If you live in Canada, the T1 General Form is the primary form for filing your income tax. It's sometimes referred to as the Income Tax and Benefit Return, and you’ll use it to determine your taxable income and whether you’ll owe money to the CRA or get a tax refund.
You may also need your T1 General Form if you’re applying for certain tax benefits or credits, a new mortgage, or other major sources of credit.
To get your T1 General Form, request a copy through your CRA My Account or the tax software you used to file your taxes.
Key Takeaways
- A T1 General Form contains information about your income, deductions, tax credits, and more.
- You may need a T1 General Form when applying for tax benefits or credits, mortgages, or major sources of credit.
- You can request a copy of your T1 General Form through your CRA My Account.
Who should fill out a T1 General Form?
The T1 General Form's purpose is to calculate how much you owe (or are owed) on your taxes for the current tax year. If you’re an individual who earns income in Canada, you need to fill out the T1 General Form. This includes people who work for a company, are self-employed, or receive income from sources like pensions or investments.
If you own a business, you’ll need to fill out the T1 Business Form. If you’re filing as a corporation, you should fill out Form T2125.
Other reasons you may need a T1 General Form
Beyond using it to file taxes, you may need a copy of your T1 General Form for certain applications, including these:
- The Canada Child Benefit
- GST/HST tax credits
- Mortgages
- Other major sources of credit
You may also need a copy of your T1 if you're involved in court proceedings that involve child or spousal support. In such cases, though, the proof-of-income statement provided by the CRA should suffice.
How to find your T1 General online
If you're looking for a blank copy of the T1 General Form, visit the CRA’s T1 income package page. From here, you can download a digital copy of the form – but if you'd prefer to have a physical copy of the form mailed to you, you can request it through that link. You can also opt for alternate forms, like braille, audio, or large print formats.
Just keep in mind that you don't usually need to fill out the T1 form manually. If you use tax software, it will automatically provide the form AND fill it out for you in most cases.
How to find last year's T1 General form
To find your form from last year, either log into your CRA My Account or use your tax software. To find a previous year’s T1 General Form on CRA My Account, follow these steps:
- Log into the My Account for Individuals page
- Click on "Go to Tax returns details" in the first grey box on your screen
- Find the list of "Related services" on the right and select "Proof of income statement"
- Enter the tax year you need from the dropdown menu
- View or print your T1
Another option is to sign into the tax software you used last year and view your previously-filed tax returns.
Remember: If you file your own tax return, you won't find your T1 via your CRA My Account. You can only do this if you've used a 3rd party to file your taxes for you or if you submitted your return through the mail.
How to fill out a T1 Form
Filling out your T1 form can be tedious, but it isn’t very complicated. There's a short description beneath each fill-in box that tells you where to find the information you’ll need.
If you don't have the form it's referring to, it's likely that you don't need to fill it out. For example, if a box refers to RRSP income from a T4RSP slip, you won't need to fill that out unless you have an RRSP (and have been issued a T4RSP slip).
By far the easiest way to fill out a T1 form is by enlisting tax software to do it for you. If you feed the software the right forms, it can fill out your T1 in seconds – only requiring you to do a quick lookover to make sure nothing obvious went wrong.
T1 General breakdown and sample
Things can get confusing when you're filling out the T1 General Form form yourself, so we've created this table to help guide you through each section, from ID to Refund/Balance Owing.
| Section | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Identification | Provide your personal details, including your full name, address, SIN, and marital status. If you’re a business owner, fill out the business identification section. |
| Total income | Declare all of your income sources, including income from employment, investment, rental units, disability benefits, etc. |
| Net income | Subtract eligible deductions (RRSP contributions, child care expenses, moving expenses, etc.) from your "Total income" amount listed above. |
| Taxable income | Subtract all proper deductions (Canadian Forces deductions, capital gains, net capital losses, etc.) from your net income. |
| Refund or balance owing | Determine whether you're eligible for a tax refund or have an outstanding balance owing. If this number is negative, you’ll receive a refund; if it’s positive, you owe money to the CRA. |
Here's what the first page of the T1 General looks like:
The remaining pages will all look similar to this first one. These extra pages are where you’ll fill in the information required from supporting documents (like your T4).
What to do if you make a mistake on your T1 General Form
If you make a mistake on your T1 General Form, you'll need to wait until you receive your notice of assessment (NOA) before you can make any corrections. But once you have the NOA, making the necessary adjustments is pretty simple.
Once you have your NOA in hand, there are three ways you can choose to make the corrections to your T1:
- Your CRA My Account: Select the "Change My Return" service, and from there, choose whichever option applies to you. The CRA allows Canadians to make changes to any tax returns they've filed in the past 10 calendar years.
- ReFile: This is available through the NETFILE software used to file your return. You simply send your correction request and service providers make the adjustments. Note that you're allowed a max of 9 changes/reassessments per tax year.
- Mail: Send a completed "Form T1-ADJ, T1 Adjustment Request" and all supporting documents to the CRA. Be sure to include your original assessment too.
FAQ
What is a T1 General form?
A T1 General Form is the document you fill out every year to submit your taxes. It includes all relevant information from supporting documents, such as your net income, taxable income, deductions, tax credits, and balance owing.
What is a T1 document used for?
Your T1 document is used to calculate your tax return, but it also comes in handy as proof of income as well, like when you’re applying for a mortgage.
Where can I find my T1 General?
You can find your T1 General on your CRA My Account by going into the tax section and clicking "Proof of income." You can also sign into the tax software you used to submit your taxes last year, if applicable.
Is T1 General the same as notice of assessment?
No, but both are summaries of key tax information from different sources. Your T1 General is part of the tax return you complete every year, but your NOA is the CRA's method of informing you that they've completed their evaluation.
How many pages is a full T1 General?
A standard T1 General Form is 8 pages. However, if your tax return includes additional forms of income, like if you’re self-employed or own rental properties, your full T1 General could be much longer—as much as 20–40 pages in some cases.
How do I pay my T1 tax?
Some banks will allow you to make same-day T1 tax payments to the CRA directly from your bank account. You can also use a debit card to pay your T1 tax through the CRA’s website.
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