Guide for 2025 in completing their return, each of these changes is highlighted in the Guide.

The information presented is only of a general nature, may omit many details and special rules, is current only as of its published date, and accordingly cannot be regarded as legal or tax advice. Please contact our office for more information on this subject and how it pertains to your specific tax or financial situation.

Some last-minute tax filing strategies – what (and what not) to claim (March 2026)

Most taxpayers don’t sit down to prepare their tax return for the 2025 tax year – or meet with a tax preparer to get that return done – before early in the month of March, after T4 slips have been received from their employer and the CRA’s online filing services are up and running for 2025 returns. Unfortunately, by that time, the most significant opportunities to reduce or minimize the tax bill for 2025 are no longer available. Almost all such tax planning or saving strategies, in order to be effective for 2025, must have been implemented by the end of that calendar year and the deadline for the last such major tax saving opportunity – making an RRSP contribution – was March 2, 2026.

The fact that the clock has run out on most major tax planning opportunities for 2025 doesn’t, however, mean that there are no tax-saving strategies left. At this point, there are a couple of ways to minimize the tax hit for 2025 – by claiming all available deductions and credits on the return, and also by making sure that those deductions and credits are structured and claimed in the way which will give the taxpayer the greatest tax benefit.

In some cases, a claim for a tax deduction or credit can only be made on the return for the year in which the expense is incurred, while in other cases claims can be made for expenses incurred in the previous tax year, or even as far back as five years previously. In other cases, the availability and the amount of a tax deduction or credit which can be claimed depend, in whole or in part, on the income (and tax payable) of the taxpayer making the claim.

Getting the best tax result on one’s return requires an assessment of which deductions and credits are available to claim in the current year, whether claims to be made by each spouse can be combined on a single return, whether some or all credit and deduction claims can be carried forward and claimed in a future year (or claimed in the current year by another family member), and whether it even makes sense to make the claim. To most taxpayers, it would seem that the logical approach, and the one guaranteed to create the best tax result, would be to claim every available deduction and credit as soon as it is available and to the maximum extent possible. It may seem counterintuitive, or even illogical, to not do so, but in some cases (albeit for different reasons) there are situations in which it makes sense to defer an available claim to a future year, or to transfer the claim to another family member.

Those considerations apply to two of the most common tax credit claims made by Canadian taxpayers – the charitable donation tax credit and the medical expense tax credit, and the decision on how to structure such claims doesn’t need to be made until the tax return for the year is prepared.

Charitable donation tax credit

Taxpayers are entitled to make a claim on the annual tax return for charitable donations made in the current (that is, 2025) year or any of the previous five years. The reason it can sometimes make sense not to claim a charitable donation in the year it was made arises from the way in which the charitable donations tax credit is structured in order to encourage higher donations.

For most taxpayers that credit, at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels, is a two-tier credit. Federally, the first $200 in donations receives a credit of 14.5% of the total donation, or $29. However, donations above the $200 level receive a credit equal to 29% of the donation amount over $200. (There is a third-level donation credit percentage of 33%, but that is available only to the minority of taxpayers whose taxable income for 2025 is over $253,414.)

Take, for example, a taxpayer who makes a regular contribution to a favourite charity of $100 each month, or $1,200 per year. Where they claim that donation on the annual return for 2025, that claim will result in a federal tax credit of $319 ($200 times 14.5%, plus $1,000 times 29%). Where, however, the same taxpayer defers the claim to the following year and claims a total of $2,400 in donations on a single return, they will receive a federal credit of $667 ($200 times 14.5%, plus $2,200 times 29%). Where the donations are accumulated and claimed once every five years, the federal credit received will be $1,711 ($200 times 14.5%, plus $5,800 times 29%). Under each scenario, the total charitable donation made is the same, but the amount of credit received increases with each year that the claim is deferred. Since each of the provinces and territories provide a two-tier credit (at different rates, depending on the jurisdiction), the same result will be seen when calculating the provincial/territorial credit.

As well, charitable donations made by either spouse can be combined and claimed on the return for one of those spouses, thereby increasing the amount of charitable donations available to claim and possibly the amount of credit which can be received.

It’s important, as well, to remember that the charitable donation tax credit is a non-refundable credit, meaning that it can reduce tax payable but cannot create, or increase, a refund. Consequently, in deciding which spouse will make the claim for the credit for charitable donations made by both spouses, it’s necessary to make sure that that spouse has tax payable for the year of at least the amount of the available charitable donation tax credit. Any credit amount in excess of tax payable for the year cannot be claimed and is simply lost.

Medical expenses

Notwithstanding our publicly funded health care system, there are a great (and increasing) number of medical and para-medical expenses for which coverage is not provided and which must be paid on an out-of-pocket basis. In many instances, it’s possible to claim a medical expense tax credit for those out-of-pocket costs.

For 2025, the federal credit for such expenses is 14.5% of allowable expenses. As is usually the case, the provinces and territories also provide a credit for the same expenses, albeit at different rates.

Many taxpayers, with some justification, find the rules on the calculation of a medical expense tax credit claim confusing. First, there is an income threshold imposed. Medical expenses eligible for the credit are qualifying expenses which exceed 3% of net income, or (for 2025) $2,834, whichever is less. Put more practically, for 2025, taxpayers who have net income of $94,467 or more can claim medical expenses incurred over $2,834. Those with lower incomes can claim medical expenses which exceed 3% of that lower net income. For instance, a taxpayer having $35,000 in net income could claim qualifying medical expenses incurred over $1,050 (3% of $35,000).

