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Tag: CRA late filing penalty

  • Missed the Tax Deadline? Read Our Complete Guide to CRA Penalties and Interest

    The 2018 personal tax filing deadline was April 30, 2018. Seeing as we’re now in August, if you missed it and you owe money, you’ve likely racked up Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) penalties and interest by now.

    Late-Filing Penalties and Interest

    According to the CRA, late-filing penalties and daily compound interest start accumulating on May 1, 2018 for any unpaid amounts owing for 2017. You could be charged:

    • 5%of your 2017 balance owing, plus 1% of your balance owing for each full month your return is late, to a maximum of 12 months.
    • 10% of your 2017 balance owing, plus 2% of your 2017 balance owing for each full month your return is late, up to a maximum of 20 months, if you’ve been charged a late-filing penalty on your return for 2014, 2015, or 2016.

    The above amounts are what you could be charged after filing your tax return late. However, if you decided to not file at all, the consequences could be even worse.

    Failure to Report Income Penalty

    If you fail to report an amount on your return for 2017, and you also failed to report for 2014, 2015, or 2016, you may have to pay a federal and provincial/territorial repeated failure to report income penalty.

    Any amount of income of $500 or more that was not reported is considered a failure to report income.

    These penalties are each equal to the lesser of:

    • 10% of the amount you failed to report on your return for 2017; and
    • 50% of the difference between the understated tax (and/or overstated credits) related to the amount you failed to report and the amount of tax withheld related to the amount you failed to report.

    False Statements, Omissions, and Gross Negligence

    If you make a false statement or omission on your 2017 tax filing, you could be charged an additional penalty:

    • $100; and
    • 50% of the understated tax and/or the overstated credits related to the false statement or omission.

    This penalty can be charged whether you knew about the false statement, or if it is caused by “gross negligence,” for instance if you paid somebody else to file your return for you (like an accountant) and they made an error. Even if you pay somebody else, you are still responsible for the accuracy of your return.

    CRA Collections

    If you fail to pay an amount owing on your tax return, the CRA can begin collection action. This can be financially devastating, and publicly embarrassing. Common collection action includes a wage garnishment, a frozen bank account or putting liens on your assets.

    The CRA can begin collections without warning and without a court order. Once a collection action is in place, it becomes even harder to negotiate with the CRA. If the CRA has started collection action, time is not on your side. The only two things that can force a CRA collection action to stop (besides paying the debt in full) are filing for a consumer proposal or filing for bankruptcy.

    What to Do

    If you’re reading this blog, it’s possible that you’re several months behind on filing your tax return, or you haven’t yet paid back the amount you do owe. If this is the case, you don’t want to delay it any longer — that will just result in even more charges, CRA collections, and potential court action for tax evasion. But you don’t have to go it alone.

    You need an expert that can look at your whole financial picture and put together a plan that will work for you.

    At DebtCare Canada, we can help with your tax debt, whether it’s personal income tax, HST, or payroll. We provide access to one of the only programs that can resolve a CRA back tax problem.

    Contact us today for a free consultation. Call 1-888-890-0888.

  • CRA Penalties, Interest, and More – What to Do if You Will Miss the 2017 Tax Deadline

    The 2017 income tax deadline is nearly a month away. April 30, 2018 is the date you must file by or be subject to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) penalties, interest, and possibly collection action.

    Tax time can be a source of stress — gathering your receipts, filing your return, and worrying about whether you’ll owe can be a hassle that’s tempting to avoid. But like it or not, paying taxes is something that can’t be avoided and if you attempt to do so, the stress and consequences will only be worse.

    Consider this case, reported on the CRA website. On December 4, 2017 a Cobourg, Ontario man was sentenced to a fine of $97,173 after pleading guilty to two counts of tax evasion for failing to report income on his personal tax returns from 2006 to 2007. This court-imposed fine is only one part of what he must pay. He also has to pay the full amount of tax owing (an additional $97,173) PLUS related interest and any penalties assessed by the CRA.

    This is a cautionary tale, but it’s also not uncommon. Between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2017, courts have convicted 408 people for CRA tax evasion. This involved $122 million in federal tax evaded and court sentences totaling approximately $44 million in court fines and 3,103 months in jail.

    If you’re worried you’ll miss the 2017 income tax deadline, here’s what to do instead:

    1. File Before April 30, 2018

    If you’re owed money and you don’t file before the 2017 income tax deadline, you’ll just have to wait longer for your refund — and who wants that? Even if you’ll owe a tax debt, it’s better to file before the deadline to avoid CRA penalties.

    Interest begins accumulating on your tax debt on May 1, 2018 at a daily compounded rate. And on top of the interest, you’ll have to pay the CRA late-filing penalty.

    The CRA late-filing penalty is 5% of your 2017 balance owing, plus 1% of your balance owing for each full month your return is late to a maximum of 12 months. And if you’ve been charged a late-filing penalty in a previous year, you could be charged 10% of your balance owing, plus 2% for each full month your return is late for up to 20 months. That’s a lot of extra money to pay on top of the balance you already owe. It’s in your best interest to file by April 30 and avoid the CRA penalties.

    1. Make a Plan to Pay

    If you can afford it, paying your tax debt in full is the best option for avoiding CRA penalties. Look at your budget and see where you can save to pay the tax debt.

