Personal tax
CRA instalments: when you have to pay tax before April
2026-10-10 · 5 min read · Tax Everyday, Vaughan
If your net tax owing is more than $3,000 in the year ($1,800 in Quebec) and it was also over that amount in either of the two previous years, CRA expects quarterly instalments. Dates are March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15.
Three ways to calculate
Instalment interest is not a penalty you can waive by filing a perfect return in April. If you received reminders and ignored them, call us before the next due date rather than after the reassessment.
- No-calculation: pay what the CRA instalment reminders say. If those reminders are wrong because your income fell, you can pay less, but the risk of interest shifts to you.
- Prior-year: base instalments on last year’s tax.
- Current-year: estimate this year and pay a quarter of that. Best when income dropped. Worst when you underestimate.
Want this applied to your file?
These notes are general. A return is prepared only after we see your slips.