The other aspect of the medical expense tax credit which can be confusing is the calculation of the optimal time period. Unlike most tax credit claims, the medical expense tax credit can be claimed for qualifying expenses which were paid in any 12-month period ending during the tax year. While confusing, such rule is beneficial, in that it allows taxpayers to select the particular 12-month period during which medical expenses (and therefore the resulting credit claim) is highest. The only restrictions are that the selected 12-month period must end during the calendar year for which the return is being filed, and, of course, any expenses which were claimed on a previous return cannot be claimed again.

While only expenses which exceed the $2,834/3% threshold may be claimed, it’s also possible to aggregate expenses incurred within a family and make a single claim for those expenses on the return of one spouse. Specifically, the rules allow families to aggregate medical expenses incurred for each spouse and for each child who was under the age of 18 at the end of 2025. While medical expenses incurred by a single family member might not be enough to allow them to make a claim, aggregating those expenses can mean (especially for a family that does not have private medical insurance coverage) that total expenses will exceed the applicable threshold.

In determining who will make the medical expense tax credit claim for a family, there are two points to remember. Since total medical expenses claimable are those which exceed the 3% of net income/$2,834 threshold, whichever is less, the greatest benefit will be obtained if the spouse with the lower net income makes the claim for total family medical expenses. However, like the charitable donation tax credit, the medical expense credit is a non-refundable one, meaning that it can reduce tax otherwise payable, but cannot create (or increase) a refund. Therefore, it’s necessary that the spouse making the claim have tax payable for the year of at least as much as the credit to be obtained, in order to make full use of that credit.

Finally, the number and variety of medical expenses which an individual or family might have to pay for out of pocket are almost limitless, and the rules governing which can be claimed and in what circumstances are very specific and, often, not necessarily intuitive. In some cases, for instance, a doctor’s prescription will be required, while in others it will not. The very long list of medical expenses eligible for the credit, and any ancillary requirements, such as obtaining a prescription from a medical professional, can be found on the Canada Revenue Agency website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/lines-33099-33199-eligible-medical-expenses-you-claim-on-your-tax-return.html.

How to know you’re really hearing from the CRA (March 2026)

For most Canadians, interactions with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are few and far between. In the vast majority of cases, taxpayers file a tax return each spring and either pay any tax amount owed or (in most cases) receive a refund and do not hear from or have reason to contact the Agency again until the next tax filing season. However, especially during tax season, and for the few months after the general filing deadline of April 30, there are a number of additional (legitimate) reasons why the CRA might get in touch with individual taxpayers.

Unexpected communications of any kind from the tax authorities are generally stressful for taxpayers, who often fear the worst. Such anxiety often leads taxpayers to respond quickly to whatever request is being made, but that’s not the right response. Any unsolicited communication from the CRA should first prompt the taxpayer to verify that such communication is, in fact, legitimate and not part of a fraud or scam to part the taxpayer from their money.

Such frauds and scams aren’t new, but they are becoming both more numerous (there are currently warnings about 18 separate tax and benefit scams listed on the Agency’s website, and there are undoubtedly more which have not yet come to light) and more successful. The reasons why lie, for the most part, in changes in technology and in how we now communicate on personal, business, and tax matters. Most Canadians now carry out most of their communications using technology that didn’t exist a generation or two ago. The sheer volume of such communications, and especially the fact that providing a more or less instant response has become the norm, has made scams and frauds much easier to carry out. A fraudster who sends out thousands of fraudulent text messages asking the recipient to click on a link which then provides access to that individual’s personal or banking information needs to succeed in only a few instances in order to make the fraud profitable. Adding to the risk is the fact that the CRA, as part of its move toward online and electronic communication with taxpayers, now utilizes nearly every available form of e-communication. The CRA contacts taxpayers by phone call, automated voice message, letter, text message, email, and online (through its website service My Account). About the only forms of communication that the CRA doesn’t use are social media sites like What’sApp and Facebook Messenger. And now, Generative AI has enhanced the ability of even unsophisticated scammers to produce communications purportedly from the CRA which are harder and harder to distinguish from the real thing.

It’s clear, from all of this, that the first response to any communication received from the CRA should be to NOT respond until that communication can be verified as authentic. And while that’s not always easy to do, there are practices which, if followed, can minimize the risk – and other practices which should always be avoided.

No matter the form of communication, or how urgent or time-sensitive that communication claims to be, taxpayers should NEVER:

Provide or share any personal or financial information, whether over the phone, by text, by email, or on a website, to any person or organization claiming to be from the CRA (even if call display on a phone call indicates that the person is calling from a number belonging to the Agency, as such phone numbers can be spoofed). Taxpayers who receive an unsolicited phone call from someone claiming to be from the CRA can ask the caller for their name, office location, and a number at which they can be reached. It’s then possible to use a service on the CRA website to verify whether or not that callback number is, in fact, one used by the CRA. That service, called Verify a CRA number, can be found on the Agency’s website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/scams-fraud/verify-cra-contact.html. If the caller refuses to provide a name, office location, and callback number, it’s not the CRA calling.
Click on any link (whether to a form or a website) contained in a text message or unsolicited email. While the CRA does use texts and emails to communicate, it does so only for very specific purposes. The CRA will send a text to a taxpayer only as part of its multi-factor authentication service used when the taxpayer is logging into their CRA account, and then only to provide a six digit one-time numeric code to be entered on the website. Any other kind of text is not from the CRA. Similarly, the Agency does send emails to taxpayers, but in only two specific circumstances: where the taxpayer has registered for email notifications and has a new message to view in their CRA online accounts, or where the taxpayer has asked, during a previous meeting or call with a CRA representative, that a CRA link to a form or publication be sent to the taxpayer by email.

