If you are among the many Canadians that continue to look for and purchase Canadian products and services instead of American made, may I suggest you find out more about the tax software you normally use each year if you file your own tax returns. And if you prefer to have your taxes filed by a personal tax service, find out if they are Canadian owned and operated.
CRA: Certified Tax Software
CRA has a great source for certified tax software. Just search CRA tax software or here is the link: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/income-tax/personal-income-tax/how-file/tax-software/find-software.html
There are two popular names on the list that are American companies: TurboTax and H&R Block.
The rest of the certified tax software listed are Canadian developed and owned and operated. If you plan to file your own taxes this year and use tax software, please consider these Canadian organizations.
They are all certified by CRA, meaning you can use them to interface with CRA (download information from your CRA My Account) and to NETFILE your tax return.
CRA does have the following disclaimer for all of the software companies listed:
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) does not look at the privacy policies of software developers. It is your responsibility to research the policies before buying or using the tax software. The use of the software is the responsibility of the user and the software developer. The CRA cannot be held responsible if omissions or programming errors affect the calculation of amounts payable. Tax software companies whose products are certified for NETFILE are not representatives of the CRA. You are not obliged to send personal information directly to the tax software company when you ask for software assistance. Email is not a secure method of communication. Sending personal information by email is a big concern and increases the risk of identity theft.
Free or Paid; Computer Download or Online
Some of the tax software is free to use (based on your limited basic tax situation), but most are paid services. You can check out each one to find out what is best for your family’s tax situation.
Compare the software that is online only and those that are computer download. Again, based on what you want, you can choose what is best for you or what you prefer or what you are used to.
Free Tax Service has some disadvantages
Using Free services does have some limitations:
Tax Preparation Service
If you are not one to file your own taxes, you can also decide which tax preparation service you want to use. We encourage you to find a tax preparation service that is 100% Canadian owned and operated.
It should be fairly easy to search online the name of the company to find outif they are Canadian or American. Those that are franchises may be owned and operated locally, but the head office may be in the USA. There are many Canadian options you can choose from.
Filing early for new Federal Benefits
If you are enrolled in the Canadian Dental Care Plan or receive the monthly Canada Disability Benefit, a reminder to file your taxes by the April 30 deadline even if you expect a refund and are not in a hurry.
Both benefits renew July 1, and you need to have your taxes filed and receive your Notice of Assessment by June 1 2026. This means you need to file your taxes well before then.
If your tax filing is later or do not receive your Notice of Assessment via regular mail or via online in your CRA My Account by June 1, you may have gaps in the coverage through the Canadian Dental Care Plan. The Canada Disability Benefit Plan payments will not be paid until you file your taxes and your Notice of Assessment is issued, but the benefits will be backdated for the months that were missed, so you do not lose the benefits, they just will be delayed.
Changes for 2025 taxes
Not a lot of changes to the 2025 personal income taxes compared to 2024, but we will review some of them next month.
Anni Markmann is a Personal Income Tax Professional; living, working, and volunteering in our community. Contact Ste Anne Tax Service at 204.422.6631 or 36 Dawson Road in Ste Anne (near Co-op) or info@sataxes.ca