Plan ahead for Tax-Filing Season
There are measures set by the CRA to avoid delays in filing and to reduce your exposure to COVID-19. Plan ahead and start by creating your online CRA account, signup for direct deposit and file your return online. We are here to help you file your return in easy steps.
Source: canada.ca
REMEMBER: The deadline to file your return is April 30, 2021
Unless you are self employed - or your spouse or your common-law partner is. You will have extra 45 days until Jun 15, 2021 to file but you still need to pay your taxes on April 30, 2021
My Account is a secure portal that lets you view your personal income tax and benefit information and manage your tax affairs online.
My Account is:
- Convenient – It is available 21 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Easy to use – After registering, simply log in with your CRA user ID and password.
- Fast – Information is up-to-the-minute and transactions are processed immediately.
- Secure – The CRA user ID and password are just part of the security.
You can also log in with a Sign-in Partner. This option lets you log in with a user ID and password that you may already have, such as for online banking.
My Account allows you to track your refund, view or change your return, check your benefit and credit payments, view your RRSP limit, set up direct deposit, receive email notifications, and so much more.
On your mobile device? Try the MyCRA mobile app – you can securely access key parts of your tax information and manage personal details, wherever you are.
Accessing the My Account services
To get access, you will need:
- your social insurance number;
- your date of birth;
- your current postal code or ZIP code and;
- an amount you entered on your income tax and benefit return, so have your return on hand (the line requested will vary and it could be from the current tax year or the previous one).
For step-by-step instructions on setting up your CRA user ID and password, go to Registration process to access the CRA login services or Contact Us for free.
When you sign up for direct deposit you can receive your refund in as little as eight business days, and you’ll avoid any mailing delays on future benefit and credit payments due to COVID-19. To help provide better service to Canadians, The CRA has partnered with many Canadian financial institutions to offer CRA direct deposit enrolment online through your financial institution’s website.
If you received Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB), or Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) payments, these are considered taxable income. You will need to file a return, and enter the total amount you received. For any such payments, you will receive a T4A (for benefits issued by the CRA) and/or a T4E (for benefits issued by Service Canada) tax slip in the mail with the information to enter on your return.
You can view tax slips online as of February 2021 in My Account.
In addition, you may owe tax when filing your return. This will depend on your personal circumstances, and the type of COVID-19 benefits you received:
- If you received the CERB or CESB, no tax was withheld when payments were issued, therefore you may owe this tax when filing your 2020 tax return.
- If you received the CRB, CRSB, or CRCB, 10% tax was withheld at source. However this may not be all the tax you need to pay. When you complete your personal income tax return, you may need to pay more (or less), depending on how much income you earned in 2020.
There may be impacts to filing your tax return that are specific to the COVID-19 benefit you received, or if you are a resident in Quebec.
Still have questions or you’d like us to help you prepare your return? Contact Us now! JA Accounting is more than happy to help.