Self-Employed Tax Deadlines in Canada (2026–2027)
You file by June 15 but pay by April 30. Here's every deadline a self-employed Canadian needs, plus what the gap between those two dates actually costs.
EveryLastMile
Being self-employed gets you an extra six weeks to file. It does not get you an extra six weeks to pay.
That single sentence is the most expensive thing most self-employed Canadians don’t know. Your return isn’t due until June 15. Any balance you owe is due April 30. Interest starts running on May 1, compounding daily at 7%, on a return you’re not even required to have filed yet.
It’s a genuinely strange rule. It also isn’t optional, and it catches people every year — including people who filed perfectly on time.
This guide covers every deadline that applies to a self-employed Canadian: filing, payment, instalments, GST/HST, and the smaller ones that carry their own penalties. Plus what missing each one actually costs in dollars.
Key takeaways
- File by June 15. Pay by April 30. The extension is for filing only. Interest on any balance runs from May 1.
- For the 2025 tax year: pay by Thursday, April 30, 2026, file by Monday, June 15, 2026. For the 2026 tax year: pay by Friday, April 30, 2027, file by Tuesday, June 15, 2027.
- The June 15 filing date also applies to your spouse or common-law partner, even if they aren’t self-employed.
- Instalments are required once net tax owing tops $3,000 ($1,800 in Quebec), due March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.
- The late-filing penalty is 5% of the balance plus 1% per month, to a maximum of 12 months. If you’re owed a refund, there’s no penalty — but your benefits get delayed.
- The CRA’s prescribed interest rate on overdue tax has been 7% for every confirmed quarter of 2026, compounded daily.
The split that costs people money
Two different deadlines, two different purposes.
| Date | What it governs | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment deadline | April 30 | Any balance owing for the year |
| Filing deadline | June 15 | Your T1 return and Form T2125 |
If you owe money and pay it on June 15 along with your return, you’ve filed on time and paid late. Interest accrues from May 1 at the prescribed rate, compounded daily.
The logic, such as it is: Parliament recognized that self-employed people need longer to compile business records, so it extended the filing date. It never extended the payment date, which sits at April 30 for everyone.
The practical consequence. If you expect to owe, you need a reasonable estimate of your balance by late April — which means your books need to be close to done by then anyway. The June 15 extension buys you time to finalize and file, not time to figure out what you owe.
One exception
If you or your spouse carried on a business in the year and the expenditures were primarily the cost or capital cost of tax-shelter investments, the June 15 extension doesn’t apply. Your filing deadline reverts to April 30.
The 2026 and 2027 calendar
| Deadline | 2025 tax year | 2026 tax year |
|---|---|---|
| Balance owing due | Thursday, April 30, 2026 | Friday, April 30, 2027 |
| T1 return due (self-employed) | Monday, June 15, 2026 | Tuesday, June 15, 2027 |
| Instalment 1 | March 15, 2026 | March 15, 2027 |
| Instalment 2 | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2027 |
| Instalment 3 | September 15, 2026 | September 15, 2027 |
| Instalment 4 | December 15, 2026 | December 15, 2027 |
| RRSP contribution deadline | March 2, 2026 | March 1, 2027 |
| T4 / T4A / T5 slips | March 2, 2026 | March 1, 2027 |
| GST/HST return (annual filer, Dec 31 year end) | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2027 |
| GST/HST balance (annual filer) | April 30, 2026 | April 30, 2027 |
| Platform income slip (gig workers) | January 31, 2026 | January 31, 2027 |
Every one of the four core dates falls on a weekday in both years, so no adjustment applies. That isn’t always true — June 15, 2025 landed on a Sunday, which pushed the 2024 self-employed filing deadline to Monday, June 16.
The weekend rule: when a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday the CRA recognizes, your return or payment is on time if the CRA receives it — or it’s postmarked — on or before the next business day.
Who gets the June 15 deadline
You do if you carried on a business in the year. That includes:
- Sole proprietors and partners
- Freelancers and independent contractors
- Tradespeople and consultants
- Real estate agents
- Gig and platform workers — Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, Instacart, Amazon Flex
The CRA treats gig income as self-employment income reported on Form T2125, not employment income. If you drove for a platform this year, you’re self-employed for tax purposes whether or not you think of yourself that way, and June 15 is your filing date.
Your spouse gets it too
If you’re self-employed, the June 15 filing deadline extends to your spouse or common-law partner — even if they’re a salaried employee with no business income at all. Their balance is still due April 30.
If someone died during the year
Where the deceased or their spouse carried on a business, the final return is due June 15 of the following year if death occurred between January 1 and December 15. If death occurred between December 16 and December 31, the return is due six months after the date of death.
