5 Ways to Pay Your Personal Canadian Income Taxes

Choose the Best Way to Pay Your Canadian Income Taxes

Updated July 30, 2017

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) provides a variety of ways to pay the balance on your Canadian personal income taxes. You can mail a check, pay using online or telephone banking, use the CRA's My Payment Service or pay at a Canadian financial institution.

Payment for the balance owing on line 485 of your tax return is due by April 30 of the year following the tax year. If you owe Canadian income tax, the CRA charges both penalties and interest for filing your income taxes late.

When you make a payment, be sure to provide accurate information to identify the account to which the payment should be credited and what the payment is for (the tax year for example). When the CRA asks for your Account Number they are asking for your Social Insurance Number for personal income taxes and your Business Number for business income taxes.

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Attach a Check or Money Order to Your Paper Return

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Paying Your Income Taxes. David Sucsy / E+ / Getty Images

If you file a paper income tax return, attach a check or money order to the first page of the return. The check or money order should be payable to the Receiver General. Put your Social Insurance Number on the front of the check or money order. Here are the mailing addresses for sending a paper return.

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Use Online or Telephone Banking

You can use your online or telephone banking to pay the CRA the same way you pay your other bills. Select The Canada Revenue Agency, Revenue Canada, or Receiver General in the list of payees. Make sure you identify the type of account (personal or business), Social Insurance Number or Business Number, and reporting period or tax year to which you want the payment applied. Contact your bank if you need help.

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Use the My Payment Service

The CRA My Payment service lets you pay the Canada Revenue Agency directly using Interac Online if you have an online banking account with any of the following banks:

  • Bank of Montreal (personal accounts only)
  • Scotiabank
  • RBC Royal Bank
  • TD Canada Trust

The transaction total must be within the daily or weekly withdrawal limit of your online banking account.

For more information on the My Payment service, see the CRA's My Payment FAQ.

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Pay at a Canadian Financial Institution

You can pay your personal income taxes by check or money order at your bank, but you must attach a personalized remittance voucher.

Remittance vouchers are pre-printed in specialized ink, so copies are not valid. Remittance vouchers can be ordered online from the CRA through the My Account Tax Service or by phone at 1-800-959-8281.

The check or money order should be made payable to the Receiver General and include your Social Insurance Number on the front.

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Mail a Check or Money Order

Make the check or money order payable to the Receiver General and include your Social Insurance Number on the front.

The CRA prefers that you complete and attach a personalized remittance voucher to the check or money order.

However, if you don't have a remittance voucher, you can attach a note to the check or money order indicating your Social Insurance Number and providing payment instructions (e.g. "This payment is to cover the Balance Owing on Line 485 of my 2016 income tax return filed [date] using [NETFILE].")

Mail to:
Canada Revenue Agency
875 Heron Road
Ottawa ON
K1A 1B1

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Munroe, Susan. "5 Ways to Pay Your Personal Canadian Income Taxes." ThoughtCo, Jul. 30, 2017, thoughtco.com/ways-to-pay-canadian-income-taxes-510799. Munroe, Susan. (2017, July 30). 5 Ways to Pay Your Personal Canadian Income Taxes. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/ways-to-pay-canadian-income-taxes-510799 Munroe, Susan. "5 Ways to Pay Your Personal Canadian Income Taxes." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/ways-to-pay-canadian-income-taxes-510799 (accessed September 20, 2017).