OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Tax season is almost here and now is the perfect time to start preparing! Getting ready early can help make sure you file your income tax and benefit return on time. It can also help you avoid delays or interruptions to any refund, benefit, or credit payments you're eligible for. Last year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issued more than $52 billion in benefit payments because taxpayers filed their returns.

We're here to help you so you can ease into tax season with confidence. Here are five easy ways you can get ready early.

1.  Update your personal information

Keeping your personal information up to date can help you avoid issues at tax time and ensures you continue to get the benefit and credit payments you're eligible for. If you've moved, gotten married, or even changed your phone number, make sure to let us know as soon as possible and before you file your tax return.

What's great is that you don't need to call us to make these types of changes! My Account is an online portal that lets you manage your personal income tax and benefit information quickly and securely. Many tasks that people often call about can be done in My Account.

When registering for My Account, you can use the document verification service to verify your identity. By doing so, you'll have full and immediate access to My Account without having to wait for a CRA security code in the mail. More than 1 million individuals have already used this service to register. Make sure to register and update your information before the tax season rush!

2.  Know where to find your tax slips

You should receive most of your tax slips and receipts by the end of February, including any T4 and T4A slips. Slips are prepared by your employer, payer, administrator, or financial institution. If your tax slips are late or lost, there's no need to worry! You can easily view most of your tax slips online in My Account.

3.  Get familiar with digital services and online filing

Familiarize yourself with our digital services so that if you need help during tax season, you can quickly find answers without having to call us. We have services to help you file a return, change a return, get information, make payments, and more.

A new service that can help you this tax season is our online chat in My Account. You can now chat with a live agent and ask them account-specific questions about personal taxes, benefits, and registered plans. With this new service, you can quickly get the information you need and save time on the phone. If you can't find your answers online and need to call, check the live wait times beforehand and make sure you have the information you need to validate your identity.

Also, if you're preparing to file online this tax season, check out our list of NETFILE-certified software options; some are even free! Did you know that returns filed electronically are generally processed within two weeks, compared to eight weeks for paper returns? Almost 93% of 2023 tax returns were filed electronically! When you combine electronic filing with direct deposit, you could receive your refund within eight business days.

4.  Remember these key dates

Make sure to mark these key tax-filing dates on your calendar:

• February 24, 2025 – You can start filing your 2024 return online.
• April 30, 2025 – Deadline for most individuals to file their return and pay any amount they owe. By filing and paying on time, you'll avoid late-filing penalties and interest.
• June 15, 2025 – Deadline to file if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed. Since this date falls on a Sunday, we will consider your return filed on time if we receive it on or before June 16, 2025. If you owe money, you'll still need to pay by April 30, 2025, to avoid interest.

Before filing, find any deductions, credits, and expenses you may be able to claim to help reduce the amount of tax you have to pay.

5.  Be aware of scams and fraud

You can protect yourself from scams and fraud by knowing how we might contact you. Take a moment to visit our scams and fraud page. You will find information to help you recognize the signs of a scam and learn about how we may contact you, whether it's by phone, email, or mail. The CRA scam alerts page can also help you stay up to date and avoid the latest scams that may target you.

When you register for My Account, you need to provide an email address if you don't already have one on file with the CRA. This allows us to notify you when important changes are made to your account and to protect you from fraudulent activity. If you're already registered but don't have an email address on file, you will need to provide one when you sign in.

Need extra help? We've got you covered

If you have additional questions, try asking Charlie the Chatbot. You'll spot Charlie on the CRA homepage and many of our other webpages on Canada.ca. If you're new to tax filing, check out our free online tool that teaches you about taxes, where your money goes, and how to file a tax return on your own.

Contacts 

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca

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SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency