For mailed or paper returns, refunds are issued in 8 weeks following receipt of the return by the CRA or the Revenu Quebec.
These timelines apply only to returns that are received on or before the due date.
If you have to pay income taxes to the CRA, you can do so online through the CRA’s My Payment online portal. Pay by setting up a pre-authorized debit agreement using CRA My Account or through a third-party service provider with credit card, e-transfer, or PayPal.
If you're a resident of Canada for any part of the year and are earning income, whether that's employment, self-employment, investment or other income, you're subject to Canadian income tax. There are no exemptions for age or occupation.
The CRA requires that you retain your records for a minimum of 6 years, by law. If you file an income tax return late, you must keep your records for six years from the date you file that return.
You can ask to change your tax return for up to 10 years, so it's a good idea to keep your records for that long.
In Canada, income tax is calculated by adding up your income, subtracting your deductions, then running what's left through federal and provincial tax brackets. Here's how that breaks down:
Total income: everything you earned, including employment, self-employment, investment, and other income.
Taxable income: your total income minus deductions like RRSP contributions.
Tax payable: your taxable income run through federal and provincial tax brackets, minus any credits you qualify for.
Refund or balance owing: your tax payable compared to what you already paid through withholding or instalments.
Enter your numbers in our calculator, and get a taste of how TurboTax can do all of this for you instantly.
Your marginal tax rate is what you pay on your next dollar of income. Your average tax rate is your total tax divided by your total income: what you actually paid overall.
Your marginal rate combines federal and provincial rates and only applies to the income in that bracket, which is why your average rate is always lower.
TurboTax calculates both automatically, so you always know where you stand.
When you sell an investment for more than you paid, that profit is called a capital gain. In Canada, only half of that profit is taxed. The other half is yours, tax-free.
The taxable half gets added to your income for the year, so it's taxed along with everything else you earn. This 50% rule applies to everyone, no matter how much you make. If you sell your home, and it's always been your main residence, you usually won't owe any tax on the profit, though you still need to report the sale.
TurboTax calculates and reports your capital gains correctly, whether they're from stocks, crypto, real estate, or something else.
NETFILE is the CRA's system for filing your tax return online. Instead of printing and mailing paper forms, your return goes straight to the CRA electronically.
Before any software can use NETFILE, the CRA has to review and certify it each year. TurboTax passes that review: every TurboTax product for tax year 2025 is CRA NETFILE certified.
File with TurboTax and your return goes to the CRA through this certified, secure channel.
The following TurboTax Do It Yourself offers may be available for tax year 2025. Intuit reserves the right to modify or terminate any offer at any time for any reason in its sole discretion. Unless otherwise stated, each offer is not available in combination with any other TurboTax offers. Certain discount offers may not be valid for mobile in-app purchases and may be available only for a limited period of time.
Pay When You File: For paid TurboTax Do It Yourself and mobile offerings, with the exception of TurboTax Live Full Service, you may start using the tax preparation features without paying upfront, and pay only when you are ready to e-file, print, file by mail, or purchase add-on products or services. Actual prices for paid versions are determined based on the version you use and the date and/or time you print or e-file, and are subject to change without notice. If you use TurboTax Live Full Service, you will be charged when you first sign up for the service, before our experts start work on your return.
TurboTax Online Free Simple personal tax returns only. You understand and agree that the free version or edition of the Services does not include all tax forms, and Intuit does not provide technical support for free versions or editions of the Services. You must choose a version or edition of the Services that includes all of the tax forms you need, which may require you to upgrade to a different, paid version of the Services in order to complete and file your tax returns. A simple personal tax return only includes certain limited types of income and certain limited tax credits. See Terms of Service for details.
Switch and Save Offer: Offer is valid for customers who did not file with a TurboTax product for their tax year 2024 return. Must file by offer expiration date on April 15, 2026. Unlimited access to experts subject to availability during hours of operation. Offer cannot be combined with any other TurboTax offers.
