ARCHIVED - Filing your return

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Whether you are filing a "paper" return, or you are using EFILE, you should gather everything you will need to complete your return. This includes all the information slips (such as T3, T4, T4A, and T5 slips) you received, as well as receipts for any deductions or credits you plan to claim.

When you come to a line on the return that applies to you, look it up in this guide or see the back of your information slips. You will find an explanation that tells you how to complete each line on the return.

What date is your 1995 return due?

Generally, your 1995 income tax return is due on or before April 30, 1996. If you are mailing or delivering your return, use the envelope included with this return.

Self-employed persons - Under proposed legislation, if you were carrying on a business in 1995 (unless the expenditures of the business are primarily in connection with tax shelter investments), your 1995 income tax return is due on or before June 15, 1996. In addition, if you are the spouse of an individual carrying on such a business, your 1995 income tax return will also be due on or before June 15, 1996. However, if you owe tax for 1995, you still have to pay your balance owing by April 30, 1996.

Deceased persons - If you are the legal representative (executor or administrator) of a person who died, you have to file a 1995 return for that person. You should also be aware that the dates mentioned throughout this guide for filing, payments, penalties, and interest, may be different for a 1995 return for someone who died. For details, get the income tax guide called Preparing Returns for Deceased Persons, and the T3 Guide and Trust Return.

What happens if you file your return late?

If you owe tax for 1995 and do not file your 1995 return by the due date, we will charge you a late-filing penalty. The penalty is 5% of your balance owing for 1995, plus 1% of your balance owing for each full month (to a maximum of 12 months) that your return is late. Your late-filing penalty may be higher if we charged you a late-filing penalty on a previous return.

Even if you cannot pay the full amount you owe by April 30, 1996, you can avoid this penalty by filing your return on time. We may waive this penalty and any interest if you file your return late because of certain circumstances beyond your control. If this happens, include a letter with your return giving the reasons why you filed your return late. Information Circular 92-2, Guidelines for the Cancellation and Waiver of Interest and Penalties, gives details on the circumstances.

When will we pay or charge interest?

We will pay you compound daily interest on your 1995 income tax refund, starting on the latest of:

• June 15, 1996;
• the 46th day after you file your return; and
• the date you overpaid your taxes.

If you have a balance owing for 1995, we charge compound daily interest from April 30, 1996, on any unpaid amount owing for 1995. This includes any balance owing if we reassess your return, and any penalty we may charge you.

What do you include with your return and what records do you keep?

Include one copy of each of your information slips when you file your return. Your tax return, the guide explanations, the forms, or the schedules will tell you when to attach a certificate, form, schedule, or official receipt to your return. If you make a claim without the required receipt, certificate, schedule, or form, we may disallow your claim. This could also delay the processing of your return. Even if you do not have to attach certain receipts to your return, keep them in case we select your return for review. Generally, you should keep your receipts for six years.

EFILE (electronic filing) - If you plan to use EFILE to file your return, you have to provide your personal identification label, information slips, receipts, and all other supporting documents to your EFILE agent.

You should also keep a copy of your 1995 return, the related Notice of Assessment, and, if applicable, the Notice of Reassessment. These can help you complete your 1996 return. For example, your Notice of Assessment for 1995 will give information such as:

• your 1996 RRSP deduction limit;
• your unclaimed RRSP contributions for 1996; and
• your non-capital loss carry-forward balance.

What if you are missing information?

You should wait until you get all your receipts and information slips before sending in your return. However, if you have to file a 1995 return, as explained on page 5, be sure to file it by the due date, even if some slips or receipts are missing. Attach a note to your return saying which ones are missing and what you are doing to get them.

You should receive most of your information slips by late March or early April.

Missing information slip - If you have not received an information slip by late March, contact the issuer. However, you may not receive a T5 slip for an amount under $50. Even if you are missing an information slip, you still have to report the income when you file your return. For example, if you know that you will not be able to get your T4 slip by April 30, use your pay stubs to calculate your income and the amounts your employer has deducted (such as Canada or Quebec Pension Plan contributions, Unemployment Insurance premiums, union dues, and income tax).

Attach to your return a note explaining the problem and, if possible, attach a photocopy of your pay stubs. The note should also give the payer's name and address, and the amounts you have calculated.

How do you report foreign income and other amounts?

Report foreign income and other amounts (such as foreign taxes and expenses paid) in Canadian dollars. You can calculate how much to report by multiplying your foreign income or expense by the exchange rate that was in effect on the day you received the income or paid the expense. If the amount was paid at various times throughout the year, you can contact us to get an average annual rate.

What if you need help?

In this guide, we have used plain language to explain the most common income tax situations. If you need more help after reading this guide, please contact us.

You may also wish to use T.I.P.S. (Info-Tax), one of our automated T.I.P.S. services. Info-Tax gives recorded information on a number of tax topics. For more details, see the T.I.P.S. information included in this package.

We also have other income tax guides and pamphlets that you may find helpful, and which include many of the related forms you will need. If we have a guide or pamphlet on a particular topic, we mention it at the line instructions for that topic. We may also refer to interpretation bulletins and information circulars which give even more detailed information on specific tax topics. Contact us if you would like any of our publications. In addition, if you have access to the Internet, our publications are now on-line. Our addresses on the Internet are: gopher://gopher:rc.gc.ca, ftp://ftp.rc.gc.ca, or .

Note

You may receive some of our guides in the mail by mid-March depending on the type of income you reported and the deductions or credits you claimed on your 1994 tax return.

Date modified:

2002-02-04