The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) charges a late-filing penalty of 5% on the balance owing, plus 1% for each full month the return is late (up to 12 months). If a return was filed late in any of the three previous years, this penalty increases to 10% plus 2% per month (up to 20 months). Arrears interest is also compounded daily on unpaid balances.
If you owe tax and don't file on time (with extensions), there's also a penalty for not filing on time. The failure-to-file penalty is usually five percent of the tax owed for each month, or part of a month, that your return is late, up to a maximum of 25%.
Currently at a rate of 7.75% per annum, from the due date to the date of payment. In addition, a 5% penalty will be charged if the 2022/23 balancing payment is not paid within 30 days of the due date, with an additional 5% penalty charged if the tax remains outstanding after 6 months and 12 months.”
In Canada, the tax year runs from January 1 to December 31, with personal tax returns due by April 30 of the following year. If you are self-employed, you have until June 15, but any taxes owed are still due by April 30.
As per Section 139 of the Income Tax Act 1961, all taxpayers must file an income tax return. However, if you miss the deadline of July 31, the government allows you to use a belated ITR form to submit your tax return. You can file a belated ITR up to three months before the end of the assessment year.
The failure to pay penalty is 0.5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month the tax remains unpaid. The penalty won't exceed 25% of your unpaid taxes.
If you have taxes owing, you'll want to file by that date to avoid penalties, and pay by that date to avoid interest. Suppose you owe taxes and don't pay your outstanding balance by April 30, 2026. In that case, you'll be charged interest and penalties starting May 1, 2026.
Penalties on late filing and interest on late payments
If you file a return late and there is a balance owing, the CRA will assess a late-filing penalty. The penalty is 5% of any balance owing, plus 1% of the balance owing for each full month that the return is late, to a maximum of 12 months.
If you owe taxes to the IRS, but can't afford to pay, or can't pay without significant hardship, you may qualify for “currently not collectible” (CNC) status. Getting into CNC doesn't make your debt go away, but the IRS will stop trying to collect the money (except from refunds) for as long as you are unable to pay.
Conclusion. You cannot go any number of years without filing taxes if you meet the IRS filing requirements. Unfiled tax returns stay open indefinitely, and the IRS can take action at any time—whether the return is three, five, or ten years old.
The 'Failure to Lodge on Time' (FTL) Penalty
This penalty is not a flat fee; it is calculated using a system of 'penalty units' that increase every 28 days your return is overdue.
According to the IRS, First-Time Abatement (FTA) is an administrative waiver that can be applied to failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, or failure-to-deposit penalties. A first-time abatement waiver is only available for the failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties.
One-time forgiveness, officially known as First-Time Penalty Abatement (FTA), is an IRS program that allows qualified taxpayers to have certain penalties removed from their tax accounts.
If you file taxes after the October 15 extension deadline, the IRS will assess penalties and interest, primarily a failure-to-file penalty (5% per month, max 25%), plus a separate failure-to-pay penalty (0.5% per month) and daily interest on the unpaid taxes, though you can request penalty abatement for reasonable cause like natural disasters. The October deadline is for filing, not paying; if you owe, payment was due in April, so you'll likely face both penalties and interest until you file and pay, but you won't be penalized if you're due a refund.
The IRS $600 rule refers to a change in reporting requirements for third-party payment apps (like Venmo, PayPal) for taxable income from goods and services, where platforms must send a Form 1099-K if you receive over $600 in a year, intended to capture gig economy/side hustle income, though delays and phased implementation have adjusted the timeline, with current rules for 2024 using a higher threshold ($5,000) before fully phasing to $600 for future years, but remember all taxable income, regardless of form, must always be reported.
Long-term payment plan (also called an installment agreement) – For taxpayers who have a total balance less than $50,000 in combined tax, penalties and interest. They can make monthly payments for up to 72 months.
The ATO allows you up to 2 years to pay off your debt through a payment plan. If your debt is significant but your cash flow is tight, the amount you can pay (either weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) may not be enough to ensure the debt is paid off in 2 years.
It is relatively rare for a Canadian to be convicted of tax evasion but it does happen. Some Statistics: Between 2019 and 2024 there were 135 convictions with a total of $25.1 million in fines imposed: 58 individuals received jail time totalling 108 years.
You might have to pay IRS penalties and interest if you file your federal income tax return after the April deadline, your due date isn't extended, and you end up with a tax bill. First, the IRS charges a 5% penalty per month on any tax due if your return is filed late. The penalty is capped at 25% of the tax owed.
The CRA may cancel or waive penalties and interest when they result from CRA actions, including: processing delays that result in you not being informed within a reasonable time, that an amount was owing. errors in CRA materials which led you to file a return or make a payment based on incorrect information.
Owing taxes and filing late can trigger penalties of up to 25% of unpaid tax, plus interest that accrues monthly. Filing past-due returns quickly can reduce penalties, protect Social Security credits, and avoid loan delays.
Penalty for filing your tax return late
If you cannot pay your balance owing, you should still file on time to avoid being charged the late-filing penalty. The late-filing penalty is 5% of your 2024 balance owing, plus an additional 1% for each full month that you file after the due date, to a maximum of 12 months.
If you do not pay an amount that is due on time, the CRA may apply interest to the amount you owe. Interest is charged on most late personal and business tax payments, including required instalments. Interest is not applied to debts you may owe because of overpayments of Canada child benefit or personal GST/HST credit.