25 Or Younger $20 Offer: Offer applies to the cost of (i) upgrading to Assist & Review from TurboTax Online Free, or (ii) TurboTax Online Deluxe, Premier and Self-Employed, with optional upgrade to Assist & Review at no additional cost. For 2025 personal taxes only. To be eligible, customers must be born on or after January 1, 2000 and file their personal tax return by April 15, 2026. For spousal returns (which count as 2 returns), both spouses must be of eligible age to qualify for offer. Excludes TurboTax Live Full Service, TurboTax Desktop and TurboTax U.S. products. Offer cannot be combined with any other TurboTax offers. Intuit reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time for any reason in its sole discretion.
Quebec Uber Offer Offer is valid for customers who indicated they are Quebec residents in 2025 within a TurboTax product for tax year 2025 and did not file with a TurboTax product for their tax year 2024 return. Offer is for TurboTax Expert Assist only. Customer must be born on or before December 31, 1999 and file their personal tax return by March 24, 2026. Unlimited access to experts subject to availability during hours of operation. Uber voucher must be redeemed by June 30, 2026. One per customer. Limited supply available. Terms and conditions apply. Fulfillment may take up to one (1) week from the date of filing.
TURBOTAX DO IT YOURSELF/MOBILE
Anytime, anywhere: Internet access required; standard data rates apply to download and use mobile app.
Expert Availability: TurboTax experts are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm ET (except holidays). During tax season (from February 21 to April 30), hours of operation are Monday to Sunday from 9am to 12:00 midnight ET (for English) and 9am to 9pm ET (for French). Service, area of expertise, experience levels, and wait times vary, and are subject to restriction and change without notice.
Unlimited Expert Support: Unlimited access to TurboTax Assist & Review and TurboTax Live Full Service experts refers to an unlimited quantity of contacts available to each customer for the duration of the service, but does not refer to hours of operation or service coverage. Service, area of expertise, experience levels, wait times, hours of operation and availability vary, and are subject to restriction and change without notice.
Audit Defence: Internet connection and acceptance of product update is required to access Audit Defence. Does not include GST/HST and other non-income tax audits and reviews unless the issues are ancillary to the income tax review itself. Includes field audits through the restricted examination of books but does not include the "detailed financial audit".
Customer Testimonials: Testimonials are based on TurboTax Do It Yourself reviews from tax year 2024 as well as previous tax years.
TurboTax Live Full Service - Same Day Service: One-day preparation and filing availability depends on start time, the complexity of your return, is based on average completion time, and may vary based on expert availability. The tax preparation assistant will validate the customer’s tax situation during the welcome call and review uploaded documents to assess readiness and the ability to file same-day. All tax forms and documents must be ready and uploaded by the customer for the tax preparation assistant to refer the customer to an available tax expert for live tax preparation.
TURBOTAX DO IT YOURSELF GUARANTEES
Accurate Calculations Guarantee: If you pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest due to a TurboTax calculation error, we will reimburse the penalty and interest. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Claims must be submitted (i) within thirty (30) days of the CRA or provincial government notice date, and (ii) no later than seven years from the date the personal or business return was filed. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
Maximum Refund / Savings Guarantee: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the amount paid for our service. TurboTax Free customers are entitled to a payment of $9.99. Claims must be submitted (i) within sixty (60) days from the date you receive a larger refund amount or pay a smaller tax due amount based on your TurboTax filing of your TurboTax filing date, no later than May 31, 2026, and (ii) no later than seven years from the date the personal return was filed. Audit Defence and fee-based support services are excluded. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
Best Outcome Guarantee: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the amount paid for our service. Claims must be submitted (i) within sixty (60) days from the date you receive a larger refund amount or pay a smaller tax due amount based on your TurboTax filing of your TurboTax filing date and (ii) no later than December 15, 2026 for 2025 business returns. See Terms of Service for details. See Terms of Service for details.
Expert Approved Guarantee: If you pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest because of an error that a TurboTax expert made while preparing your return, providing topic-specific tax advice, or reviewing a section, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Claims must be submitted (i) within thirty (30) days of the CRA or provincial government notice date, and (ii) no later than seven years from the date the personal or business return was filed. Additional terms and limitations apply. Expert Approved Guarantee is not currently available with TurboTax Expert Full Service for business taxes. See Terms of Service for details.
