The 2019 tax filing season officially opened for the filing of taxpayers 2018 T1 Tax Returns on February 18th, 2019.
New this year is the Climate Action Incentive payment, which is available to eligible residents of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The new Climate Action Incentive payment can be claimed by eligible individuals when filing their 2018 income tax and benefit return.
Filing Deadline
The deadline for most individuals to file their 2018 tax return and for all individuals to pay any amounts due is April 30, 2019.
Self-employed
For those who are self-employed, or who have a spouse or common-law partner who is self-employed, the deadline to file your tax return is June 15, 2019. Since June 15, 2019 is a Saturday, the CRA will consider that you filed your return on time if they receive it, or it is postmarked, no later than June 17, 2019.
The caveat here is to avoid interest or penalties, all taxpayers must make sure to pay any income tax amount owing by April 30, 2019. After this date, the CRA will charge interest on any amount a taxpayer owes until the balance is paid.
To my way of thinking, since you have to pay any tax owed by April 30th, 2019 you’ll need to have your tax return prepared and ready to file to know what amount is owed and to correctly pay your tax liability. It just makes sense to file the return by the 30th of April 2019.
Deceased persons
When filing a tax return for someone who has passed away, the due date for their return will depend on the date of death, and if the person owned a business in 2018.
The due date for filing the return of a surviving spouse, or common-law partner who was living with the deceased, is the same as the due date for filing the deceased person’s final return. However, any balance owing on the surviving spouse or common-law partner, still has to be paid on or before April 30 of the following year to avoid interest charges.
The CRA issues this important reminder for everyone to be cautious of fraudulent communications. Scammers posing as CRA employees continue to contact Canadians, misleading them into paying false debt. They may be phishing scams, or other fraudulent scams, that could result in identity and financial theft.
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