THE Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has extended the payment due date for current year individual, corporate, and trust income tax returns, including instalment payments, from September 1 to September 30. Penalties and interest will not be charged if payments are made by the extended deadline of September 30. This includes the late-filing penalty as long as the return is filed by September 30.

The CRA encourages everyone to file their individual, corporate and trust returns as soon as possible, even though payment deadlines are being extended. This is particularly important for individuals receiving credits and benefits, such as the Canada Child Benefit.

Still need to make a payment?

You can pay your tax online in many ways:

• through your financial institution’s online or phone banking service
• using the My Payment service, which lets you make payments to the CRA online with your Visa® Debit, Debit MasterCard®, or Interac® Online debit card from a participating financial institution. You can access My Payment from My Account or MyCRA
• setting up a preauthorized debit through My Account and MyCRA to:
  • make preauthorized payments to the CRA from your account at a Canadian financial institution
  • pay an overdue amount or make instalment payments
• by credit card, PayPal, or Interac e-Transfer through a third-party service provider
• in person at any Canada Post outlet using cash or a debit card, with a QR code you can create using My Account or MyCRA
• in person at a Canadian financial institution with a remittance voucher

Paying by instalments?

If you pay your income tax by instalments, your payments that would otherwise have been due on June 15 and September 15, 2020, are now due by September 30, 2020.

You may be required to pay quarterly income tax instalments throughout the year if your net tax owing for that year is more than $3,000 ($1,800 for residents of Quebec). If you earn income that has no tax withheld or does not have enough tax withheld for more than one year, you may have to pay tax by instalments.

If you received an instalment reminder in August 2020, you can choose to reduce or not pay further instalments for 2020 if you meet one of the following conditions:

• The instalments you already paid will cover your estimated 2020 net tax owing
• Your net tax owing for 2020 will be $3,000 or less, or $1,800 or less for residents of Quebec.

For more information, visit the CRA’s Payment arrangements web page or call 1-888-863-8657. Telephone agents can help you Monday to Friday from 7 am to 8 pm, Eastern time, except on holidays. You can also follow our step-by-step guide made to help Canadians complete their taxes.

For more information on all the changes to tax and benefits related to COVID-19, go to canada.ca/cra-coronavirus.