Your Canada year end checklist for a December 31 year end has three dates to know: March 1, 2027 for T4 and T4A slips, March 31, 2027 for the GST/HST annual return, and June 30, 2027 for the corporate tax return.
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Last updated October 31, 2026. Reviewed by Aryan Patel, founder of Senvora Group, a bookkeeping firm that supports CPA firms and business owners in Canada, the US, the UK and Australia. Dates below come from the CRA T2 corporation income tax guide, the CRA payroll year end filing page, the CRA GST/HST reporting requirements and deadlines page and the CRA Keeping Records guide (RC188), all on canada.ca. Senvora does not file taxes. This is general information, so confirm your own dates with your CPA.
Starting fresh in the new year? Use our QuickBooks Online Canada setup guide to get the company file right from day one.
Key takeaways
- A corporation with a December 31, 2026 year end files its tax return within six months. That means June 30, 2027.
- The balance of corporate tax is due two or three months after year end. Three months applies only if the CRA conditions are met. Ask your CPA which one is yours.
- T4 and T4A filing and slips are due the last day of February. February 28, 2027 is a Sunday, so the working date is Monday, March 1, 2027.
- The CRA says to keep records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
- You have about two months from today to December 31. Use them to clean up the books, not to scramble in March.
Canada year end dates for a December 31 year end
Here is the dated timeline. Every date below assumes your year end is December 31, 2026. The source column shows which canada.ca page supports it.
Behind on your books before tax season? We review your file for free and give you a fixed quote. Get your books CPA ready before January.
In our work with Canadian business owners, we start year end with the bank and GST/HST reconciliations, because every other step depends on them. For all the Canada rules in one place, see our Canada bookkeeping guide.
| What | Due date | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax return (T2) filing | June 30, 2027, which is six months after year end | CRA T2 corporation income tax guide |
| Corporate tax balance owing, two month rule | Two months after year end. That lands on February 28, 2027, a Sunday | CRA T2 corporation income tax guide |
| Corporate tax balance owing, three month rule | March 31, 2027, if the corporation meets the CRA conditions | CRA T2 corporation income tax guide |
| T4 and T4A returns and slips | Last day of February. February 28, 2027 is a Sunday, so Monday, March 1, 2027 | CRA payroll year end filing page |
| GST/HST annual return and payment for most filers | Three months after the fiscal year end, so March 31, 2027 | CRA GST/HST reporting requirements and deadlines page |
| GST/HST for a sole proprietor with business income and a December 31 year end | Payment April 30, 2027 and filing June 15, 2027 | CRA GST/HST reporting requirements and deadlines page |
Two notes on the table. First, the CRA payroll page says that when a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or CRA recognized public holiday, the return is on time if the CRA receives it or a Canadian financial institution processes it by the next business day. Second, the corporate tax page we read does not spell out that weekend rule for the two month payment date, so ask your CPA for the exact day.
Payroll remittances run on their own calendar. Our payroll remittance deadlines guide has the due dates by remitter type, including the January 15, 2027 date for quarterly remitters. For the slips side, read our T4 and T4A filing deadline guide.
What the CRA says about corporate tax dates
The CRA T2 corporation income tax guide says to file your return within six months of the end of each tax year. It also says the balance of tax is due within either two or three months of the end of that tax year.
The three month date applies when conditions are met. In short, the corporation must be a Canadian controlled private corporation throughout the year, be claiming the small business deduction (or have been allowed it the previous year), and pass a business limit test. Other corporations generally pay at two months.
That is a tax question, not a bookkeeping question. Your CPA decides which date applies. Your bookkeeper makes sure the numbers are ready before either date arrives.
GST/HST and payroll at year end
The CRA GST/HST reporting requirements and deadlines page says that if you are a sole proprietor with a December 31 year end and business income, your payment deadline is April 30 and your filing deadline is June 15. If you do not meet all of those criteria, your filing and payment deadline is three months after your fiscal year end.
If you file GST/HST more often than once a year, your periods are different. Our GST/HST deadlines guide covers the next quarterly dates. If you are not sure whether you need to be registered at all, read the GST/HST registration guide.
On payroll, the CRA payroll year end filing page says T4 and T4A returns are due the last day of February after the calendar year. It also says employers must give slips to employees and recipients by the same date. The page lists a late distribution penalty of $25 per day per slip, with a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $2,500.
Bookkeeping checklist before December 31
The steps below are Senvora’s recommended method. They are not CRA requirements. Work through them in order, and give each one a date and a name.
