Your 2026 Tax Season Roadmap

Hello All,

As we (somewhat) officially head into tax season, some of you may be starting to feel some low-grade anxiety. To help mitigate this and make it a bit more manageable I'll be focusing primarily on tax facts, resources and guidance, over the coming months.

In my last newsletter we looked at the tax changes coming in 2026. Today I thought we could put that knowledge into a roadmap of what everyone should be aware of.

For Canadian self employed/business owners, “tax season” isn’t just one date in April. It’s a series of deadlines that, for many of you, starts earlier. If you're incorporated, these deadlines are not limited to "tax season" but can occur throughout the year.

Slips & Contributions (February)

If you paid people or yourself (as an incorporated business owner) in 2025, this is an important month.

March 2, 2026

(February 28 falls on a Saturday, so the deadline moves to Monday)

• Deadline to file T4 slips (employees / salary)

• Deadline to file T5 slips (dividends)

• Québec filers: don’t forget RL-1 and RL-3 equivalents

Article: How to Pay Dividends: Completing the T5 Slip and Summary

March 2, 2026

• Last day to contribute to your RRSP to reduce your 2025 taxable income

Article:Lesser Know Facts about RRSPs

Sales Tax /Personal Income Tax (March–April)

March 31, 2026

• GST/HST and QST returns and payments are due if you are an incorporated annual filer with a December 31 year-end.

April 30, 2026

• Deadline to pay any personal tax balance owing for 2025

• Deadline to file personal tax returns if you are not an unincorporated self-employed business

  • This often applies to incorporated business owners who pay themselves via salary or dividends

⚠️ If you are unincorporated self-employed business, CRA and RQ start charging interest on any income tax or GST/HST/QST owing on May 1st.
I often recommend filing by April 30 (or at least making an instalment payment) to reduce or avoid interest.

Self-Employed & Small Business Returns

June 15, 2026

• Filing deadline for unincorporated self-employed / small business owners

• Applies to spouses as well, even if they are not self-employed

• GST/HST and QST returns if you are an unincorporated annual filer

Article:What Unincorporated Small Business Owners Need to Know about Filing Their Taxes

June 30, 2026

• Filing deadline for corporations with a December 31 year-end
  (Note: corporate tax instalments may be due earlier.)

🧐 Review & Strategy: Beyond the Deadlines

Tax season is also a good time to step back and ask whether your current setup still makes sense.

For sole proprietors

• Incorporation check: If your net income is consistently over $100,000, it may be worth reviewing whether incorporation could offer tax deferral benefits.

Article:Should You Incorporate Your Business

For corporations

• Salary vs. dividends: Review how you paid yourself in 2025.

  • Did you create RRSP room?

  • Did you contribute enough to CPP to build future benefits?

• Shareholder loans: Make sure any money taken from the company is properly recorded as salary, dividends, or a loan that will be repaid on time.

• Excess funds: If you have a lot of money sitting in a chequing or savings account in your corporation, you might want to consider investing it.

For all Businesses

• GST/HST Quick Method: If you sell services and have minimal expenses it may be worth looking into the Quick Method for GST/HST (and QST) to save money and simplify your filings.

Video: What is the Quick Method

• QuickBooks Online users: Review key reports such as:

  • Profit & Loss

  • Balance Sheet

  • Sales tax payable

  • Accounts receivable

Knowing what's due and when and preparing in advance can help avoid the last minute rush where things get forgotten and mistakes get made.

If there’s a tax topic you’d like me to cover in a future newsletter or video, subscribe to my newsletter and let me know.

Ronika