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Wife has PR now, able to do NETFILE next year?

L

lchazl

Star Member
Jan 31, 2018
75
7
Wife got PR recently, doesn't need to file taxes for 2019 as wasn't here then but first time will be for 2020 tax year.

Questions:

1. When filing in early 2021, can she firstly open a CRA My account with her SIN and/or her bank account, and then do NETFILE with a free service like simpletax.ca?

2. Or must she do a paper return also via a site like simpletax and then print it off and mail it in? If so what will make her able to create a CRA My Account and NETFILE the following year, is it that once the CRA assesses the paper return they then enable CRA My Account functionality?
 
C

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
55,684
13,552
lchazl said:
Wife got PR recently, doesn't need to file taxes for 2019 as wasn't here then but first time will be for 2020 tax year.

Questions:

1. When filing in early 2021, can she firstly open a CRA My account with her SIN and/or her bank account, and then do NETFILE with a free service like simpletax.ca?

2. Or must she do a paper return also via a site like simpletax and then print it off and mail it in? If so what will make her able to create a CRA My Account and NETFILE the following year, is it that once the CRA assesses the paper return they then enable CRA My Account functionality?
Click to expand...
Believe first year must be paper. You can still use a simple tax software.
 
M

MidoRafa

Star Member
Jul 5, 2012
199
40
lchazl said:
Wife got PR recently, doesn't need to file taxes for 2019 as wasn't here then but first time will be for 2020 tax year.

Questions:

1. When filing in early 2021, can she firstly open a CRA My account with her SIN and/or her bank account, and then do NETFILE with a free service like simpletax.ca?

2. Or must she do a paper return also via a site like simpletax and then print it off and mail it in? If so what will make her able to create a CRA My Account and NETFILE the following year, is it that once the CRA assesses the paper return they then enable CRA My Account functionality?
Click to expand...
She actually can use Netfile (e.g, through Simpletax) to file the first tax return as a resident electronically. [Check the faq on simpletax's website, as well as CRA's "eligibility" section: no exclusions for first-time filers].
Creating a CRA My Account can only happen after submitting that first return (by a week or two), since they use information from the return for identity verification (e.g., what's the amount you wrote on line XX?).
Quebec requires paper returns from first-time filers.
 
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