File your T2 within six months of the end of your tax year. If your year-end is the last day of a month, the deadline is the last day of the sixth month after. Otherwise it is the same day of the sixth month after. The balance you owe is generally due earlier — two months after year-end, or three for many Canadian-controlled private corporations.
The filing date
CRA's own examples make the rule concrete. A year ending 31 March is due 30 September. A year ending 31 August is due 28 February. A year ending 23 September is due 23 March. A year ending 2 October is due 2 April.
If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday the CRA recognises, the return is on time if it is received or postmarked on or before the next business day.
The payment date is the one that catches people
Filing and paying are separate deadlines, and the payment one comes first. Corporation taxes are generally due two months after the end of the tax year.
A Canadian-controlled private corporation gets three months instead, but only if it meets all of three conditions: it was a CCPC throughout the year, it claimed the small business deduction in the current or previous year, and its taxable income for the previous year did not exceed its business limit. For an associated group, it is the combined taxable income against the combined business limits.
So a corporation with a 31 December year-end files by 30 June, but owes the tax by 31 March if it qualifies for the three-month rule, and 28 February if it does not.
Choosing a year-end
A new corporation picks its first fiscal year-end, and it does not have to be 31 December. The choice is worth a few minutes' thought: it sets when your busiest administrative month falls, and it can be placed away from your busiest trading period.
Changing it later requires CRA permission, so the cheap moment to decide is at the start.
Sources
- CRA — When to file your corporation income tax return — modified 26 May 2025
- CRA — Instalment dates, including balance-due day — modified 21 January 2026
This guide explains published CRA rules. It is general information, not advice about your situation. Rules change — check the CRA page before acting on anything here.