Tax scams and frauds are generally successful for two reasons. First, the communications employed to carry out such scams and frauds are structured to be very similar to legitimate communications which could very well have come from the CRA. For instance, the CRA does contact taxpayers, as part of its return verification program, to request that the taxpayer provide proof of claims made on their return – for example, verification of amounts paid for childcare expenses. A taxpayer who receives a text message or email that looks legitimate and requests that they click on a link to confirm such amounts paid isn’t likely to jump first to the conclusion that the communication is fraudulent. Second, fraudulent communications very often inform the taxpayer that they are owed a tax refund by the CRA or are eligible for payment of a new government benefit or tax credit amount. It’s human nature to welcome receipt of unexpected income, and our tax and benefit system is sufficiently complex that most individuals wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they were eligible for refunds, benefits, or tax credits of which they were unaware, and don’t think to question it. Conversely, such fraudulent communications may tell the taxpayer that they owe money to the tax authorities and that significant interest and penalty charges will accrue unless and until payment in full is made. Often, the message includes sufficient dire warnings of the negative financial consequences of such debts (like garnishment of wages, damage to one’s credit rating, or even criminal charges) as to intimidate the taxpayer into making a quick payment, without taking the time to verify the authenticity of the request.

The best defence against becoming a victim of such tax scams and frauds is two-fold: first, never disclose personal or financial information in response to a communication of any kind which purports to be from the CRA, and never click on any link provided in a text or unsolicited email communication received (ostensibly) from the Agency. Where an unsolicited phone call is received, the taxpayer should follow the steps outlined above to verify the authenticity of the call and, if still uncertain, should call the CRA directly (using the Individual Income Tax Enquires line at 1-800 959-8281) to determine whether the call was, in fact, from the Agency. Where any communication is received containing a website link or address, the CRA’s advice is that the recipient should look up the official web address and then type it directly into a browser, and never click on the link. The CRA points out that many such links include a website address which is strikingly similar to real government website addresses, differing by only one or two characters, and leading the recipient to conclude that the communication is legitimate, when it is not.

The other defence against tax scams and frauds is to be aware of what the CRA does and does not do when communicating with taxpayers.

The CRA will not:

Send refunds or payments by e-transfer or text message;
Provide or accept payments by cryptocurrencies;
Demand or pressure immediate payment by:
- Interac® e-transfer,
- Cryptocurrencies,
- Prepaid credit cards,
- Gift cards from any type of retailer;
Threaten to deport or arrest you, or put you in prison;
Use aggressive or threatening language;
Set up an in-person meeting in a public location to collect a payment;
Charge a fee to speak with a call centre agent;
Ask for personal or financial information in a voicemail or email.

Any communication which includes any of these requests, threats, or actions is, by definition, fraudulent and should be ignored and/or deleted, without replying or clicking on any link.

Given all of the above, taxpayers can legitimately feel that they are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to not falling prey to a tax scam or fraud. However, avoiding that result is made much easier by remembering that there is NO legitimate communication from the CRA which requires a response within minutes or hours or even days. There is always time and opportunity to verify the source and legitimacy of any communication received, regardless of the method of communication. When money is lost to a tax scam or fraud, it is rarely recovered; avoiding immediate responses and taking the time to verify the authenticity of any communication which claims to be from the CRA will go a long way to ensure that the taxpayer doesn’t find themself in that unhappy position.

The CRA provides detailed information on its website on how to handle phone calls claiming to be from the Agency and on recognizing and avoiding tax scams and frauds. That information can be found at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/scams-fraud/verify-cra-contact.html and at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/scams-fraud/recognize-scam.html.

How, when and where to file your 2025 tax return (March 2026)

Canada’s tax system is a self-reporting one which depends almost entirely on the voluntary compliance of Canadian taxpayers. Almost every Canadian is required to complete and file a tax return annually and, while it’s likely that few of them look forward to doing so, the rate of voluntary compliance among Canadian taxpayers is actually very high. Last year, nearly 34 million individual income tax returns (for the 2024 tax year) were filed with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

This year, most Canadian taxpayers are required to file a return for the 2025 tax year on or before Thursday, April 30, 2026. Self-employed taxpayers and their spouses, however, have until Monday, June 15, 2026 to file their returns for 2025.

It’s important to note that, regardless of the applicable tax return filing deadline, all Canadian individual taxpayers must pay any balance of tax owed for the 2025 tax year on or before Thursday April 30, 2026. There are no exceptions to this deadline and, absent very unusual circumstances, no extensions are possible. Where taxes owed for 2025 aren’t paid in full on or before the April 30, 2026 deadline, interest charges will begin to accrue beginning on May 1.

Interest charges levied by the CRA on unpaid tax amounts can be significant, for two reasons. First, by law, the prescribed interest rate levied by the Agency is higher than ordinary commercial rates. That prescribed interest rate is set quarterly and the applicable rate for the second calendar quarter of 2026 (April 1 to June 30) is 7%. Second, all interest charges levied by the CRA on unpaid tax amounts are compounded daily, meaning that on each successive day interest is levied on interest amounts that were charged for the previous day.

A summary of filing and payment due dates for returns for the 2025 tax year can be found on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/important-dates-individuals.html.

