The T1 General Income Tax and Benefit Return is the primary personal income tax form used by Canadian resident individuals to report their worldwide income, claim deductions and credits, and calculate their federal and provincial tax liability for a given taxation year. It is the Canadian equivalent of the United States IRS Form 1040 and is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) under the authority of the Income Tax Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. 1 (5th Supp.)).

Every Canadian resident who earns income, disposes of capital property, or wishes to claim government benefits must file a T1 General return. The return captures income from all sources including employment (reported on T4 slips), pensions and retirement income (T4A slips), Employment Insurance benefits (T4E slips), investment income such as interest, dividends, and capital gains (T5 slips and Schedule 3), rental income (Form T776), and self-employment income from business, professional, commission, farming, or fishing activities (Forms T2125, T2042, T2121).

The T1 General uses a self-assessment system — taxpayers are responsible for calculating their own tax liability, reporting all income, and paying any balance owing by the filing deadline. The CRA processes approximately 30 million T1 returns annually and uses matching programs to compare reported income against information slips filed by employers, financial institutions, and other payers. Discrepancies may trigger a reassessment or audit under sections 152 and 231 of the Income Tax Act.

A T1 General return must be filed by April 30 of the year following the taxation year for most individuals. Self-employed individuals and their spouses or common-law partners have an extended filing deadline of June 15, but any balance owing is still due by April 30 to avoid interest charges under section 161(1) of the Income Tax Act. A deceased person's legal representative must file a final T1 return by the later of six months after death or the normal filing deadline.

You must file a T1 return if you owe tax for the year, if you want to claim a refund of tax withheld at source, if you disposed of capital property (even if you had a loss), if you received a demand to file from the CRA under section 150(2), or if you want to receive or continue receiving income-tested benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), the GST/HST credit, the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB), or the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Filing is also required if you need to repay Old Age Security benefits under the OAS clawback provisions or Employment Insurance benefits under the EI clawback.

Even if your income is below the basic personal amount and you owe no tax, filing a return is highly recommended to establish RRSP contribution room, maintain eligibility for provincial benefit programs, and create a record of pensionable earnings under the Canada Pension Plan. Non-residents who earned Canadian-source employment income, business income, or disposed of taxable Canadian property must file a T1 return to report that income and pay any applicable non-resident withholding tax under Part XIII of the Income Tax Act.

The T1 General return consists of several key sections that must be completed accurately. The identification section requires the taxpayer's full legal name, Social Insurance Number (SIN), date of birth, marital status as of December 31, and current mailing address. The SIN is the primary identifier used by the CRA and must match CRA records exactly — errors can cause processing delays or rejected electronic filings.

The total income section (Lines 10100 through 14700) captures all sources of income including employment income, pension income, EI benefits, taxable dividends (both eligible and other-than-eligible), interest income, rental income, taxable capital gains (50% of the net capital gain amount), self-employment income, and other income. All amounts must be reported in Canadian dollars.

The deductions section (Lines 20700 through 23200) includes RRSP deductions (limited to your deduction room as calculated by the CRA), union and professional dues, child care expenses (claimed by the lower-income spouse under section 63), moving expenses (if you moved at least 40 km closer to a new workplace or school), support payments made under a court order or written agreement, and employment expenses supported by a signed Form T2200 from your employer.

Net income (Line 23600) is total income minus deductions and determines eligibility for income-tested benefits. Taxable income (Line 26000) is net income minus additional deductions such as the capital gains deduction for qualified small business corporation shares, employee stock option deductions, and net capital loss carry-forwards. Federal tax is calculated using graduated brackets applied to taxable income, reduced by non-refundable tax credits (basic personal amount, CPP/QPP contributions, EI premiums, Canada employment amount, tuition amounts, medical expenses, charitable donations, and disability amounts). The final section determines whether the taxpayer receives a refund or owes a balance by comparing total tax payable against total credits including tax withheld at source and instalment payments.