CRA Key Dates & Tax Deadlines for Canadian Small Businesses (2026)

The CRA doesn't send calendar reminders. Miss a filing deadline by even one day and you're looking at automatic penalties — and those penalties compound every month you stay late. For Canadian small businesses, knowing your deadlines isn't optional. It's the price of operating without surprises.

This guide covers every key CRA deadline you need to track in 2026: personal taxes, corporate taxes, GST/HST filings, and payroll remittances. Bookmark it. Share it with your bookkeeper. Set the reminders now.

Personal Income Tax Deadlines (T1)

The T1 personal income tax return is what most Canadians think of first. The rules are straightforward — but there's a common trap for self-employed individuals.

April 30, 2026 — General Filing Deadline

If you're an employee or receive investment income, your T1 is due April 30, 2026. This is also the deadline to pay any balance you owe. If April 30 falls on a weekend, the CRA extends to the next business day — but don't count on it.

June 15, 2026 — Self-Employed Filing Deadline

If you or your spouse are self-employed (sole proprietor, freelancer, contractor), you have until June 15, 2026 to file your T1. However — and this is the trap — any balance owing is still due April 30. The extra time is only for filing, not for paying. Interest starts accumulating on unpaid balances after April 30, even if you haven't filed yet.

Corporate Tax Deadlines (T2)

Incorporated businesses file a T2 Corporation Income Tax Return instead of a T1. The deadlines are tied to your corporation's fiscal year-end, not the calendar year.

Filing Deadline: 6 Months After Fiscal Year-End

You have 6 months from your fiscal year-end to file your T2. If your fiscal year ends December 31, 2025, your T2 is due by June 30, 2026. If it ends March 31, 2026, you have until September 30, 2026.

Payment Deadline: 2 or 3 Months After Fiscal Year-End

The tax payment deadline is earlier than the filing deadline. Most Canadian-Controlled Private Corporations (CCPCs) eligible for the Small Business Deduction have until 3 months after year-end to pay their balance. All other corporations must pay within 2 months.

For a December 31 year-end: payment due by March 31 (CCPC with SBD) or February 28 (all others). You can file late but interest on unpaid tax starts the day after the payment deadline.

GST/HST Filing Deadlines

Your GST/HST filing frequency depends on your annual revenue. The CRA assigns a filing period when you register, but you can request a change.

Monthly Filers

If your taxable revenues exceed $6 million per year (or you elected monthly filing), you file every month. The return and any balance owing are due one month after the end of the reporting period. January period → due February 29.

Quarterly Filers

Revenues between $1.5 million and $6 million typically require quarterly filing. Each quarter's return and payment are due one month after the quarter ends:

• Q1 (Jan–Mar) → due April 30
• Q2 (Apr–Jun) → due July 31
• Q3 (Jul–Sep) → due October 31
• Q4 (Oct–Dec) → due January 31

Annual Filers

Revenues under $1.5 million may qualify for annual filing. The due date is generally 3 months after your fiscal year-end. Exception: if your fiscal year ends December 31, your annual GST/HST return is due June 15 (not March 31) — but the balance is still due April 30.

Our GST/HST filing service handles quarterly and annual returns for Canadian small businesses — including nil returns — so you never miss a deadline.

Payroll Remittance Deadlines

If you have employees, you're collecting CPP contributions, EI premiums, and income tax from every paycheque. That money belongs to the CRA — you're just holding it temporarily. Remitting late is one of the most expensive mistakes a small business can make.

Regular Remitters

Most small businesses are regular remitters. You must send the CRA all amounts deducted from employee paycheques — plus your employer's share of CPP and EI — by the 15th of the month following the pay period. Paid employees in March → remit by April 15. Our payroll management service calculates and submits your remittances on schedule.

Quarterly Remitters

New employers and small employers with an average monthly withholding amount (AMWA) of less than $1,000 may qualify for quarterly remittances. Deadlines are the 15th of April, July, October, and January.

2026 Summary: Key Dates at a Glance

Deadline	What's Due	Who It Affects
April 30, 2026	T1 filing + payment (general); GST/HST Q1 payment (annual filers); payroll Apr 15 missed	Employees, investors, self-employed (payment only)
June 15, 2026	T1 filing (self-employed); annual GST/HST return (Dec 31 year-end)	Self-employed, sole proprietors
June 30, 2026	T2 filing (Dec 31 fiscal year-end)	Corporations with Dec 31 year-end
15th of each month	Payroll remittances (regular remitters)	All employers with payroll
6 months after year-end	T2 filing	All corporations
2–3 months after year-end	Corporate tax payment	All corporations

What Happens If You Miss a CRA Deadline?

The CRA doesn't negotiate on penalty timing. Penalties are automatic, calculated the day after your deadline passes.

Late-filing penalty (T1 and T2): 5% of the balance owing, plus 1% per complete month late, up to 12 months. Miss by three months on a $10,000 balance? That's $800 in penalties before interest.

Repeated late filing: If you've been penalized for late filing in any of the three preceding years, the penalty doubles: 10% of the balance + 2% per month, up to 20 months.

Interest: Prescribed interest compounds daily on any unpaid balance. The CRA rate is set quarterly — in recent years it's been in the 8–10% range annually. It adds up faster than most people expect.

Payroll penalties: These are especially harsh. Missing a remittance by 1–3 days is a 3% penalty. More than 7 days late is 10%. These apply to the full remittance amount, not just the late portion.

How to Never Miss a CRA Deadline

The good news: missing deadlines is entirely preventable with the right systems in place.

• Open a CRA My Business Account — you can see balances, file returns, and set up reminders online at canada.ca/my-cra-business-account
• Set calendar reminders 3 weeks in advance — gives you time to gather documents and request an extension if needed
• Separate your GST/HST into a dedicated account — transfer 5% or 13% of every invoice you receive immediately, so the money is there when filing time comes
• Work with a bookkeeper who tracks deadlines for you — at MaxRefund Business, we flag every upcoming deadline for our clients and remind them well in advance
• If you can't pay, file anyway — filing on time and paying late is much cheaper than filing late. The late-filing penalty stops accruing once you've filed, but the interest on unpaid amounts continues regardless