A Guide On the CRA’s Most Commonly Used Tax Forms

What is a T1 General? All about your primary tax form

T1 General, the Income Tax and Benefit Return Form, is the key tax document used to file your personal income tax return in Canada. It summarizes all your income and tax liabilities and lets you know whether you will receive a tax refund or have a balance to pay. 

It’s important to note that the T1 General is not a tax slip. Each tax slip provides specific information that helps you fill out your T1 General. 

Let’s look at the details of the T1 form:

• The deadline for filing your T1 General for the 2023 tax year is April 30, 2024. If you or your spouse/common-law partner is self-employed, you have until June 15 to file the return, though any taxes owed are still due by April 30.
• The methods for filing T1 General include using the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA’s) online NETFILE service or a certified tax software such as TurboTax, or mailing a paper return to the CRA.
• If you owe taxes after filing your T1 General, you can pay the CRA through online banking, a cheque, or the CRA’s My Payment service.

What is a T4? Understanding what you bring home

A T4 tax slip, or Statement of Remuneration Paid, is typically issued by employers to their employees in Canada. It summarizes the employment income you earned during the year, along with any deductions and credits applicable to that income. 

Your employer sends the T4 slip by the last day of February following the calendar year in which you earned the income. For example, if you worked in 2023, you should’ve received your T4 by the end of February 2024.

Here’s a breakdown of the primary boxes in the T4 slip:

• Box 10 (Province of employment): Shows the provincial or territorial abbreviation for the province or territory of your employment. 
• Box 12 (Social insurance number): Displays your SIN. If your employer doesn’t have your SIN, they need to enter 9 zeros to complete your T4 slip. 
• Box 14 (Employment income): Includes the total employment income you earned during the tax year—salary, wages, bonuses, commissions, and other remunerations.
• Box 16 (Employee’s CPP contributions): Reports the total amount of Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions your employer deducted from your pay.
• Box 18 (Employee’s EI contributions): Displays the total employee insurance (EI) premiums deducted from your pay during the tax year.
• Box 22 (Income tax deducted): Represents the total amount of income tax deducted from your earnings over the tax year.

What is a T4-RSP slip? Retirement in full view

A T4-RSP slip, or Statement of RRSP Income, is a form that financial institutions issue when you withdraw funds from your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). 

Similar to the T4, you’ll get the T4-RSP tax form by the end of February 2024 for the withdrawals you made in 2023.

When you withdraw RRSP funds, your financial institution withholds the tax based on the amount you took out and your residential status. The tax rates are as follows:

• 10% (5% in Quebec) on withdrawals up to $5K
• 20% (10% in Quebec) on withdrawals between $5K and $15K
• 30% (15% in Quebec) on withdrawals above $15K

It’s important to note that this withholding tax is a prepayment of income tax. You may be required to pay additional tax—or you may receive a refund—when you file your income tax return for the year.

What is a TD1 form? Understanding your payroll tax deductions

A TD1, or Personal Tax Credits Return form, is a document you use to inform your employer about your personal tax situation. It helps your employer determine the amount of income tax to withhold from your employment income or other income, such as pension income.

You must update your TD1 form with any relevant life changes that may affect your tax situation—for example, starting a new job, getting married or divorced, having children, and starting or ending eligible deductions or credits.

It’s a good idea to review your TD1 Tax Form annually, even if your circumstances haven’t changed significantly, to ensure it remains up to date. 

What is a T4A? For your income beyond employment

A T4A slip is the Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income. This form reports your income from sources other than employment, such as pensions, annuities, educational assistance payments from your Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) educational assistance payments, scholarships, commissions, fees, or royalties. 

Clients or institutions responsible for paying these types of income are required to issue T4A slips to the individuals by the end of February following the tax year to which the income applies. 

Boxes to note on the T4A form include:

• Box 016: Pension or superannuation
• Box 020: Self-employed commissions
• Box 048: Fees for services
• Box 105: Scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, and study grants
• Box 107: Payments from a wage-loss replacement plan
• Box 115: Deferred profit sharing plan (DPSP) annuity or installment payments
• Box 135: Recipient-paid premiums for private health services plans

What is a T2202? Shedding light on your education expenses

A T2202—Tuition and Enrolment Certificate—is a tax form students use to claim tuition, education, and textbook amounts on their income tax return. This form reports the amount you paid for tuition fees and the number of months you were enrolled in the program.

