Behind on filing
Yes — you can still file. We regularly prepare several years of Canadian tax returns at once, including returns that are five or ten years overdue, and we do it without lectures. Most people who are behind turn out to be owed money rather than owing it: refunds, the GST/HST credit and the Canada Child Benefit only start flowing again once your returns are filed. If your old slips are long gone, we can usually pull them straight from the CRA. One appointment is normally enough to get the whole backlog moving.
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People fall behind for ordinary reasons — a bereavement, a health problem, a separation, a move between countries, a business that got overwhelming, or one missed year that quietly turned into four. It is one of the most common things we deal with, and nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it.
The longer it sits, the bigger it feels. It is almost always smaller than you are imagining once someone actually looks at it with you.
Several benefits and credits are paid only if you have filed, and they can be paid retroactively once you catch up:
As a CRA-authorized representative, we can access your CRA record directly and pull most of what is missing — T4s, T4As, T5s, tuition slips and more — using the CRA's Auto-fill my Return service. You do not need to track down an employer from six years ago.
Sometimes there is a balance owing. It is better to know the number than to keep guessing at it. Two things worth knowing: the late-filing penalty is calculated as a percentage of what you owe, so if you are due a refund there is generally no late-filing penalty at all. And where there is a balance, the CRA will usually agree to a payment arrangement.
Because we are authorized to deal with the CRA on your behalf, those conversations do not have to be yours to have.
What it costs. Prior-year returns are priced per year at our standard rates — a simple year starts at $45. We confirm the full cost with you before any work begins, so you know what catching up will cost before you commit.
See the full price listThere is no cut-off that stops you filing an old return, and we regularly file several years together. Refunds and most benefits can generally be paid retroactively for up to ten years, though the rules vary by benefit. We will tell you what is realistically recoverable in your situation before you commit.
Filing voluntarily is the thing that improves your situation, not the thing that worsens it. Penalties are based on a balance owing, so if you are due a refund there is generally no late-filing penalty. Where there is a balance, we will explain exactly what you are looking at.
We can retrieve most slips directly from the CRA. Records the CRA never received — business expenses, rent receipts, medical costs — we work through with you using whatever you still have.
File first, then deal with the balance. The CRA generally accepts payment arrangements, and we can handle that conversation with them on your behalf as your authorized representative.
Once we have your information, multiple years are usually turned around within a few days. The slow part is almost always gathering information, which is exactly the part we help with.
A free, no-obligation consultation — in person in Kitchener-Waterloo, or entirely online from anywhere in Canada. Complete information means we can start the same day.
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