File your taxes online: Understand NETFILE (CRA)
NETFILE
The NETFILE and ReFILE services are open for electronic filing from February 19, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. (Eastern time), until January 31, 2025. You can electronically file your 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 initial T1 personal income tax and benefit return using NETFILE and you can file your amended T1 return for 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 using ReFILE.
NETFILE Access Code
For the 2023 tax year, prior to filing your tax return electronically with NETFILE, you will be asked to enter an Access code after your name, date of birth, and social insurance number. Your eight-character Access code is made up of numbers and letters and is located on the right side of your Notice of Assessment for the previous tax year. While this Access code is not mandatory, if you do not enter your Access code, you will not be able to use any information from your 2023 tax return when confirming your identity with the Canada Revenue Agency. You will have to rely on other information for authentication purposes. This code does not apply to you if you are filing your tax return for the first time.
NETFILE is an electronic tax-filing service that lets you do your personal taxes online and send your income tax and benefit return directly to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). It simplifies tax-filing and offers the following benefits:
- You can file your tax returns directly through a NETFILE-certified tax software, which is more accurate with fewer chances of errors
- You get immediate confirmation that we have received your tax return
- You don’t have to send in receipts, unless we ask for them at a later date
- You get your refund faster through NETFILE; with direct deposit, you may receive your refund in 2 weeks
For more information on the NETFILE service, view NETFILE – Frequently asked questions.
Hours of service
The services are available 21 hours a day. Due to daily maintenance activities, the services are not available for three hours a day from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Eastern time).
Security of personal information
We accept responsibility for the security of information once we receive it. We take precautions to ensure that there is no unauthorized access to your data, and ensure the confidentiality of data you send using NETFILE. We use sophisticated security and encryption to protect this website and your personal information.
We are also responsible for making sure personal and financial information is sent in an encrypted format between your computer and our servers. This ensures that computer hackers and other Internet users can’t view or alter the data you send to us.
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.
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