TurboTax LiveFull-Service Guarantee: Our Full Service Guarantee means your tax expert will find every dollar you deserve. Your expert will only file your return if they know it's 100% accurate and you are getting your best outcome possible. If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparer by filing an amended return, we'll refund the applicable TurboTax Live Full Service purchase price paid. If you have to pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest because of an error that a TurboTax tax expert made while acting as the preparer for your return, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Full Service Guarantee is not currently available in Quebec or for business taxes. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
Satisfaction Guarantee: You may use most TurboTax Do It Yourself services without charge up to the point you decide to print or electronically file your tax return. Printing or electronically filing your return reflects your satisfaction with TurboTax Do It Yourself, at which time you will be required to pay or register for the product. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
TURBOTAX DESKTOP GUARANTEES
Accurate Calculations Guarantee: If you pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest due to a TurboTax calculation error, we will reimburse the penalty and interest. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Claims must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the CRA or provincial government notice date. Excludes TurboTax Business Incorporated Edition. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
Maximum Refund Guarantee: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the amount paid for our software. Claims must be submitted within sixty (60) days of your TurboTax filing date, no later than May 31, 2026 (TurboTax Home & Business and TurboTax 20 Returns no later than July 15, 2026). Excludes TurboTax Business Incorporated Edition. Audit Defence and fee-based support services are excluded. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
60-Day Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: If you’re not 100% satisfied with your TurboTax Desktop software, you may return your software within sixty (60) days of purchase with a dated receipt for a full refund of the purchase price. Excludes return postage. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES:
Average Refund Amount: $3,470 is the average refund amount Canadian taxpayers received based on tax year 2024 returns filed using TurboTax. Each taxpayer’s refund will vary based on their tax situation.
Average Expert Cost Comparison: Based on the average cost in 2023-2024 for respondents from nationwide third-party surveys who paid a tax preparer to prepare their personal income tax return (T1), compared with the average cost per return of customers purchasing TurboTax Experts (as applicable) in tax year 2024. Your savings will vary based on your prior tax filing costs and the complexity of your tax returns.
Canada's #1 best-selling tax software: Based on aggregated CRA NETFILE data for all tax year 2024 TurboTax do-it-yourself tax products.
CRA Refund Time: Get your tax refund from the CRA as fast as possible by e-filing and choosing to receive your refund by direct deposit. Tax refund time frames will vary. The CRA estimates 2 weeks to issue refunds with e-filed returns, compared to 8 weeks with paper returns.
NETFILE E-filing: Income tax preparation software companies must seek NETFILE certification from the CRA for tax preparation software products to be used in conjunction with CRA’s NETFILE electronic tax filing service. All TurboTax software products for tax year 2025 are CRA NETFILE certified.
Returns Filed: Based on CRA NETFILE reporting, more than 25 million returns have been electronically filed with TurboTax over the past 5 years, and more than 50 million returns have been electronically filed with TurboTax from 2013 to 2023. Includes tax returns filed to the CRA using TurboTax Desktop and TurboTax Do It Yourself products.
Technical Support: Technical support by phone is free. Long-distance charges may apply. Limitations apply. Intuit reserves the right to limit each telephone contact. Support availability varies by time of year and is subject to occasional downtime for systems and server maintenance, company events, observed Canadian holidays and events beyond our control.
Images and Screens: Images are for illustrative purposes only, and some screen displays are simulated.
Average Refund and Filing Time for 25 Or Younger Customers: Based on tax year 2024 returns filed by users aged 25 and under using TurboTax.
Expert 365 Business: You must purchase Expert Assist Business to access the Expert 365 Business add-on. Other restrictions apply: Guidance and classification support only; not regulated accounting. You are responsible for all records and final entries. Limit: 200 transactions/year. Excludes: Foreign operations/currency, investments, and recurring bookkeeping. Does not include filing GST/HST or payroll returns. Intuit guarantees do not apply.
