When filing taxes, you might have heard the words “NETFILE” and “EFILE” before. These are the two electronic services the CRA provides for transmitting your tax return. NETFILE allows you to file your personal tax return directly to the CRA. EFILE is a service that allows tax preparers to file taxes to the CRA on behalf of others. As such, if you are filing your own taxes, you should be using the NETFILE service. Please note that if you are a non-resident of Canada, you will not be able to use NETFILE.
In order to NETFILE your return, you must use a tax software that has been certified by the CRA. Many free software products are available such as TurboTax, StudioTax, Wealthsimple Tax, TaxTron, etc. Some even provide phone or tablet apps, giving you the option of filing your return entirely on a mobile device. For a full list of certified software, refer to the CRA website.
After you prepare your return, the software has built-in functionality that submits the return directly to the CRA. For additional guidance, refer to tutorials for your choice of tax software. You can also log into your online CRA account to verify that the return has been received.
- Jocelyn, Young Tax Professional