It’s that time of year again – to gather the necessary documents to find out how much you owe, or ideally – how big your tax refund will be.
Having all of the relevant information organized and ready will make doing your taxes faster and less painful and if you have an accountant, cheaper as they’ll spend fewer hours digging through your files.
Whether you’re doing it yourself or sending them on to your accountant, the following is a checklist of all the forms and documentation that you may need to gather in order to file your taxes with the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA).
Contents
Auto-fill my return
If you are registered for CRA’s My Account, any NETFILE or EFILE-certified tax return software can automatically retrieve the forms and t-slips the CRA already has on file via their auto-fill my return service and use them to populate your return.
“(AF)” (auto-fill) is next to each document listed below that can be retrieved using the auto-fill service.
Personal information
| Item | Documentation |
|---|---|
| Previous year’s tax status NETFILE access code | Notice of Assessment or re-assessment from CRA |
| Tax installment payments summary RRSP deduction limit and unused amounts (AF) CRA correspondence | CRA My Account |
| Last year’s tax return | Tax software, accountant |
| Your (and spouse’s) information | Full name, Social Insurance Number (SIN), date of birth |
| Dependent(s) information | Full name, Social Insurance Number (SIN), date of birth |
| Contact information | New address, email address, phone number |
| Sell or purchase a principal residence | Date of sale, proceeds/amount of sale/purchase, address |
| Marital status change | Date of marriage, separation or divorce |
| Status of your dependents | University tuition slips, disability records |
Income
All of the documents that provide proof of the money you received in the previous calendar year.
Employment
| Employment income Bonus or supplementary pay | T4 Statement of Remuneration Paid – box 14 (AF) from employer |
| Commission income Severance pay COVID-19 Benefits received (CERB, CRB, CRCB, CESB) Registered disability savings plan (RDSP) income Annuity income Patronage allocation – co-op/UFA | T4A Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income (AF) from employer, trustee |
| Tips, gratuities and other income | Your tracking document/records |
| Employment insurance benefits Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) | T4E Statement of Employment Insurance and Other Benefits (AF) from My Service Canada Account |
| Social assistance and worker’s compensation (non-taxable) | T5007 Statement of Benefits – Workers Compensation or Social Assistance benefits – box 11, 10 (AF) in the mail from a provincial board or agency |
| Canada Worker’s Benefit (CWB) | RC210 Canada workers benefit advance payments statement (AF) from CRA My Account |
| Defined Profit-Sharing Plan (DPSP) | T4PS Statement of Employee Profit-Sharing Plan Allocations and Payments from employer |
| Alimony/child support payments | Agreement, amount received |
Self-employment
| Business income (sole proprietorship) Professional income | Income Statement (Profit & Loss) to complete T2125 Statement of Business or Professional Activities |
| Partnership income (limited or non-active) | Must complete T5013 Statement of Partnership Income (AF) |
| Dividend income Interest income Royalty income Other income | T5 Statement of Investment Income (AF) from bank, broker |
| Contract income from contractor or government | T5018, Statement of Contract Payments or T1204, Government Services Contract Payments (AF) |
Investments, savings & rental
| Capital gains upon sale or deemed sale of taxable investments including shares, bonds, real estate other than primary residence or other assets, employee stock options | T3/T5 slips, T5008 Statement of Securities Transactions (AF) slips from broker, trading summary, realized gain/loss report, adjusted cost base (ACB) report |
| Bank account interest Dividends income | T5 Statement of Investment Income (AF) from bank, broker |
| Rental income | Statement of rental income to complete T776 Statement of Real Estate Rentals |
| Income from a trust or mutual fund | T3 Statement of Trust Income Allocations and Designations from trustee |
| Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP) repayment | Repayment details from CRA My Account (AF) for the completion of Schedule 7 |
| Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) repayment | Repayment details from CRA My Account (AF) for the completion of Schedule 7 |
| Ownership of a foreign corporation | T1134 Information Return Relating To Controlled and Non-Controlled Foreign Affiliates |
| Ownership of foreign assets/property >$100,000 | T1135 Foreign Income Verification Statement |
Retirement
| Pension and annuity income Retirement allowance Pooled Registered Pension Plan (PRPP) withdrawals Other pension or annuity income | T4A Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income (AF) |
| Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability benefits | T4A(P) Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits (AF) |
| Old Age Security (OAS) pension | T4A(OAS) Statement of Old Age Security (AF) |
| Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) income/withdrawals | T4RSP Statement of RRSP Income (AF) |
| Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) | T4RIF Statement of income from a Registered Retirement Income Fund (AF) |
Tax deductions, credits and expenses
All of the documents that provide proof of the money you received in the previous calendar year. Eligible expenses (deductions) and credits help reduce your taxable income and therefore lower your tax bill (or increase your tax refund).
