Clock is ticking to file your 2025 Canadian income tax return

Heads up to anyone who hasn’t yet filed their 2025 Canadian income tax return: the deadline is at midnight Thursday.

Charles Drouin, spokesperson for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), says they have already received around 27 million returns, with a total of 34 million returns expected this tax filing season.

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“Today is probably the big day,” Drouin said.

“We could see an intake of as many as two million income tax returns just for today.”

The CRA says there will be some late filers over the next few weeks.

“We expect people will file, because whether you receive a refund, whether you owe some money to the CRA or break even, it’s always a good thing to do your income tax return,” he said.

The good news is that most people — around two-thirds of those who file a return — will receive a refund.

Drouin says the average refund is around $2,000. For those who end up owing, the average is around $6,000.

He reminds Canadians that if you do owe and can’t pay, the CRA is willing to arrange payment plans.

The most important thing is to file on time — and not just to avoid late filing fees.

“If you’re not doing it today and you’re doing it a few days late, just file, because it’s important for the CRA to be able to make the calculations for the benefits, credits, that you may be allowed to receive,” Drouin said.

“A lot of those kick in in June or July.”

While most individuals need to file by April 30, the deadline for self-employed individuals isn’t until June 15. However, those filers still have to pay their amounts owing by April 30.