In order to determine whether there will be a tax balance owed on filing for the 2025 tax year it is, of course, necessary to complete and file a return for 2025. And, while there is little to no flexibility with respect to the deadlines by which returns must be filed and tax amounts owing paid, taxpayers do have choices when it comes to how to get their tax return completed and filed.

For the vast majority of Canadian taxpayers, that means paying someone else to complete and file the return. Canada’s tax system has a well-deserved reputation for complexity, and it seems most Canadians feel either unable or unwilling to tackle the chore of completing their tax return themselves.

Most such Canadians choose to file their return for the year using the CRA’s EFILE service – last year, 60% of returns filed were filed through EFILE. Where a taxpayer chooses to file using EFILE, their return is filed online by a third party, who must be certified as an EFILER by the Canada Revenue Agency. Such EFILE services are provided by accountants, by tax preparation services which operate either year-around or only during tax filing season, or by tax discounters. Almost always, the E-FILE service provider also prepares the return which they are filing.

Taxpayers who wish to use EFILE to file their return for the 2025 tax year can find information on using a tax return preparation service on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/e-services-individuals/efile-individuals.html. That website also provides a current listing (searchable by postal code) of certified E-FILE service providers across Canada; the listing can be found at https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/efes/epcs/prot/ntr.action.

Taxpayers who want to file online and are able and willing to prepare their own tax returns can use the CRA’s NETFILE service (which was available for the filing of returns for 2025 as of Monday, February 23, 2026); information on that service can be found at https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/income-tax/personal-income-tax/how-file/tax-software/send-return/netfile.html. While there are some kinds of returns which cannot be filed using NETFILE (for instance, a return for a non-resident of Canada, or for a deceased taxpayer), the vast majority of Canadians who wish to do so will be able to NETFILE their return.

A return can be filed using NETFILE only where it is prepared using tax return preparation software which has been certified by the CRA. While such software can be found for sale just about everywhere at this time of year, approved software which can be used free of charge, or for a nominal charge, is also available. A listing of third-party tax return software certified for use in preparing individual returns for 2025 is maintained (with links to the software product websites) on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/e-services-individuals/netfile-overview/certified-software-netfile-program.html.

A smaller but still significant number of Canadians prefer to complete their tax return on paper: last year, just under two and a half million returns were prepared and filed in this way. The CRA has, for many years, been urging Canadian taxpayers to file their returns online and, at the same time, has reduced the options available to Canadians who wish to obtain a tax guide and return package in hard copy. For instance, the CRA previously mailed a tax guide and return package to taxpayers who had paper-filed in the previous year; this year, however, it has discontinued that practice.

Notwithstanding those difficulties it is still possible to obtain hard copy of the tax guide and return, in the following ways.

The first method is to go onto the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/tax-packages-years/general-income-tax-benefit-package.html, select the return for your province or territory of residence as of the end of 2025, and then download and print that document.

Those who do not wish to or cannot download or print a hard copy of the return package can order a tax return package online at https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/cjcf/fpos-scfp/pub/rdr. That package will then be sent to the taxpayer by regular mail.

Finally, it’s still possible to order hard copy of the return package by calling the CRA’s automated forms and publications line at 1-855-330-3305. That line is available from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. Eastern Time, 7 days a week. This year, for the first time, taxpayers who request a form or publication through the automated telephone service are required to provide their social insurance number in order to receive that service.

Finally, taxpayers who are unable or unwilling to complete and file the 2025 tax return on their own but lack the financial wherewithal to pay someone else to do so have another option. Volunteers at a number of Community Volunteer Income Tax Clinics across the country will prepare and file simple returns on behalf of lower-income taxpayers, free of charge. Those Community Volunteer Income Tax Clinics are generally found in community centres or libraries, and a searchable database listing such Clinics across Canada can be found on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/community-volunteer-income-tax-program.html.

Making the annual RRSP decision (February 2026)

In some ways, the annual March 1 deadline for making a contribution to a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) couldn’t come at a worse time with respect to the tax and non-tax financial obligations of most Canadians. During February, credit card bills for holiday spending will be coming due, taxpayers who pay tax by instalments will be facing the March 16 deadline for the first such instalment payment of 2026, and, for all taxpayers, any balance of income tax owed for 2025 must be paid to the federal government on or before April 30, 2026.

Notwithstanding all of those competing financial priorities, the unvarying rule is that RRSP contributions, in order to be deducted on the income tax return for 2025, must be made on or before March 1, 2026. (Where, as is the case this year, the March 1 contribution deadline falls on a Sunday, CRA administrative policy extends the deadline by one day, to Monday, March 2, 2026.)

The basic rules governing RRSP contributions allow a Canadian taxpayer to make a current year contribution to their RRSP of the lesser of 18% of earned income for the previous taxation year or the annual RRSP limit, which is a specified dollar amount. (For 2025, the annual RRSP dollar amount limit is $32,490.) Where a taxpayer has not made the maximum allowable RRSP contribution in a previous tax year, that unused contribution room is carried forward and added to allowable RRSP contribution room for 2025. The total contribution amount made for the year can then be deducted from income on the annual return.

The wisdom of making annual contributions to one’s RRSP has become an almost unquestioned tenet of tax and retirement planning, but the one question that doesn’t often get asked by taxpayers is whether it makes sense to contribute to an RRSP, or if a different savings vehicle is more appropriate to their tax and financial situation – or whether it’s even possible to make an RRSP contribution.