If you have any tuition fees that you are unable to fully use in the 2023 tax year, you can transfer the amount (a maximum of $5,000) to:

• Your spouse/common-law partner
• Your parent or grandparent
• Your spouse’s/common-law partner’s parent or grandparent

You also have the option to carry forward the unused amount to claim as a credit in the tax year 2024. When you file your income tax return, you’ll first use the carryforward credits and then the current year’s credits. 

All Canadian designated educational institutions (DEI) must file the T2202 tax form for qualifying students and make it accessible through their student portal or mail it directly to students. 

What is a T2200 form? All about your employment expenses

A T2200, or the Declaration of Conditions of Employment form, is a tax form your employer fills out to certify your working conditions and the expenses you incurred related to your employment. It outlines details such as whether you worked from home, used your vehicle for work purposes, or paid for any expenses directly related to your job duties.

You can use the T2200 form to claim various employment expenses, including but not limited to:

• Accounting and legal fees
• Home office expenses (for example: utilities, internet, rent)
• Vehicle expenses
• Supplies and tools necessary for work duties (for example: pens, paper, cleaning supplies)
• Office rent
• Travel expenses related to work duties (for example: food, beverages, lodging, transportation)

What is a T777? Claiming your employment costs

A T777—Statement of Employment Expenses—is a tax form that helps you calculate and deduct eligible employment expenses from your income tax return. 

You can claim only those expenses your employer approved in the T2200 form. These include home office expenses, supplies, and tools necessary for work duties, work-related travel expenses, professional dues, and more.

Once you calculate the employment expenses using the T777 form, enter the amount on line 22900 of your T1 General. When filing your taxes this year, include the T777 form with your return.

What is a T3? Reporting your trust income

A T3 slip, or Statement of Trust Income Allocations and Designations form, is issued by trusts to their beneficiaries. It outlines the various types of income you earned in 2023 from trusts, such as dividends, interest, and capital gains.

If your annual income from the trust is less than $100, the trust doesn’t have to complete and send you a T3 slip. The key boxes on the T3  include:

• Box 12: Your identification number
• Box 14: Trust account number 
• Box 21: Capital gains
• Box 23: Actual amount of dividends (non-eligible dividends)
• Box 26: Other income
• Box 30: Capital gains eligible for deduction
• Box 32: Taxable amount of dividends (non-eligible dividends)
• Box 39: Tax credit for dividends (non-eligible dividends)
• Box 49: Actual amount of eligible dividends
• Box 50: Taxable amount of eligible dividends 
• Box 51: Dividend tax credit for eligible dividends 

What is a T776? Rental income under review

A T776, Statement of Rental Income and Expenses, is a tax form that helps you report the income from renting real estate or other real property (land, mines, minerals, buildings, and fixtures on, above or below the surface).

You need to include the income earned in the 2023 calendar year, that is, from January 1 to December 31. This income can be in the form of cash, cheques, kind (goods or commodities instead of cash), or services.

The T776 form also helps you calculate and claim any expenses you incurred in order to earn rental income. Eligible rental expenses include: 

• Advertising costs
• Insurance premiums
• Interest and bank charges
• Office expenses (such as pens, pencils, paper clips)
• Property taxes
• Professional fees (including legal and accounting fees)
• Property management and administration fees
• Repairs and maintenance
• Salaries, wages, and benefits (paid to superintendents, maintenance personnel)
• Travel expenses you incur to collect rent, supervise repairs, and manage properties
• Utilities (such as gas, oil, electricity, water, and cable)
• Motor vehicle expenses
• Other rental expenses
• Prepaid expenses

What is a T5 slip? Documentation of your investment income

A T5, or Statement of Investment Income slip, is a tax form used to report your investment income from financial institutions such as banks, credit unions, investment firms, and mutual fund companies.

​​Common types of income reported on the T5 slip include:

• Income from eligible dividends and non-eligible dividends
• Interest from a fully registered bond or debenture
• Interest from an insurance policy or annuity contract 
• Royalties
• Foreign income

How to fill out and send your tax return to the CRA

Now that you know the purpose of different T-slips in showing your income, earnings, and expenses, enter the different amounts from these slips into the appropriate sections of your T1 return. 

The CRA’s Auto-fill my return (AFR) service helps you automatically populate certain sections of your tax return with the information the CRA already has. To use the AFR service, you must be registered for My Account and use NETFILE-certified software. 

Once you have entered and reviewed all relevant tax slip information, submit your tax return to the CRA through NETFILE-certified tax software, by mail, or by using the newly launched SimpleFile by phone service.