By Shaun Penner

Tax Deadline

Possible penalties and interest for unfiled taxes: CRA

May 1, 2019 | 5:30 AM

The deadline to file your personal income taxes has now passed and that means those who feel they owe taxes might end up paying a penalty for it.

A 5% penalty could now be added by the Canada Revenue Agency to those who owe taxes but have not yet filed. Those people can also expect interest that is compounded daily to accrue, which is why CRA is encouraging those that haven’t done so to make the payments as soon as possible.

“If you’re worried about an amount owing, you can always contact us and set up a payment arrangement,” says CRA Spokesperson Robyn Brouillette. “There are always things we can do to keep you organized and on-track. So, don’t stress out too much, we are here to help and to make it as painless as possible.”

Brouillette also noted that those who might be expecting a refund won’t be penalized, but that could affect certain tax benefits, like the GST Benefit and Child Tax Credit.

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“You may miss out or have late benefits that arrive,” said Brouillette. “So, if you want to file on time, just to make sure that you continue to get your GST and Child Tax benefit on time, that is something that I would recommend.”

Now with the deadline passing, CRA is reminding citizens to remain vigilant and on-guard against phone scammers who pose as agents. Brouillette explains the CRA will never demand payment from you, will never threaten you in any way, or ask for personal information from documents like your passport or drivers license.

“If you are ever unsure that it is the CRA agent contacting you, it is absolutely okay to hang up. We’re not going to penalize you actually hang up on a CRA employee,” said Brouillette. “You can call our general inquiries line (1-800-959-8281), you can talk to one of our call centre agents and we can verify for you if the CRA is actually trying to contact you.”

CRA’s website details how to pay your taxes online, which is the quickest way to pay. Anyone who has further questions about taxes and tax payment can call the general inquiry line listed above, or you can call the automated Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS) at 1-800-267-6999.