For just over 50 years after RRSPs were introduced in 1957, they represented the only means by which taxpayers who were not members of a registered pension plan could save for retirement on a tax-assisted basis. That changed in 2009, when the tax-free savings account (TFSA) program was introduced.

The tax treatment of TFSA contributions is essentially the inverse of the tax rules governing RRSP contributions. RRSP contributions made can be deducted from income and all contributions and all investment income earned by those contributions can compound free of tax inside the RRSP. However, when funds are withdrawn from the RRSP (which can be done at any time but must start, at the latest, the year after the taxpayer turns 71) all such funds are fully taxed as income. Conversely, contributions made to a TFSA are not deductible from income in the year they are made. However, as is the case with an RRSP, contributed funds and investment income earned on those funds can compound free of tax inside the TFSA. However, any and all funds withdrawn from the TFSA are received free of tax, whether they represent original contributions or investment income earned on those contributions.

Given the specific rules governing RRSPs and TFSAs, taxpayers must consider whether it is possible for them to make an RRSP contribution and, if so, whether an RRSP or a TFSA is their best vehicle for short-term or long-term saving. Some of the considerations which will influence that decision are as follows.

Where no RRSP contribution can be made

For Canadians over the age of 71, there is no real choice. All individual Canadians must collapse their RRSPs by the end of the year in which they turn 71, and no RRSP contributions can be made after that time. Practically speaking, a TFSA is the only tax-sheltered savings vehicle to which taxpayers over age 71 can contribute. Most taxpayers over the age of 71 have transferred their RRSP savings to a registered retirement income fund (RRIF) and are required to withdraw a specified percentage of funds from that RRIF each year. Taxpayers who are in the fortunate position of having such income in excess of current cash flow needs can contribute some or all of such amounts to a TFSA, to the extent of their TFSA contribution room for the year. While the RRIF withdrawals must still be included in income and taxed in the year of withdrawal, transferring the funds to a TFSA will allow them to continue compounding free of tax and no additional tax will be payable when any funds in the TFSA are withdrawn. And, unlike RRIF or RRSP withdrawals, monies withdrawn in the future from a TFSA will not affect the planholder’s eligibility for Old Age Security benefits or other means-tested tax credits.

When RRSP contribution room is reduced

The minority of Canadian taxpayers who belong to an employer-sponsored registered pension plan (RPP) save some percentage of income for retirement through contributions made to that RPP, with the employer also making a contribution to the benefit of the employee. The value of benefits earned under the RPP each year by the employee is known as a pension adjustment, and generally any such pension adjustment reduces the employee’s ability to contribute to an RRSP in the following year. Where the ability to contribute to an RRSP is limited in this way, a TFSA is likely the best available alternative for tax-assisted savings.

When the savings goal is short-term

Where savings are being put aside for an expenditure that is likely to be made in the next five years (like a new car, a wedding, or a “bucket list” vacation), saving through a TFSA is almost certain to be the better option. Taxpayers in that situation are sometimes tempted to make an RRSP contribution instead, in order to get a tax refund, and then to withdraw the funds when the planned expenditure is to be made. However, while choosing that option will provide a deduction on this year’s return and probably generate a tax refund, tax will still have to be paid when the funds are withdrawn from the RRSP a year or two later. And, more significantly from a long-term point of view, using an RRSP in this way will eventually erode one’s ability to save for retirement, as RRSP contributions which are withdrawn from the plan cannot be replaced – the contribution room used to make that contribution is permanently lost. While the amounts involved may seem small, the loss of compounding on even a relatively small amount over 25 or 30 years can make a significant dent in one’s ability to save for retirement.

When income is likely to increase significantly in the near future

The greatest tax benefit of contributing to an RRSP is realized when contributions are made when income (and therefore tax payable) is higher, and the intention is to withdraw those funds when both income and the rate of tax payable on that income is lower. Taxpayers who are expecting their income to rise significantly within a few years – for example students in post-secondary or professional education or training

programs – can save some tax by contributing to a TFSA while they are in school and their income (and therefore their tax rate) is low, allowing the funds to compound on a tax-free basis, and then withdrawing the funds tax-free once they’re working, when their tax rate will be higher. At that time, the withdrawn funds can be used to make an RRSP contribution, which will be deducted against income which would be taxed at the much higher rate, generating a tax savings. And, if a need for funds should arise in the meantime, a tax-free TFSA withdrawal can always be made.

When income after retirement isn’t likely to change

Lower-income taxpayers, for whom there isn’t likely to be a great difference between pre- and post-retirement income, are likely better off saving through a TFSA. That’s especially the case where those taxpayers may be eligible in retirement for means-tested government benefits like the Guaranteed Income Supplement or tax credits like the GST/HST credit or age credit. Withdrawals made from an RRSP or RRIF during retirement (including the minimum required withdrawal from an RRIF) will be included in income for purposes of determining eligibility for such benefits or credits, and lower-income taxpayers could find that such withdrawals have pushed their income to a level which reduces or eliminates their eligibility. On the other hand, monies withdrawn from a TFSA are not included in income for the purpose of determining eligibility for any government benefits or tax credits, so saving through a TFSA will ensure that receipt of such benefits is not put at risk.

Taking advantage of pension income splitting (February 2026)

Many Canadian couples, by the time they reach retirement, have achieved most of life’s major financial goals, and the recurring costs of reaching those goals are no longer a consideration. Retirement savings are in place, most homeowners are mortgage-free, and the cost of raising (and providing a post-secondary education for) their children is something already accomplished.

