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Tax Tip - Tax season starts on February 23! Here’s what you need to start filing

CNW Group

Mon, February 16, 2026 at 11:31 PM GMT+9 9 min read

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 16, 2026 /CNW/ - On February 23, 2026, you will be able to file your 2025 income tax and benefit return online! Last tax-filing season, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) received more than 33 million tax returns and 93% were filed online.

We’re dedicated to serving Canadians well, helping you file your taxes, and connecting you to benefit and credit payments that improve your financial well-being. Last year, Canadians received:

More than $56.1 billion in benefit payments

More than 19 million refunds, for an average amount of $2,000 (79% were issued by direct deposit)

Let’s make sure you’re ready for tax-filing season, so you can receive all the payments you’re eligible for.

How to get started

Visit our improved Personal income tax web page. We’ve simplified this page and added information to help you before, during, and after the tax-filing process.

If you are registered for a CRA account, visit our tax tip on keeping your account up to date. By ensuring your personal information is accurate and that you can access your CRA account when you need it, you will save time during tax-filing season.

When you sign in to your CRA account, you may be prompted to add a backup multi-factor authentication (MFA) option. You will have the option to skip this step.

If you have forgotten your CRA account sign-in information or the answers to your security questions, you may be able to regain access by completing the online registration process again. More than 64,000 individuals have already done so.

Before you file, you can also sign up for direct deposit. By doing so, you will receive your tax refund and benefit payments faster and securely, deposited directly into your account at a Canadian bank or credit union. Last year, more than 1.1 million individuals signed up for direct deposit and there are more than 28 million individuals signed up in total.

Key dates and deadlines

By filing and paying any taxes you owe on time, you will avoid late-filing penalties and interest. Mark these dates in your calendar so you don’t miss any deadlines:

**February 23, 2026** – You can start filing your 2025 tax return online. Make sure you have all your tax slips before you file.

**April 30, 2026** – Deadline for most individuals to file their tax return and pay any taxes owed.

**June 15, 2026** – Deadline to file your tax return if you, or your spouse or common-law partner, are self-employed. If you owe money, you will still need to pay by April 30, 2026, to avoid interest.

CRA services and resources to help you this tax season

If you need tax-filing assistance, there are services and resources to help you:

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Free tax clinics – You could get your taxes done by a volunteer at a free tax clinic. In 2025, 1.069 million returns were filed through free tax clinics.

SimpleFile services – If you have a lower income and a simple tax situation, you may be able to use SimpleFile services (digital or by phone) to file your taxes. If you didn't receive an invitation, you may still be able to access SimpleFile Digital. Check out our new eligibility questionnaire. The SimpleFile services will open on **March 9, 2026**.

GenAI chatbot beta – The chatbot can now answer a wider range of questions, including more complex ones for businesses, such as eligibility for tax credits and compliance information.

Taxology podcast – Get the tax information you need by listening to the CRA's podcast.

We also have additional tax tips that may be helpful for your tax-filing situation:

The level of service you can expect from the CRA this tax season

What you need to know for the 2026 tax-filing season

Did you experience one of these milestone life events? Learn about impactful tax implications

Important changes to the 2025 income tax package: What you need to know

Quick tax facts about your province or territory of residence

Choose your province or territory:

**Alberta

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 3.2 million Alberta residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 96% of filers.

More than 110,700 Alberta residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Alberta residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**British Columbia

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 3.9 million British Columbia residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 95% of filers.

More than 126,100 British Columbia residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible British Columbia residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Manitoba

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 977,000 Manitoba residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 95% of filers.

More than 49,600 Manitoba residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Manitoba residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**New Brunswick

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 614,000 New Brunswick residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 95% of filers.

More than 35,000 New Brunswick residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible New Brunswick residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Newfoundland and Labrador

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 393,000 Newfoundland and Labrador residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 93% of filers.

More than 16,600 Newfoundland and Labrador residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Newfoundland and Labrador residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Northwest Territories

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 28,000 Northwest Territories residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 97% of filers.

More than 1,600 Northwest Territories residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Northwest Territories residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Nova Scotia

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 757,000 Nova Scotia residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 95% of filers.

More than 40,700 Nova Scotia residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Nova Scotia residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Nunavut

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 20,000 Nunavut residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 98% of filers.

More than 750 Nunavut residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Nunavut residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Ontario

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 11.1 million Ontario residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 96% of filers.

More than 279,100 Ontario residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Ontario residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Prince Edward Island

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 123,000 Prince Edward Island residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 95% of filers.

More than 7,200 Prince Edward Island residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Prince Edward Island residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Quebec

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 6.3 million Quebec residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 92% of filers.

More than 210,200 Quebec residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program. In total, 570 Quebec organizations hosted tax return preparation sessions in person or virtually.

Eligible Quebec residents received an average of:

**Saskatchewan

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 816,000 Saskatchewan residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 95% of filers.

More than 34,800 Saskatchewan residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Saskatchewan residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Yukon

**Below are key statistics related to last tax year:

More than 29,000 Yukon residents filed a 2024 tax return online, which was 96% of filers.

More than 1,700 Yukon residents were helped by free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Eligible Yukon residents received an average of (including any related provincial programs):

**Contacts **

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca

**Stay connected **

Follow the CRA on Facebook

Follow the CRA on X – @CanRevAgency

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Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list

Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader

Watch our tax-related videos on YouTube

Listen to our Taxology podcast

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2026/16/c3912.html

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