What late costs you
Interest
The CRA’s prescribed rate on overdue tax has been 7% for Q1, Q2 and Q3 of 2026 — the fifth-plus consecutive quarter at that level. It’s set quarterly, at four percentage points above the base prescribed rate, and it compounds daily.
Interest also applies to penalties, not just to the balance. And none of it is deductible.
The late-filing penalty
5% of the balance owing, plus 1% for each full month the return is late, to a maximum of 12 months. Maximum exposure: 17% of your balance.
The repeat late-filing penalty
10% of the balance, plus 2% per month to a maximum of 20 months — up to 50%. It applies only where the CRA issued a formal demand to file and a late-filing penalty was assessed in any of the three preceding tax years. Both conditions, not either.
Worked example 1: Simone files on time, pays late
Simone is a freelance industrial designer in Hamilton. Her 2025 return shows a balance owing of $9,400. She files on June 15, 2026 — on time — and pays the balance on August 20 when a client invoice finally clears.
| Late-filing penalty | $0 — she filed on time |
| Days of interest (May 1 → August 20) | 111 |
| Interest at 7%, compounded daily | $195 |
| Total cost | $195 |
Now the version where she also files late. Same $9,400, but she files and pays on November 3.
| Late-filing penalty: 5% of $9,400 | $470 |
| Plus 1% × 4 complete months late | $376 |
| Interest (May 1 → November 3, 186 days) | $330 |
| Total cost | $1,176 |
Filing on time and paying three months late cost her $195. Filing four and a half months late cost her six times that, and $846 of it is pure penalty — a number that has nothing to do with how long she held the money.
The takeaway: file on time even if you can’t pay. The penalty attaches to filing, not paying. Filing on June 15 with an empty bank account costs you interest only.
Instalments
If you have no tax withheld at source — which describes most self-employed people — the CRA expects you to pay through the year rather than in one lump.
When they’re required
Net tax owing of more than $3,000 in the current year and in either of the two preceding years. In Quebec the threshold is $1,800, because Revenu Québec collects provincial tax separately, so the federal-only figure is lower.
Your first year is usually exempt. The test needs you over the threshold in the current year and one of the two prior years. In your first profitable year of self-employment you generally won’t meet the second half, so you pay everything by April 30 of the following year — and instalments typically start the year after.
The four dates
March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15, moving to the next business day where they fall on a weekend or holiday. (Farmers and fishers instead make a single December 31 payment.)
Three ways to calculate
| Option | How it works | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| No-calculation | Pay exactly what the CRA’s instalment reminders say | None. Pay these in full and on time and the CRA won’t charge instalment interest or penalty even if you end up owing more |
| Prior-year | Base instalments on last year’s net tax owing | Low, unless your income jumped |
| Current-year | Estimate this year yourself | Lowest payments, highest risk — underestimate and interest and penalty follow |
The no-calculation option is a genuine safe harbour. That’s worth knowing, because the reminders are also frequently higher than what you’ll actually owe if your income has dropped — in which case one of the other two options costs you less cash, at the price of the safe harbour.
The reminders are not the obligation. Receiving one doesn’t create a legal duty, and not receiving one doesn’t excuse you. The threshold test is the rule.
Instalment interest and the penalty
Instalment interest compounds daily at the prescribed rate, and it works both ways: instalments you pay early or overpay earn offsetting interest that reduces the charge. You’re only charged the net difference if it exceeds $25.
The instalment penalty is separate, and it only applies where your instalment interest exceeds $1,000. The formula:
- Take the greater of $1,000 or 25% of the instalment interest you’d have owed had you paid nothing at all.
- Subtract that from your actual instalment interest.
- Divide the difference by two. That’s the penalty.
Worked: you ignored instalments entirely and racked up $1,600 of instalment interest. Twenty-five percent of $1,600 is $400, so the higher figure is $1,000. $1,600 − $1,000 = $600. Divided by two: a $300 penalty, on top of the $1,600 interest.
Note what that structure does. Paying some instalments — even late, even short — reduces both the interest and the penalty. Paying nothing maximizes both.
GST/HST deadlines
If you’re registered, GST/HST runs on its own schedule. Our GST/HST filing deadlines guide covers reporting frequency, the GST20 election and the penalty formula in full.
When you must register
You stop being a small supplier once taxable revenue exceeds $30,000:
- Over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter — you must charge GST/HST on the supply that put you over, and register within 29 days.
- Over $30,000 across four consecutive quarters — you remain a small supplier until the end of the month following that quarter, then must register.
Filing periods and deadlines
| Annual taxable revenue | Assigned period | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $1.5M | Annual (default) | See below |
| $1.5M – $6M | Quarterly | One month after period end |
| Over $6M | Monthly | One month after period end |
Annual filers who are individuals with a December 31 year end get the same split as income tax: file by June 15, pay by April 30. The same trap, in a second place.