However, there is one major cost which can never be left behind, and that is income tax. For many retirees, the annual tax bill represents their single largest expenditure, and our tax system recognizes this financial reality by providing a number of tax deductions and credits for which only individuals aged 65 and older are eligible.

Most Canadians aged 65 and older do claim those age-related tax deductions and credits on their annual return. There is, however, one age-related tax break of which many Canadians are unaware: pension income splitting. This lack of awareness is particularly unfortunate in light of the fact that pension income splitting has greater potential to reduce the overall family tax bill than any other single tax deduction or tax credit available to older Canadians.

Pension income splitting also offers attributes that are seldom found in other tax deduction or credit measures. First, the eligibility rules with respect to pension income splitting do not include an income ceiling (individual or family) which would limit claims which can be made. Second, there is no limitation placed on the amount by which income tax payable for the year can be reduced by pension income splitting. Third, utilizing pension income splitting does not require any expenditure of funds on the part of the taxpayer(s). And finally, no pre-planning or actual reallocation of income is needed: to benefit from pension income splitting, all that’s needed is for each spouse to file a single form (the T1032) with the CRA and to make a single entry on their 2025 tax return.

Pension income splitting basically involves taking private pension income which was received during the year by one spouse and allocating some of that income to the other spouse for tax purposes. Like all forms of income splitting, pension income splitting works because Canada has what is called a “progressive” tax system, in which the applicable tax rate goes up as income rises. For 2025, the federal tax rate applied to the first $57,375 of taxable income is 14.5%, while the federal rate applied to the next $57,375 of such income is 20.5%. So, an individual who has $100,000 in taxable income would pay federal tax of about $17,057 (14.5% of $57,375 plus 20.5% of $42,625). If that $100,000 was divided equally between such individual and their spouse, each would have $50,000 in taxable income and federal tax payable of $7,250 (14.5% of $50,000). The total federal tax bill for the family would be $14,500, saving just over $2,500 in federal tax payable for the year.

The general rule with respect to pension income splitting is that a taxpayer who receives private pension income during the year is entitled to allocate up to half that income (without any dollar limit) to their spouse for tax purposes. For pension income splitting purposes, private pension income means payments from a pension plan and, where the income recipient is aged 65 or older at the end of the year, payments from an annuity, a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), or a registered retirement income fund (RRIF). Government source pensions, like the Canada Pension Plan, Québec Pension Plan, or Old Age Security payments do not qualify for pension income splitting, regardless of the age of the recipient.

The mechanics of pension income splitting are relatively simple. There is no need to transfer funds between spouses or to make any change in the actual payment or receipt of qualifying pension amounts, and no need to notify a pension or retirement savings plan administrator. Taxpayers who wish to split eligible pension income received by either of them must complete Form T1032, Joint Election to Split Pension Income (T1032 E (23)). That form, which is not included in the annual tax return package, can be found on the Canada Revenue Agency website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/forms/t1032.html, or can be ordered (in English or French) by calling the CRA’s automated forms ordering telephone line at 1-855-330-3305.

Using the T1032, the taxpayer receiving the private pension income and the spouse with whom that income is to be split must make a joint election and provide the amount of pension income to be split. Where returns are filed electronically, the completed T1032 must be retained in case the Canada Revenue Agency makes a request for it; where the returns are paper filed, the completed T1032 form is filed with each spouse’s return. Since the splitting of pension income affects the income, and therefore the tax liability, of both spouses, the election must be made and the form filed by both spouses – an election filed by only one spouse or the other won’t suffice. In addition to filing the T1032, the spouse who actually received the private pension income to be split must deduct from income the amount of eligible pension income which is being allocated to their spouse. That deduction is taken on Line 21000 of their 2025 return. And, conversely, the spouse to whom the eligible pension income is being allocated is required to add that amount to their income on the return, this time on Line 11600.

Unfortunately, the T1 package issued by the Canada Revenue Agency simply outlines the mechanics of how to carry out pension income splitting but does not provide any information on the benefits of doing so. More detailed information on those benefits and on pension income splitting generally can, however, be found on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/pension-income-splitting.html.

Finally, taxpayers who would have been able to benefit from pension income splitting in previous taxation years but were unaware that they could do so may still be able to benefit. The CRA notes on its website that “Under certain circumstances, the CRA may allow you to make a late or amended election, or revoke an original election, if the application is made on or before the day that is three calendar years after the filing-due date for the year that the election applies. You and your spouse or common-law partner must agree to any amendment or revocation of the election.” Taxpayers who find themselves in that situation are advised to call the CRA’s Individual Income Tax Enquiries Line at 1-800-959 8281.

Understanding the rules on payment of tax instalments (February 2026)

Every resident of Canada is required to pay income tax on their worldwide income. And while the vast majority of Canadians do so when and as required (with varying degrees of reluctance), very few understand how the amount of tax they must pay is calculated, or the system by which such tax payable is remitted to the federal taxation authorities.

That’s particularly true for employed Canadians, who have tax deducted from their paycheques by their employer and remitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on their behalf. When those taxpayers file a tax return for the year, all tax amounts remitted to the CRA on their behalf are credited against their total income tax bill for the year. The goal is for amounts withheld from the taxpayer’s paycheques throughout the year to be at least the amount of income tax actually owed for that year. In most cases, the system works, with the majority of taxpayers who file a return for the year receiving a tax refund.

