Journal Entry

A tax return is the annual filing that reports your income, deductions and credits to the CRA so the final tax for the year can be settled. Payers withhold tax during the year and the return reconciles that against what you actually owe, producing either a refund or a balance to pay. For 2025 returns filed in 2026, refunds usually arrive in about two weeks for an online return, while a paper return runs on a considerably longer standard because it is handled manually.

Canada runs three systems. The federal GST is 5% for 2026 and applies nationally. Five participating provinces fold a provincial share into one harmonised rate: 13% in Ontario, 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, and 14% in Nova Scotia since 1 April 2025. Others add their own tax to the 5% GST, giving 12% in British Columbia and Manitoba, 11% in Saskatchewan and 14.975% in Quebec. Alberta and the territories charge 5% only.

Total income is measured before tax. On a T1 it is the sum of your income sources for the year, such as employment income from your T4, self-employment, investment, and pension amounts, added up before deductions and before any tax withheld. Tax withheld at source is a payment toward your final bill, not a reduction in income. Deductions take total income down to net income, and further deductions give taxable income, which the rates apply to.

Almost anything you receive for work or from capital: employment wages and taxable benefits, self-employment and gig earnings, tips, rental profit, interest, dividends, the taxable portion of capital gains, pension and RRIF withdrawals, EI and most government payments, and spousal support under a written agreement or court order. Payment in cash or cryptocurrency counts the same as an amount on a slip. Lottery winnings, most gifts and inheritances, and TFSA growth do not count.