    If you absolutely can’t pay in full with your current income, you may have other options available to you. For example, if you own a home with equity available and have good credit, you could be eligible for a home equity loan, which would allow you to pay off your tax debt and then pay your loan off over a fixed repayment schedule. If you don’t own a home, or don’t have equity available, there could be other lending options that you can access.

    Don’t share your income and expenses with CRA. Get a plan together first.

    1. Seek Professional Help

    If you’re going to miss the 2017 income tax deadline because you can’t pay your tax debt, even with a loan, consult a financial professional. Debt counsellors can help you go over your options, see what options are available to you, and help prevent or stop CRA collection action. Burying your head in the sand isn’t going to change your situation and will actually make it worse. If you’re not sure what to do, a professional debt consultant can help you find the way.

    DebtCare Canada can help you avoid the consequences of CRA penalties.

    Call us for a free consultation at 1-888-890-0888 or visit us online at www.debtcare.ca.

  • The 2017 Income Tax Deadline is Right Around the Corner – Will You Owe?

    The 2017 income tax deadline is looming — April 30, 2018 to be exact. Are you ready?

    There are two scenarios that can happen if you miss the 2017 income tax deadline.

    Scenario #1 —  you are owed money on your return. If you wait to file, this means you’ll have to wait longer to receive your refund — and why would you want to wait to get money back?

    Scenario #2 — You’ll owe a tax debt.

    If you owe a tax debt and miss the 2017 income tax deadline, not only will you still owe, but also that debt will continue to grow bigger the longer you wait. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) late filing penalty means interest builds up at an alarming rate. The CRA can begin charging compound daily interest on May 1 on any unpaid amounts owing for 2017. And then there’s the late-filing penalties.

    The CRA late-filing penalty is 5% of your 2017 balance owing, plus 1% of your balance owing for each full month your return is late to a maximum of 12 months. And if you’ve been charged a late-filing penalty in a previous year, you could be charged 10% of your balance owing, plus 2% for each full month your return is late for up to 20 months. That’s a lot of extra money to pay on top of the balance you already owe.

    So, what can you do instead?

    First, if you’ll owe a tax debt, even if you can’t pay the full balance owing on or before April 30, 2018, file your return on time. As we outlined above, if you miss the 2017 income tax deadline, you’ll only be subject to more fines and penalties, which doesn’t help anyone.

    Second, you’ll have to deal with the tax debt itself. Even when you file on time, you’ll still need to pay the tax debt. If you can pay it off in full when you file, do that. This will solve the problem before it starts and is the ideal scenario.

    If you file, but don’t pay the debt, the CRA will levy collection action against you, which could include a frozen bank account, wage garnishment, and even a lien on your property or other assets. It is in your best interest to pay your tax debt, even if you need to look into financial options to afford it.

    Remember, filing your taxes late and not paying your tax debt are two of the worst things you can do for your financial standing. There are better options available that can help you meet the deadline and make your payments.

    If you’ll owe a tax debt, but can’t afford to pay, DebtCare Canada can help you assess your options. Contact us for a free consultation before the 2017 income tax deadline by calling 1-888-890-0888 or visit us online at www.debtcare.ca.

  • What is the CRA Late Filing Penalty?

    In Canada, if you file your income taxes late you will be subject to a CRA late filing penalty. This CRA late filing penalty can vary depending on how many times you have filed your income taxes late in the past. In addition to a CRA late filing penalty, you will have to pay interest on both the tax debt and the CRA late filing penalty.

    Here is an outline of current CRA late filing penalties:

    1.       The CRA late filing penalty for not filing your income taxes on time in 2012 is 5% of the balance owing. In addition, the CRA will also charge a further late filing penalty of 1% per month that you haven’t filed, up to a maximum of 12 months.

    2.       Now, if you were charged a CRA late filing penalty in 2009, 2010, or 2011 because you filed late on any of those tax years, your CRA late filing penalty for filing late in 2012 may be increased to 10% of the balance owning. You may also be subject to an additional late filing of 2% for each month you haven’t filed, up to a maximum of 12 months.

    3.       The interest that will be added to the tax debt and penalties will compound daily.

    Individuals who find themselves behind filing taxes for many years can wind up in serious financial trouble. Once many years of tax returns are assessed at one time, the tax debt is determined, the penalties are applied and the interest is applied on the sum, your tax debt can grow to a size that can become impossible to pay.

    Once this occurs, the CRA will demand their money. First you will receive a letter, then perhaps a call, and once your cheque hasn’t arrived your file will be turned over to CRA collections and that’s when the real trouble begins.

    The CRA collections department has the authority to do many things in an attempt to force you to pay.

    • They can garnish up to 50% of your wages
    • They can garnish up to 100% of the income of subcontractors and small businesses
    • They can notify your clients of your tax problem
    • They can freeze your bank account
    • They can place a lien on your home, vehicle and business assets (such as equipment)

    A tax problem that spirals out of control can seem impossible to stop. The good news is that there are financial programs designed to deal with tax debt. These financial programs are quite effective in stopping CRA collection action and enabling you to make a monthly payment that you can afford. Some programs even involve reducing your tax debt and freezing the interest.

    The best thing you can do if you are behind filing returns is to file them. For each month that passes, penalties grow, and for each day that passes, interest grows. Get in to see a financial consultant as soon as possible to start coming up with a financial plan to deal with your tax debt so that you can make arrangements and avoid collection action.

    For more information about CRA late filing penalties or if you need help with your tax debt please contact DebtCare Canada at 1-888-890-0888 or visit www.debtcare.ca.