Annual filers whose net tax is $3,000 or more must also make quarterly GST/HST instalments, due one month after each fiscal quarter.
A dedicated GST/HST filing deadlines guide — covering filing frequency changes, the penalty formula and the Quick Method in full — is forthcoming.
Quebec: two returns, two sets of penalties
Quebec self-employed filers do everything twice.
| Federal (CRA) | Quebec (Revenu Québec) | |
|---|---|---|
| Return | T1 + T2125 | TP-1 + TP-80-V |
| Filing deadline | June 15 | June 15 |
| Payment deadline | April 30 | April 30 |
| Instalment threshold | $3,000 | $1,800 |
| Instalment dates | Mar 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, Dec 15 | Same |
| Late-filing penalty | 5% + 1%/month, max 12 | 5% + 1%/month, max 12 |
The structure mirrors the federal one almost exactly. The consequence is what matters: file late and you’re penalized twice, once by each authority, each up to 17% of its own balance. A Quebec filer’s worst case is materially worse than anyone else’s.
Revenu Québec issues its own instalment reminder, form TPZ-1026.A-V, and sets its own interest rate quarterly. It also charges an additional 10% per year, compounded daily, on the unpaid portion where you paid less than 75% of a required instalment.
The other deadlines
| Deadline | When |
|---|---|
| RRSP contribution | First 60 days of the following year — March 2, 2026 for the 2025 tax year |
| T4 / T4A / T5 slips (if you have employees) | Last day of February — March 2, 2026 for 2025 slips |
| T5018 (construction subcontractor payments) | Six months after your reporting period end |
| Payroll remittance | 15th of the following month for regular remitters; more often at higher withholding volumes |
| Notice of objection | Later of 90 days from your notice of assessment, or one year after the filing due date |
| T1 adjustment (T1-ADJ) | Up to 10 years back |
| CRA reassessment period | Three years from the original notice of assessment |
| Platform income slip | Platforms must provide it by January 31 |
A few notes worth having.
RRSP limits. The 2026 contribution limit is $33,810, rising to $35,390 for 2027. The TFSA limit stays at $7,000 for 2026 — the third consecutive year — with cumulative room of $109,000 for someone eligible since 2009.
T5018 applies if more than half your business income comes from construction and you paid a subcontractor over $500. The penalty for not filing is $25 per day, minimum $100, maximum $2,500.
Gig platform slips. Under the reporting rules for digital platform operators, platforms must give each reportable seller their income information by January 31. If you drive for a platform, that slip is coming — and the CRA gets the same data. The days of platform income going unnoticed are over.
If you’re owed a refund
The late-filing penalty is a percentage of your balance owing. No balance, no penalty. You can file years late with a refund coming and owe nothing in penalties.
But filing late still costs you. The Canada Child Benefit and the GST/HST credit are both recalculated from your assessed return. File late and those payments can be delayed or interrupted — which for a household relying on them is a far more immediate problem than a penalty would have been.
If you’re not sure whether you’ll owe, file anyway. The downside is zero and the upside is your benefits keep flowing.
Special situations
Non-calendar fiscal year end. Individuals carrying on business generally must use a December 31 fiscal year end. You may elect otherwise by filing Form T1139, but that triggers the “additional business income” inclusion under section 34.1 — a pro-rated estimate of your stub-period income to December 31, designed to prevent tax deferral. The election isn’t available where your expenditures are primarily tax-shelter costs. Either way, your filing stays June 15 and your payment stays April 30.
Ceasing business. The deadlines are unchanged. A final GST/HST return and deregistration follow separately.
Can the CRA cancel penalties and interest? Sometimes. Form RC4288, Request for Taxpayer Relief, covers three main grounds: extraordinary circumstances (natural disaster, serious illness, a death in the immediate family), CRA errors or undue delays, and inability to pay or financial hardship. There’s a rolling 10-year limitation, and relief covers penalties and interest only — never the underlying tax. That ten years is the relief window, not an audit period: the CRA’s normal reassessment period is three years from your notice of assessment, and our guide to CRA audits and reviews covers where the confusion comes from.
Worked example 2: Rafael and the instalment he skipped
Rafael is a self-employed electrician in Ottawa. His 2025 net tax owing was $11,800, and 2024 was similar, so the CRA sent him instalment reminders for 2026 totalling about $12,000 across four dates.
He ignored them. Cash was tight in March, and by September it felt too late to bother.
His 2026 return shows $12,400 owing. He pays it in full on April 30, 2027 — on time, no late-filing penalty, no arrears interest.
