Instalment

Property tax is an annual municipal levy on real estate, charged by the city or town where the property sits rather than by the CRA. The bill is the assessed value of the property multiplied by the tax rate the municipality sets each year, and it funds local services such as roads, waste collection, policing and the education portion the province adds. Assessed value is set by a provincial assessment authority, so it is not the price you paid.

EI benefits are taxable income. Service Canada withholds income tax before each payment reaches you, and the total benefits plus the tax withheld appear on your T4E for the year. That withholding follows a basic calculation rather than your full marginal rate, so people who also worked during the year often end up with a balance owing at filing. Asking Service Canada to withhold more, or setting money aside yourself, avoids a surprise. Higher-income claimants can also have to repay part of their regular benefits through the return.

For individuals the tax year is the calendar year, 1 January to 31 December, and the return covering it is filed the following spring. The 2025 return was due 30 April 2026, or 15 June 2026 where you or your spouse were self-employed, though any balance owing was still payable by 30 April 2026. Corporations work differently: a corporation chooses its own fiscal year end and files a T2 six months after it.

Yes. When wait times are long the CRA phone system offers an automated callback: you enter a number, hang up, and an agent calls when your place in the queue comes up. The option only appears while the queue is long, so a quiet line will simply connect you. An agent working an open file can also arrange a return call. Keep the number you gave free, and expect the call from a CRA line rather than the one you dialled.