CRA servicesIn effectPublished October 30, 2026
CRA is inviting some lower-income filers to use SimpleFile
If you still haven't filed your 2025 return and your tax situation is simple, the CRA may have sent you a SimpleFile invitation, either in your CRA account or by mail, starting this September. SimpleFile is the CRA's free filing option for people with lower income and straightforward taxes. The important catch: it is not automatic. You still have to finish and submit the return yourself, online, by phone or by mail.
What this means for youDidn't file for 2025? File now, even late, so your benefit and credit payments keep coming. If your situation has more than a few slips, or you want someone to check it, we can prepare your 2025 T 1 for you.
Source: Individuals – Tax information newsletter, Edition 2026-09, Canada Revenue Agency (September 2026)
BenefitsIn effectPublished October 30, 2026
Canada Child Benefit amounts went up for July 2026 to June 2027
The CCB is adjusted for inflation every July. For the July 2026 to June 2027 payment year, the maximum is up to $8,157 a year for each child under 6 and up to $6,883 for each child aged 6 to 17. That is up to $160 and $135 more per child than last year. Your actual amount depends on how many children you have, their ages and your family's net income from your prior-year return.
What this means for youYour CCB is calculated from the tax return you filed the year before. Both parents or spouses need to file every year, even with little or no income, or payments can stop.
Source: The Canada Child Benefit payments increasing in 2026-2027 (news release), Canada Revenue Agency (July 17, 2026)
BenefitsIn effectPublished October 30, 2026
The GST/HST credit is now the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
As of July 3, 2026, the GST/HST credit has a new name: the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. Who qualifies and how it is paid stay the same, but the CRA says quarterly payments are 25% higher for the next five years. Eligible people also got a one-time top-up on June 5, 2026, worth half of their 2025-26 credit. The quarterly payments that started in July are based on your 2025 return.
What this means for youYou only get this benefit if you file. If you haven't filed your 2025 return yet, doing it now can start or restore your payments. In your CRA account it may still show as the GST/HST credit.
Source: Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit one-time top-up payment … is coming June 5 (news release), Canada Revenue Agency (April 17, 2026)
Rates & creditsProposedPublished October 30, 2026
Lower federal tax rate on the first bracket for 2025 returns
The CRA lists a proposed cut to the lowest federal income tax rate, from 15% to 14%, starting July 1, 2025. Because it started halfway through the year, the full-year rate on the first bracket for your 2025 return is 14.5%. A new "top-up" tax credit is also proposed, so that certain credits claimed on amounts above the first bracket ($57,375 for 2025) still get a 15% value.
What this means for youYou don't need to do anything. The change is built into the 2025 forms and the tax software we use. The CRA labels it "proposed", meaning it is applied now and was still awaiting final law when the CRA page was written.
Source: Personal income tax: What's new for 2025, Canada Revenue Agency (current page)
CRA servicesIn effectPublished October 30, 2026
Locked out of your CRA account? You can now fix it online
If you forgot your sign-in details or got locked out, the CRA now has a self-service option to set up new credentials without calling. Separately, since July 15, 2025, a tax preparer can no longer ask for access to your account through filing software. They now send a request through the CRA's Represent a Client service, and you approve it in your own CRA account.
What this means for youIf you want us to see your slips in your CRA account, we'll send the request and you approve it with one click in your account. We can also help you set up your CRA account ($25).
Source: Personal income tax: What's new for 2025, Canada Revenue Agency (current page)
DeadlinesIn effectPublished October 30, 2026
Married, separated or living common-law? Tell the CRA on time
The CRA expects you to report a change in marital status by the end of the month after it happens. For a separation, you wait until you have lived apart for 90 days because of a breakdown in the relationship, and then the separation counts from the day you started living apart. The date of the change also goes on page 1 of your return.
What this means for youA change in status can change your benefits, such as the CCB and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, and the CRA may recalculate past payments. Tell us about the change when you send your info.
Source: Personal income tax: What's new for 2025, Canada Revenue Agency (current page)
