The T2 Corporation Income Tax Return is the annual tax return filed by corporations resident in Canada to report their income, calculate federal and provincial corporate income tax, and determine any balance owing or refund due. It is the Canadian equivalent of the United States IRS Form 1120 and is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) under the authority of Part I of the Income Tax Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. 1 (5th Supp.)). Every corporation that is resident in Canada or that has carried on business in Canada during a fiscal year must file a T2 return, even if it has no tax payable or no active business income.

The T2 return applies to all types of corporations: Canadian-Controlled Private Corporations (CCPCs), other private corporations, public corporations, and non-resident corporations with a permanent establishment in Canada. The classification of the corporation determines the applicable tax rates and available deductions. CCPCs receive the most favorable treatment, including the small business deduction under section 125 of the Income Tax Act, which reduces the federal corporate tax rate from 28% to 9% on the first $500,000 of active business income.

The base federal corporate tax rate is 38% of taxable income. This is reduced by the 10% federal tax abatement for income earned in Canadian provinces (section 124), bringing the effective rate to 28%. Corporations that do not qualify for the small business deduction may claim the general rate reduction of 13% (section 123.4), resulting in an effective federal rate of 15% on general active business income. Investment income earned by CCPCs is subject to an additional refundable tax of 10.67% under Part IV and Part I of the Income Tax Act, creating a total combined federal rate on investment income of approximately 50.67% before the refundable dividend tax on hand (RDTOH) mechanism.

A T2 Corporation Income Tax Return must be filed within six months after the end of each fiscal year under section 150(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act. This filing requirement applies regardless of whether the corporation had any business activity, earned any income, or owes any tax during the fiscal period. A corporation incorporated in Canada that has not been dissolved must file a T2 return for every fiscal year. Failure to file results in late-filing penalties of 5% of unpaid tax plus 1% per month for up to 12 months under section 162(1), and repeated failures can result in penalties of 10% plus 2% per month under section 162(2).

The tax payment deadline is separate from the filing deadline. Most corporations must pay their balance owing within two months after the fiscal year-end. CCPCs that qualify for the small business deduction and whose combined taxable income with associated corporations did not exceed $500,000 in the prior year receive an extended payment deadline of three months after fiscal year-end. Interest on unpaid taxes accrues from the day after the payment deadline at the prescribed rate set quarterly by the CRA under Regulation 4301.

Corporations with annual tax exceeding $3,000 in the current or preceding year must make monthly instalment payments. Instalments are due on the last day of each month during the fiscal year. The CRA provides instalment reminders, but it is the corporation's responsibility to calculate and remit instalments on time. Instalment interest is charged on any shortfall.

Non-resident corporations that carried on business in Canada through a permanent establishment or disposed of taxable Canadian property must also file a T2 return. The definition of permanent establishment under Regulation 400 includes a fixed place of business and may include agents or employees habitually conducting business on behalf of the corporation.

The T2 Corporation Income Tax Return consists of the main return form and numerous supporting schedules. The identification section requires the corporation's legal name as it appears on the articles of incorporation, the 15-character CRA Business Number (BN) with the RC program identifier, the NAICS industry code, the fiscal year start and end dates, the province of the head office, and the corporation type (CCPC, other private, public, or non-resident).

Schedule 1 (Net Income for Income Tax Purposes) reconciles the corporation's accounting net income with its taxable income by adding back non-deductible expenses (such as 50% of meals and entertainment under section 67.1, fines, and penalties) and subtracting items that are deductible for tax but not for accounting purposes. Schedule 8 (Capital Cost Allowance) calculates the CCA on depreciable assets using prescribed rates for each class of property.

The gross income section captures revenue from all business activities, interest and investment income, dividends received from taxable Canadian corporations (which are generally deductible under section 112), capital gains (50% taxable), and any other income. The deductions section includes all ordinary business expenses: cost of goods sold, salaries, professional fees, rent, travel, advertising, insurance, interest charges, repairs, and CCA.

Taxable income (Line 360) is calculated by subtracting from net income the section 112 dividends deduction, non-capital loss carry-forwards (available for 20 years), net capital loss carry-forwards (available indefinitely but limited to taxable capital gains), and charitable donations (limited to 75% of net income). The federal tax calculation applies the 38% base rate, reduced by the 10% provincial abatement, the 13% general rate reduction (or 19% small business deduction for eligible CCPCs), and any applicable investment tax credits. Provincial tax is calculated separately based on the province where the corporation has a permanent establishment. The final section determines the balance owing or refund by comparing total tax payable against instalment payments made during the fiscal year.