- Reconcile every bank account to December 31. Chequing, savings, credit cards, lines of credit and PayPal or Stripe balances. Do it as soon as the statements are out in early January.
- Reconcile loans and credit cards. Match the statement balance to the books and check that interest is coded to expense, not to principal.
- Review accounts receivable. Look at every unpaid invoice. Write off the ones you know will never be paid and chase the rest before year end.
- Review accounts payable. Make sure every bill for 2026 is entered in 2026, even if you pay it in January.
- Reconcile payroll and source deductions. Compare your payroll reports to what you remitted for CPP, EI and income tax. Fix any gap before T4 slips go out.
- Reconcile GST/HST. Tie the sales tax account to your filed returns and confirm every input tax credit has a proper receipt. Our GST/HST input tax credits guide explains what to look for.
- Review the shareholder loan account. Check that every personal expense paid by the company, and every company expense paid personally, is recorded. Your CPA will want a clean balance and a clear story.
- Review inventory and fixed assets. Count what you hold. List what you bought in 2026 so your CPA can handle capital cost allowance.
- Clean up uncategorized items. Clear out Ask My Accountant, suspense and uncategorized accounts. Our QuickBooks Online cleanup checklist walks through this.
- Collect contractor and vendor details. If you will file information slips for contractors, gather names, addresses and business numbers now.
- Back up your documents. Save statements, invoices, receipts and payroll reports in a folder by year. Keep a second copy somewhere separate.
- Send your CPA a year end package. Trial balance, bank reconciliations, loan statements, payroll summary and a short note on anything unusual.
Record keeping: how long to hold on
The CRA Keeping Records guide (RC188) says to keep your records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, unless you have permission from the CRA to destroy them earlier. It says to keep records created by computerized business systems too, and to keep them at your Canadian residence or place of business unless the CRA gives you permission otherwise.
It also says that using a bookkeeper or accountant does not shift your responsibility. You are still on the hook for making sure adequate records exist. That is why a clean backup matters.
Where year end books usually break
Most year end stress comes from setup problems that built up all year. In the QuickBooks files we review, the same kinds of errors kept showing up. Read the 5 QuickBooks setup errors we see most to see which ones, then check your own file against them.
Here is a quick test. Pull your bank balance and your book balance for November 30. Do they match after reconciling items? If not, start there. Small gaps in November turn into big gaps in March.
A simple plan from now to June 30, 2027
- November: clean up uncategorized items and review receivables and payables.
- Early December: check your payroll year end dates and confirm which employees and contractors need slips.
- December 31: year end. Stop and snapshot your balances.
- January: reconcile all accounts and build the CPA package.
- By March 1, 2027: T4 and T4A returns and slips.
- By March 31, 2027: GST/HST annual return, and the corporate tax balance if the three month rule applies to you.
- By June 30, 2027: corporate tax return filing.
Frequently asked questions
When is the corporate tax return due for a December 31 year end?
The CRA T2 guide says to file within six months of the end of the tax year. For a December 31, 2026 year end, that is June 30, 2027.
When is the corporate tax balance due?
The CRA T2 guide says the balance is due within either two or three months of the end of the tax year. The three month date applies only if the corporation meets the CRA conditions, so confirm with your CPA.
When are T4 and T4A slips due for 2026?
The CRA says the filing due date is the last day of February after the calendar year. February 28, 2027 is a Sunday, so the return is on time if the CRA receives it by Monday, March 1, 2027. The same page says slips go to employees by the last day of February.
How long do I need to keep my business records?
The CRA Keeping Records guide says six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to, unless the CRA gives permission to destroy them earlier.
Does Senvora file my taxes?
No. Senvora does not file taxes. We handle the bookkeeping so your CPA has clean, reconciled numbers to work from. This post is general information, so confirm your dates with your CPA.
Filling in T4 slips this year? Our team wrote a guide to what goes in each T4 box, box by box.
Closing out the year? Our team keeps a full year end bookkeeping checklist for 2026 with every step in order.
Handing your books to your accountant soon? Our team wrote down exactly what to send your CPA at year end.
Sources
- CRA T2 corporation income tax guide (canada.ca)
- CRA payroll year end filing page (canada.ca)
- CRA GST/HST reporting requirements and deadlines page (canada.ca)
- CRA Keeping Records guide (RC188) (canada.ca)
Want clean books before year end?
Senvora Group handles monthly outsourced bookkeeping for business owners and CPA firms in Canada and around the world. We reconcile your accounts, tidy your payroll and sales tax balances, and hand your CPA a year end package they can use. You can also DM Aryan. What is the one year end task you keep putting off?
