Most Canadian income tax and benefit returns for 2016 are due on April 30, 2017. However, as this date is a Sunday, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will consider your tax return as filed on time and your payment to be made on time if it receives your submission by midnight on May 1, 2017, or if it is postmarked May 1, 2017.

Self-employed individuals and their spouses or common-law partners have until June 15, 2017, to file their income tax and benefit returns, but any balance owing is still due on or before April 30, 2017.

After you file your 2016 return, there are a few more things you can do.

Check the status of your refund

If you’re expecting a refund, there are two ways to check its status:

by going online, using My Account or the MyCRA mobile app
by calling the CRA’s Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS) at 1-800-267-6999.

If you file electronically and sign up for direct deposit, you could get your refund in as little as eight business days. Direct deposit is convenient, reliable, and secure! To sign up, go to cra.gc.ca/directdeposit.

If you file electronically and are registered for online mail, you could receive an instant assessment result message and receive your notice of assessment (NOA) directly into your certified tax software the next day using the Express NOAservice.

Make any outstanding payments

If you have a balance owing for 2016, there are three ways you can make a payment right away:

the pre-authorized debit service in My Account
the CRA’s My Payment service
a financial institution’s telephone or Internet banking service

Even if you can’t pay your balance right away, you should still file your return on time to avoid a late-filing penalty. You may be able to make a payment arrangement with the CRA by:

making a pre-authorized debit payment agreement using My Account
calling the CRA’s TeleArrangement telephone service at 1-866-256-1147
calling the CRA’s debt management call centre at 1-888-863-8657

To learn more about managing your tax debt, go to cra.gc.ca/collections.

Make a change to your return

First, wait until you receive your notice of assessment from the CRA. Then, you can change your return. For more information, go to cra.gc.ca/changereturn.

Keep your receipts and records

You should keep your income tax records and any supporting documents for six years in case the CRA selects your tax return for review. To support a deduction or credit you claimed, the CRA may ask for documents other than official receipts, such as cancelled cheques or bank statements.