Paying tax you owe
How to pay a balance in each country, why paying is separate from filing, and what happens when you cannot pay the whole amount by the deadline.
Updated 24 July 2026 · 1 min read
Filing and paying are two separate acts. Doing one does not do the other.
How to pay the CRA
Pay through your bank's online bill payment, through My Payment, by pre-authorised debit, or at a financial institution with a remittance voucher. A cheque is payable to the Receiver General for Canada.
The balance is due 30 April 2027.
If you cannot pay it all
Pay what you can by the deadline and file on time anyway. The penalty for filing late is much heavier than the interest on paying late.
- The CRA will discuss a payment arrangement, and will look at taxpayer relief where a penalty arose from circumstances beyond your control.
This does not happen automatically. You have to ask.
Do not send cash
Never put cash in an envelope. If you pay a balance online, post the return on its own and keep the payment confirmation with your copy.
Sources
Every figure and every procedure on this page was checked against the pages below on the date shown. The agencies revise these pages, so confirm anything you are about to act on.
- Payments to the CRA (opens in a new tab)canada.ca · checked 24 July 2026
- Interest and penalties for individuals (opens in a new tab)canada.ca · checked 24 July 2026
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