He still owes instalment interest and penalty, because the money should have been paid across the four quarterly dates. Say the instalment interest works out to $1,600.
| Instalment interest | $1,600 |
| Greater of $1,000 or 25% × $1,600 ($400) | $1,000 |
| $1,600 − $1,000 | $600 |
| ÷ 2 | $300 penalty |
| Total | $1,900 |
Had he paid even half of each instalment on time, both figures would have dropped — the interest proportionally, and the penalty faster, because the penalty formula bites hardest at the top.
And the version that costs nothing. Paying the reminder amounts in full and on time would have left him with zero instalment interest and zero penalty, regardless of what his return eventually showed. That’s the safe harbour, and it’s the cheapest option available to anyone who can afford the cash flow.
Getting the numbers right before April
Every deadline on this page assumes you know what you owe. Most of the pain in Canadian self-employment tax isn’t missing a date — it’s arriving at the date without a number you trust.
For most self-employed people the vehicle is the largest single deduction, and it’s the one that can’t be reconstructed. Your business-use percentage comes from a year of trips, business and personal, recorded as you drove them. Miss that, and your April estimate is a guess, your instalment base is a guess, and the number you file is one you can’t defend if anyone asks.
EveryLastMile records drives automatically on your iPhone using its motion and location sensors, classifies each one business or personal from rules you set once, and a CSV export hands the whole year to your accountant. It all happens on your phone.
The deadline you can control is the one in December, when you either have a year of records or you don’t.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
When are self-employed taxes due in Canada?
Your return is due June 15 and any balance owing is due April 30. For the 2026 tax year that's April 30, 2027 to pay and June 15, 2027 to file.
Is the June 15 deadline the payment deadline too?
No. This is the most common misunderstanding in Canadian self-employment tax. June 15 is only the filing deadline; your balance is due April 30 and interest starts May 1.
What happens if I pay after April 30 but file by June 15?
You've filed on time, so there's no late-filing penalty. You'll owe arrears interest from May 1, compounded daily at the prescribed rate — 7% for every confirmed quarter of 2026.
Does my spouse also get the June 15 deadline?
Yes. If you're self-employed, the June 15 filing deadline extends to your spouse or common-law partner even if they have no business income. Their balance is still due April 30.
When are quarterly tax instalments due?
March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15, moving to the next business day where a date falls on a weekend or holiday.
Do I have to pay instalments in my first year of self-employment?
Usually not. The test requires net tax owing over $3,000 in the current year and in one of the two preceding years, and a first-year filer generally won't meet the second condition. Instalments typically begin the following year.
What is the instalment penalty and how is it calculated?
It only applies if your instalment interest exceeds $1,000. Take the greater of $1,000 or 25% of the interest you'd have owed had you paid no instalments, subtract it from your actual instalment interest, and divide by two.
What is the late-filing penalty for the self-employed?
5% of the balance owing plus 1% for each full month the return is late, to a maximum of 12 months — 17% at worst. Where the CRA has issued a demand to file and you were assessed a late-filing penalty in any of the three preceding years, it rises to 10% plus 2% per month for up to 20 months.
What is the CRA interest rate on overdue tax in 2026?
7% for Q1, Q2 and Q3 2026, compounded daily. The rate is set quarterly at four percentage points above the base prescribed rate, so confirm the current quarter before relying on it.
When is the RRSP contribution deadline?
The first 60 days of the following year. For the 2025 tax year it was March 2, 2026. The 2026 contribution limit is $33,810, rising to $35,390 for 2027.
When are GST/HST returns due for a self-employed person?
If you're an annual filer and an individual with a December 31 fiscal year end, the same split applies: file by June 15, pay by April 30. Quarterly and monthly filers file and pay one month after the end of the reporting period.
Do Uber, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes drivers get the June 15 deadline?
Yes. The CRA treats platform income as self-employment income reported on Form T2125, so gig drivers are self-employed for tax purposes and the June 15 filing deadline applies.
What are the tax deadlines for the self-employed in Quebec?
The same dates — file by June 15, pay by April 30 — but you file twice, a federal T1 with T2125 and a Quebec TP-1 with TP-80-V. The Quebec instalment threshold is $1,800 rather than $3,000, and late filing is penalized separately by each authority.
What happens if I file late but I'm owed a refund?
No late-filing penalty, since the penalty is a percentage of your balance owing. But your Canada Child Benefit and GST/HST credit payments are recalculated from your assessed return, so filing late can delay or interrupt them.
Can the CRA cancel my penalties and interest?
It can. File Form RC4288 requesting taxpayer relief. The CRA considers extraordinary circumstances, its own errors or delays, and inability to pay. There's a 10-year limitation, and relief covers penalties and interest only — never the tax itself.
Next scheduled review: January 2027, and again following each quarterly prescribed-rate announcement.