While this “deduction at source” system generally works well, it is also a system which is largely invisible to the taxpayer, requiring virtually no action on their part. That’s not the case, however, for taxpayers who pay income tax by instalment payment, and some time during the month of February, millions of those taxpayers will receive an Instalment Reminder from the CRA, in which tax instalment amounts to be paid on March 16 and June 15, 2026 are set out.

The CRA’s decision to send an Instalment Reminder to particular taxpayers isn’t an arbitrary one, although it may seem so to the taxpayers who are unfamiliar with the instalment payment rules. Under those rules, the CRA issues an Instalment Reminder to a particular taxpayer where the amount of tax which is withheld from that taxpayer’s income throughout the year is not sufficient to cover the amount of income tax which they are actually required to pay for that year, leaving a balance owing when the return for the year is filed.

Put more technically, an Instalment Reminder is issued by the CRA when the amount of tax which was or will be owed by the taxpayer on filing is more than $3,000 in the current (2026) tax year and either of the two previous (2025 or 2024) tax years. Essentially, the instalment payment system for 2026 will be triggered where the amount of tax withheld from the taxpayer’s income throughout the year is at least $3,000 less than their total tax owing for 2026 and for either 2025 or 2024. For residents of Québec, that threshold amount which triggers the issuance of a federal Instalment Reminder is $1,800.

There’s a lot about the Instalment Reminder received by taxpayers that is confusing. There is no indication of how the CRA arrives at the numbers which are listed as instalment payments to be made in March and June 2026 and, in addition, the notice is called an Instalment “Reminder” and not an actual requirement to pay, or a bill from the CRA.

Taxpayers who receive an Instalment Reminder actually have three options when it comes to deciding how to respond. Each of those options has its own benefits and disadvantages, as outlined below.

No-Calculation Option

First, the taxpayer can simply pay the amounts set out in the Instalment Reminder, in full, and on or before the required dates. A taxpayer who does so will not face any interest or penalty charges, even if the amount remitted by way of instalment payments turns out to be less than the taxpayer’s actual tax payable for the year.

There are, however, circumstances in which paying the amounts specified on the Instalment Reminder might not be the best course of action. The amounts set out in the Reminder are based on the CRA’s best estimate of the taxpayer’s actual tax payable for the year, based on prior year income and taxes. Where tax payable for 2026 is likely to be significantly less (for instance, where the taxpayer recently retired and their income for 2026 will be less than income earned in the last year or two of employment) another approach can make more sense. A taxpayer who does not want to pay the amounts set out in the Instalment Reminder has two other options, as outlined on the CRA website.

Prior-Year Option

This option is best if the taxpayer’s 2026 income, deductions, and credits will be similar to such amounts for 2025, but significantly different from those in 2024. In that case, the taxpayer can determine 2026 tax instalment amounts based on the tax payable for 2025, as calculated on their return for that year. As the first instalment for 2026 is not due until March 16, many taxpayers will already have completed and filed their return for 2025 and will know the exact amount of their tax payable for that year. (The forms for completing the return for 2025 are available now on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/tax-packages-years/general-income-tax-benefit-package.html, and many of the software packages used to complete a return for 2025 can now be downloaded or purchased.)

Current-Year Option

This option is best if the taxpayer’s 2026 income, deductions, and credits will be significantly different from those in both 2025 and 2024 – as, for example, a taxpayer who retired at the end of 2025.

Using this option, the taxpayer determines the amount of instalment payments to be made based on their estimated current year (2026) tax payable. The CRA provides an online calculator (available at calculation chart for instalment payments for 2026 (PDF, 94 KB)) which can be used to assist in making that determination.

While the no-calculation option – simply paying the amounts set out in the Instalment Reminder by the due dates – is entirely risk-free, that’s not necessarily the case with the prior-year and current-year options. Should the taxpayer’s calculations with respect to the amount of income tax which will be owed for the 2026 tax year be inaccurate, meaning a shortfall in instalment payments, the CRA will impose interest charges. For the current quarter (January 1 to March 31, 2026) the interest rate charged by the CRA is 7%, and all such interest amounts levied are compounded daily. The CRA can also impose penalty charges for insufficient instalments, but such penalty charges are levied only where the amount of instalment interest charges for the year is more than $1,000.

Taxpayers who don’t want to risk having to pay interest charges, or who simply don’t want to involve themselves in calculating tax payable amounts for the year, can simply pay the amounts listed in the Instalment Reminder issued by the CRA. The more technical-minded (or those who want to ensure that they are paying no more than absolutely required and are willing to take the risk of having to pay interest on any shortfall) can avail themselves of the second or third options outlined above.

Detailed information on the instalment payment system for 2026, and the calculation and payment options available to taxpayers, can be found on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/payments/payments-cra/individual-payments/income-tax-instalments.html.

Aging in place – claiming the Home Accessibility Tax Credit (February 2026)

The strong preference of many older Canadians is to remain in their own homes for as long as possible – usually described as “aging in place”. There’s a lot to recommend that choice – moving, at any age, is a stressful experience. As well, remaining in one’s current home often means staying close to family and friends, and in a familiar community. There’s also a financial aspect to staying in one’s home: while home ownership has its unavoidable costs in the form of property taxes and utilities costs and the inevitable maintenance and repair bills, the cost of living in a retirement home is usually several thousand dollars per month. And, in the event that a greater level of care is needed, the cost of a bed in a long-term care home is even greater.

That said, the home that suited a growing family or even empty nesters in their early retirement years may no longer meet the needs of older retirees. When that’s the case, selling the home and moving is not the only available choice. Often, changes can be made to a home to make it both safe and comfortable for its older owners, and the out-of-pocket cost of making such changes can be offset by the availability of a non-refundable federal tax credit – the Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) program.