Taking the time to find these can be worth it: spending an hour or two going through your records, while boring, could increase your tax refund by hundreds of dollars. If you don’t file, you may miss out on certain credits that you qualify for such as the Canada workers benefit (CWB) and some are not paid retroactively if you file in a later year.
| Charitable donations | Receipts for eligible donations |
| Political party donations (Federal or Provincial) | Receipts for eligible donations |
| Medical expenses for you, spouse and dependents not covered by your health plan | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Dental expenses for you, spouse and dependents not covered by your health plan | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Vision expenses for you, spouse and dependents not covered by your health plan | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Disability credit | T2201 Disability Tax Credit Certificate signed by a doctor |
| Moving expenses | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Legal expenses for CRA audits, to collect salary/wages, pension or retiring allowance, make child support payments non-taxable | Receipts for eligible expenses |
Families
| Child care expenses | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Adoption expenses | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Caregiver of family member with an impairment credit | Signed statement from medical practitioner |
| Alimony/child support payments | Receipts from recipient, bank/agency statements |
Employment
| Home office (work from home) expenses | T2200S Declaration of Conditions of Employment for Working at Home Due to COVID-19, completed and signed by employer if using the detailed method – see employment expenses |
| Employment expenses Accounting fees (commission employees) | T2200 Declaration of Conditions of Employment, completed and signed by employer – see employment expenses |
| Tools expenses | Receipts for eligible tools and T2200 completed and signed by employer |
| Professional or union dues Employment insurance premiums CPP or QPP contributions | T4 (AF) and receipts for other eligible dues |
Self-employment
| Business-use-of-home and car | Receipts for eligible expenses and vehicle travel logbook |
Investments, savings & rental
| RRSP contributions | Contribution receipts from broker, deduction limit and unused amounts (AF) from CRA My Account |
| Pooled Registered Pension Plan (PRPP) contributions | Contribution receipt slip (AF) |
| Capital losses upon sale or deemed sale of taxable investments including: shares, bonds, real estate other than primary residence or other assets, employee stock options | T3/T5 slips, broker statements, T5008 Statement of Securities Transactions (AF) – up to 500 slips |
| Investment advice and management fees (taxable accounts) and interest expenses | Receipts and statements for eligible expenses |
| Rental expensesRental loss | Receipts for eligible expenses to complete T776 |
| Tax shelter | T5003 Statement of Tax Shelter Information or T5013 to complete T5004 |
| Flow-through shares (FTS) in taxable accounts | T101 Statement of Resource Expenses (PBC), T5013 (partnership) |
| Invested in petroleum, natural gas, mining, or certain clean energy generation | T5, T101, or T5013 to complete T1229 |
Education & students
| Tuition fees, carry forward amounts Canada training credit (CTC) | T2202 Tuition and Enrolment Certificate (AF) or TL11A (outside Canada), TL11C (commute to US), TL11D from institution |
| Exam fees for professional designations/certification | Receipt for eligible exams |
| Student loan interest paid | Statements (AF) |
Other
| Digital news subscription expenses | Receipts for eligible subscriptions |
| School supplies expenses (teaching supplies) | Receipts for eligible supplies |
| Home accessibility expenses | Receipts for eligible expenses |
| Volunteer firefighter or search and rescue volunteer | Membership to eligible organization |
US slips
| Employment income | W-2 |
| US Income Subject to Withholding | 1042-S |
| Dividend income | 1099-DIV |
| Retirement income (Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans) | 1099-R |
| Investment income | 1099-INT |
| Other miscellaneous income | 1099-MISC |
| Partner’s Share of Income, Deductions, Credits | K-1 (1065) |
Provincial and territorial tax and credits for individuals
In addition to federal income tax credits and deductions listed above, you may also be eligible for credits and deductions specific to your province. The CRA provides a list of these by province.
How long should I keep my income tax records?
Keep tax records and supporting documents for 6 years.
In case your return is selected for review (audit), the CRA asks that you keep your tax returns and supporting documents (T-slips, forms, receipts, bank statements, notice of assessments etc.) for 6 years from the end of the tax year they relate to in order to provide proof of the tax credits and deductions you claimed.
Where to get help with your taxes
If you are on a low income or re not able to complete your own simple income tax return: The CRA and the ARQ train community volunteers to help people complete their simple personal income tax return for free through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.
If you are a small business owner or self-employed: Get free tax help to better understand your tax obligations by booking a virtual visit with a Liaison Officer.
Contact the CRA: Call the CRA and you’ll now be given the option to request a callback if wait times are too long.
Manage your taxes online
Registering for My Account or the MyCRA mobile web app enables you to:
- Change your address, phone number, or other personal information
- Sign up for direct deposit to get your refund sooner
- Get email notifications/reminders
- Documents for past years (notice of assessment, RRSP/TFSA contributions)
Over to you
We’re interested to know – how do you file your tax return and how long does it take you every year? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
