Apr 9, 2026
Each year, roughly 10% to 12% of Canadians skip filing their taxes — and most of them have no idea what it's costing them. A paper published in the Canadian Public Policy (1) journal estimated that working-age non-filers lost $1.7 billion in cash benefits in 2015 alone.
That number has only grown as the federal government has expanded income-tested programs. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) delivers dozens of benefits — from the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) to the quarterly Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST credit) — but only to Canadians who file their taxes.
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This tax season, the CRA is making it easier to file for free — and within minutes. The deadline for most Canadians is April 30, 2026. If you have a low income and a simple tax situation, you may be able to use the CRA's SimpleFile service — no forms, no fees and no tax software required.
"It's stupid of me, and I know that," one user wrote recently on Reddit's f/PersonalFinanceCanada forum (2) "I've left money on the table… I just want to get it figured out now."
That feeling is more common than most Canadians realize.
What you could be missing by not filing
The average tax refund issued by the CRA last filing season was $2,202 — across more than 13.9 million refunds totalling $30.8 billion (3).
But refunds are only part of the story. Non-filers also forfeit access to the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB), provincial credits, and potentially the CCB for families with children.
According to the CRA, some Canadians eligible for SimpleFile may think they don't have a reason to file, especially if they don't owe taxes — but the agency says filing is essential to unlock benefit and credit payments throughout the year (4). For lower-income seniors, not filing can also interrupt Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments.
Non-filers are most likely to be male, young, single and concentrated in lower income brackets, according to research (5). New Canadians, individuals with language barriers, and those with cognitive challenges are also disproportionately affected, the CEO of Prosper Canada has noted (6).
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SimpleFile: the CRA's free filing shortcut — and who qualifies
SimpleFile opened for the 2025 tax year on March 9, 2026. As of this year, nearly three million Canadians are eligible, according to the CRA. The service has two formats:
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- SimpleFile Digital: Available online without an invitation. Takes 10 to 20 minutes. No forms, no calculations. The CRA uses your answers plus information it already has on file to complete and process your return.
- SimpleFile by Phone: Available only by invitation, sent in March and again over the summer to those who have never filed or have a filing gap.
To qualify for SimpleFile Digital, you must be a Canadian resident with no income or income limited to specific sources and below a certain threshold, and your tax situation must be straightforward — no self-employment income, no foreign property over $100,000 and no bankruptcy during 2025. Eligibility also varies by province and territory.
If you did not receive an invitation, the CRA's eligibility questionnaire at canada.ca/simplefile can tell you whether you qualify.
What's coming next: the CRA auto-filing pilot
The CRA is also preparing a larger shift. Pending Royal Assent, a "deemed filing" pilot is expected to launch in fall 2026. Under this model, the CRA would file a tax return on behalf of eligible individuals who do not owe tax — unless they choose to opt out.
From March 2027, pre-filled returns will be available in CRA My Account for roughly one million lower-income Canadians, expanding to approximately 5.5 million by March 2029 (7). Budget 2025 committed $71 million over five years to fund the rollout.
But that future system does not help Canadians who need to receive the Groceries and Essentials Benefit top-up this spring. That requires a filed 2025 return before April 30.
Read more: The ultra-rich are bailing on volatile stocks right now — these 4 shockproof assets are their new safe havens
Limitations worth knowing
SimpleFile does not handle every situation. Medical expenses, tuition deductions and some provincial credits cannot be processed through the service. In 2023, only 7% of the Canadians invited to use SimpleFile by Phone actually did so — often because they found the instructions unclear or lacked the technology to complete the process, according to the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) (8).
For Canadians with more complex situations, free tax clinics run through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) are available in-person and virtually. Call 1-800-959-8281 or visit canada.ca/taxes-help to find a clinic near you.
What to do before April 30
- Check your CRA My Account for a SimpleFile invitation. If none appears, try the eligibility questionnaire at canada.ca/simplefile.
- File your 2025 return before April 30 to access the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit top-up, expected by June 2026.
- Even with zero income, filing matters: it unlocks GST credits, CCB, CWB, provincial credits and RRSP contribution room.
- Need help? Call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 or find a free tax clinic at canada.ca/taxes-help.
Missing the auto-filing pilot is not a risk worth taking. The benefits the CRA administers — worth thousands of dollars a year for many low-income Canadians — depend on a filed return. The quickest path to that money, right now, runs through SimpleFile.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Canadian Public Policy (1, 5); Money.ca (2); Government of Canada (3); BNN Bloomberg (4); CBC (6); Government of Canada (7); Institute for Research on Public Policy (8)
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Romana King is the Senior Editor at Money.ca. She writes for various publications, and her book -- House Poor No More: 9 Steps That Grow the Value of Your Home and Net Worth -- continues to be an Amazon bestseller. Since its publication in November 2021, this book has won five awards, including the New York CPA Society's Excellence in Financial Journalism (EFJ) Book Award in 2022.