The HATC is an unusually broad and flexible tax credit in a number of ways, including the broad definition of the kinds of expenses which qualify for the credit, who can claim the credit, and the number of tax credit programs for which expenses incurred may be eligible.

In a nutshell, the HATC program provides a tax credit for changes made to a home which allow a “qualifying individual to gain access to, or be mobile or functional within, the dwelling or which reduce the risk of harm to a qualifying individual within the dwelling or in gaining access to the dwelling”. It’s apparent from that description that a very broad range of expenses can qualify for the purpose of the HATC – everything from the purchase and installation of a bathtub grab bar to a full-scale renovation done to provide a ground floor bathroom. The limitations on which expenses qualify for the credit are actually quite few in number. Generally, in order to be eligible for the credit, a cost incurred must be for a change which is permanent part of the property, and costs which represent the ordinary costs of maintaining a home and property and/or are periodic or recurring in nature, do not qualify. The listing of non-qualifying expenses provided by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is as follows:

amounts paid to acquire a property that can be used independently of the qualifying renovation;
the cost of annual, recurring, or routine repairs or maintenance;
amounts paid to buy household appliances;
amounts paid to buy electronic home-entertainment devices;
the cost of housekeeping, security monitoring, gardening, outdoor maintenance, or similar services;
financing costs for the qualifying renovation; and
the cost of renovations incurred mainly to increase or maintain the value of the dwelling.

The definition of a “qualifying individual” for purposes of the HATC includes both homeowners who are over the age of 64 at the end of the taxation year for which the claim is being made, as well as individuals of any age who are eligible for the federal disability tax credit at any time during the year. However, the list of individuals who can make a claim for the HATC is broader than that.

Claims for the HATC can also be made by an “eligible individual” and for purposes of the credit an eligible individual includes the spouse or common-law partner of a qualifying individual. Other relatives of a qualifying individual, including a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, nephew, or niece of that qualifying individual (or the spouse of any of these individuals) can also make the claim for the HATC, as long as the elderly or disabled individual is dependent on the relative making the claim. The rules governing the circumstances in which a relative other than a spouse or common-law partner can make a claim for the HATC are somewhat complex, and those rules are set out in detail on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/line-31285-home-accessibility-expenses.html.

It's a basic tenet of the Canadian tax system that an expenditure can only be claimed once, for either tax deduction or tax credit purposes – that “double dipping” by claiming the same expense twice is not allowed. The HATC is one of the rare exceptions to that rule, in that an eligible expense for purposes of the HATC which also qualifies as a medical expense can be claimed twice – as a medical expense tax credit and as a home accessibility tax credit.

Finally, there are a number of other grant, forgivable loan, or tax credit programs at the federal, provincial, and territorial government levels which provide assistance to eligible Canadians with the cost of making a home safer or more accessible for older residents. No matter the source or amount of such financial assistance, any amount received does not reduce the amount claimable for purposes of the HATC.

Take, for example a couple, each of whom is over the age of 64, and each of whom has an income of $30,000. The couple live in their own two-story home, in which the bedrooms and bathrooms are on the second floor. As the result of both age and illness- related mobility restrictions, one of the spouses must now use a wheelchair to move about within their home. In order to be able to stay in that home, the couple decide to undertake renovations which will create a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor of the home. They also replace the stairs leading to the front door of their home with a ramp. The cost to do these renovations is $15,000. In their tax return for the year, the couple can make the following claims with respect to the cost of the renovations.

Claim for HATC

The total cost of the renovations was $15,000. The HATC is calculated as 14.5% of eligible costs incurred, meaning that the credit for the renovation is $2,175 ($15,000 times 14.5%). The claim for the HATC is then made on line 31285 of the return, and federal income tax payable is reduced by $2,175.

Claim for medical expense tax credit (METC)

Under general rules, Canadian taxpayers can claim a federal medical expense tax credit for eligible medical expenses which exceed 3% of their net income for the year, or $2,834, whichever is less.

Since both spouses have the same income, the tax result will be the same, regardless of who makes the claim for the METC. (If their incomes were different, the claim for the METC should usually be made by the lower-income spouse.)

Since the income of the spouse making the claim is $30,000, 3% of net income is $900, meaning that $14,100 ($15,000 minus $900) of the cost of renovations can be claimed for purposes of the METC. The METC is equal to 14.5% of qualifying medical expenses, meaning that the credit with respect to the renovation costs will be $2,044.50 ($14,100 times 14.5%), and federal tax payable by the individual making the claim will be reduced by that amount.

In total, the couple has received $4,219.50 in federal non-refundable tax credits (and thereby reduced their federal tax payable for the year by that amount) with respect to their renovation costs, bringing the net cost of those renovations from $15,000 to $10,780.50.

There is an overall limit of $20,000 on the amount of eligible expenses which can be incurred in respect of a single dwelling during a single tax year, regardless of the number of qualifying individuals who live in that dwelling. However, there are no restrictions on the number of times a claim for the HATC can be made. Consequently, taxpayers who are contemplating incurring costs which exceed the $20,000 annual limit should consider spreading those costs over more than one taxation year, in order to maximize the total HATC claim which can be made.

Detailed information on the HATC can be found on the CRA website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/line-31285-home-accessibility-expenses.html.

New Quarterly Newsletters (Q4 2025)

Two quarterly newsletters have been added – one dealing with personal issues, and one dealing with corporate issues.