Key Tax Deadlines for Canadian Corporations

All deadlines are relative to your fiscal year-end, which varies by corporation. The examples below use December 31 as the year-end.

Annual Corporate Tax Deadlines

Deadline	What's due	Date (Dec 31 year-end)	Penalty for missing
Balance of corporate tax owing	Pay any remaining balance	February 28	Interest on amount owing
Corporate income tax return (T2)	File the T2 return	June 30	5% of balance + 1%/month for up to 12 months

Important: Paying and filing are separate deadlines. The payment is due months before the return is due. Pay first, file later — don't wait until the filing deadline to make the payment.

If you qualify as a small CCPC that earned active business income: your payment deadline is 3 months after year-end (e.g., March 31), not 2 months.

Payroll Deadlines (Ongoing)

Deadline	What's due	When
Source deduction remittance	CPP, EI, and income tax withheld from employees	15th of the following month
T4 slips and T4 Summary	Annual employee earnings summary	Last day of February
T4A slips	Payments to contractors over $500	Last day of February

GST/HST Deadlines (Ongoing)

Filing frequency	Return and payment due
Monthly filers	1 month after each period end
Quarterly filers	1 month after each quarter end
Annual filers (over $1.5M revenue)	3 months after fiscal year-end
Annual filers (under $1.5M revenue)	3 months after fiscal year-end

T5 Slips (Dividends)

Deadline	What's due
Last day of February	T5 slips filed with CRA and distributed to shareholders

Tax Instalments

If the CRA requires you to pay corporate tax in instalments, they're due monthly on the last day of each month, or quarterly depending on your instalment method. See: When Do You Have to Pay Tax Instalments?

Other Notable Deadlines

Obligation	When
Shareholder loan repayment (to avoid personal income inclusion)	Within 1 year of the corporation's fiscal year-end
SR&ED claim	18 months after fiscal year-end
Capital loss carry-back application	Within the T2 return for the loss year, filed on time

FAQ

What if my fiscal year-end isn't December 31?

All deadlines shift relative to your year-end. If your fiscal year-end is September 30, your tax payment is due November 30 (2 months) or December 31 (3 months for qualifying CCPCs), and your T2 return is due March 31 (6 months). Your Mesa CPA team tracks this for you.

What's the penalty for filing the T2 late?

5% of the balance owing, plus 1% for each additional month it's late, up to 12 months. On a $50,000 balance, that's $2,500 plus $500/month. File on time even if you can't pay in full — the penalty for late filing is separate from interest on the unpaid balance.

What if I can't pay my full tax balance by the deadline?

Pay as much as you can by the deadline to minimize interest. The CRA charges interest on unpaid balances — currently at the prescribed rate plus 4 percentage points. Call the CRA or work with your Mesa CPA advisor to arrange a payment plan if needed.

Does the CRA send reminders for these deadlines?

Not always proactively. The CRA will send a notice of assessment after your T2 is filed, and will issue penalty and interest notices if you miss deadlines. Your Mesa CPA team manages these deadlines for you and will flag any upcoming obligations.