Expert Tax Accountants in Calgary

CRA online filing for 2025 returns opened on 23 February 2026 and stays open until 29 January 2027. You can prepare a return before the service opens, but it cannot be transmitted, and slips such as T4s and T5s often arrive only in late February. Filing early makes sense if you expect a refund. If you expect a balance owing, you can still file early and pay by 30 April 2026.

A refund is the tax already paid minus the tax actually owed. Add the income tax withheld on your slips to any instalments you paid, work out tax payable on your total income after deductions and credits, and the difference comes back if the first figure is larger. Large refunds usually trace to over-withholding on employment income, RRSP contributions, or credits transferred to you. Run the numbers through the CRA's or a commercial estimator before you file.

There is no single percentage. Canada uses graduated brackets, so the rate climbs as income climbs and each rate applies only to the income falling inside its own bracket. Your total combines a federal bracket with your province's bracket and is then reduced by credits, which is why two people on the same salary in different provinces pay different amounts. The share withheld from a paycheque also covers CPP or QPP and EI. Check the CRA bracket table for the year concerned.

There is no single income floor that triggers a return. Filing is required if you owe tax, if the CRA asks you to file, if you disposed of property, or if you have to repay a benefit. Filing with little or no income is usually still worth doing, because that return is how the GST/HST credit, the Canada child benefit and provincial benefits are calculated, and how RRSP room and unused credits get recorded for later years.

Yes, and it is usually worth doing. Filing with little or no income is how you claim the GST/HST credit, provincial and territorial credits and, if you have children, the Canada child benefit - these are based on an assessed return each year. Filing also carries forward tuition and other unused amounts, creates RRSP room from any earned income, and keeps your CRA record current for later years.

Add up income from every source first: employment, self-employment, pensions, investment income and the taxable one-half of capital gains for 2025 and 2026. Subtract deductions such as RRSP contributions, union dues, child care and eligible moving costs to reach net income, then subtract the remaining allowable deductions to arrive at taxable income. Tax is calculated on that figure, and non-refundable credits, including the 2026 federal basic personal amount of $16,452, then reduce the tax itself rather than the income.

Only in specific cases. Rent is not deductible for most Canadian tenants. It helps if you live in a province with a rent-based credit, such as Ontario's energy and property tax credit, Manitoba's renters credit or Quebec's solidarity credit, all of which use rent paid. It also helps if you run a business or work from home and can claim the share of rent tied to your workspace. Keep receipts and your landlord's details either way.

Property tax is municipal, so the bill comes from your city or town rather than the CRA. Most municipalities offer an online property tax account showing bills, balances and payment history, opened with the roll number printed on an earlier bill; otherwise their revenue office will send a copy. Property tax on the home you live in is not deductible, but it is a deductible expense against rental or business income.

About two weeks for a return filed online, measured from the day the CRA processes it. Direct deposit arrives sooner than a cheque. A non-resident return can take up to 16 weeks. Anything pulled for review runs longer: slips that do not match, a first return, a credit the CRA wants receipts for, or a debt to another government program that offsets the amount. Watch progress in CRA My Account rather than guessing.

A supplementary or omitted bill comes from your municipality when the assessed value of a property changes part way through a year, usually after new construction, an addition, a major renovation or a change of use, or when the property was left off the assessment roll earlier. It charges tax on the added value from the date it took effect, so one bill can cover more than one year. If your lender pays your taxes, confirm whether this amount is included.

Four items come off an Alberta paycheque: federal income tax, Alberta provincial tax, Canada Pension Plan contributions and Employment Insurance premiums. The tax portion depends on gross pay, how often you are paid, and the credits claimed on your federal and Alberta TD1 forms, so two people on the same salary can see different withholding. CPP and EI are set percentages of pensionable and insurable earnings up to annual maximums. The CRA payroll deductions online calculator gives your exact figure.

Not directly. The CRA does not report your balance to Equifax or TransUnion, so an ordinary tax debt does not appear on your credit file. It can become visible another way: the CRA may certify the debt in Federal Court and register a lien against property, which is a public record that lenders and title searches pick up. Interest also compounds daily on the balance, so a payment arrangement is usually cheaper than waiting.