Annual Return vs. Corporate Tax Return: Two Different Filings

Registry deadline coming up? File your annual return now — $159 + tax, filed in 1 business day →

No — your corporation's annual return is not its tax return, and filing one does nothing to satisfy the other. The annual return is a short corporate-registry filing that confirms your corporation's basic information and keeps it legally active; the corporate tax return (the T2) is what you file with the Canada Revenue Agency to report income and calculate tax. Two filings, two government offices, two deadlines — and missing either one has consequences, just very different ones.

This mix-up is one of the most common reasons Canadian corporations get struck from the registry: the owner assumes "my accountant does my taxes, so my filings are done." Here's exactly how the two filings differ, when each is due, and who is responsible for what.

Is the annual return the same as the corporate tax return?

No. They share the word "return," and that's about all they share:

The confusion is understandable — in Ontario, the annual return was literally filed inside the T2 for years. More on that below.

What is a corporate annual return?

The annual return is a declaration to your corporate registry that your corporation still exists and that its records — directors, registered office address, and in some provinces shareholder information — are current. It has nothing to do with income or tax. Even a corporation that earned nothing files one.

Deadlines and fees are set by each jurisdiction, and the windows are tighter than most owners expect:

• Alberta — due within 1 month of your incorporation anniversary, filed through an authorized registry agent (government fee about $53 plus the agent's service charge). Alberta's is the shortest window in Canada.
• Federal (CBCA) — due within 60 days of your anniversary date, $12 filed online with Corporations Canada.
• British Columbia — the Annual Report is due within 2 months of your anniversary, $43.39.
• Ontario — due within 6 months of your corporation's fiscal year-end, no government fee, filed in the Ontario Business Registry.
• Other provinces each have their own rules — Saskatchewan ($60, e-filed), New Brunswick ($60 e-filed, 30 days after anniversary) and Nova Scotia ($118.35 annual renewal for a limited company, due in your anniversary month) among them.

The full province-by-province breakdown is in our annual return filing deadlines guide, with step-by-step articles for Alberta, Ontario, federal corporations and most other provinces.

Notice the Ontario quirk: it's the only major jurisdiction where the annual return deadline follows your tax year-end rather than your incorporation anniversary — six months after year-end, the same day your T2 is due. Same deadline, different filing, different office.

When is the T2 corporate tax return due?

Every Canadian-resident corporation must file a T2 for every tax year — even if it was inactive, earned nothing, and owes nothing. (Registered charities are the main exception; they file their own annual information return instead.) The obligation only ends when the corporation is formally dissolved.

The key CRA dates, per canada.ca:

• Filing deadline: 6 months after the end of the corporation's tax year. A December 31 year-end means the T2 is due June 30.
• Payment deadline: different — and earlier. Any balance of tax is generally due 2 months after year-end. Many Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs) that claim the small business deduction and stayed within the business limit in the prior year get 3 months instead. Don't assume the 3-month date applies just because your corporation is small — the conditions are specific, so confirm with your accountant.
• Late-filing penalty: 5% of the unpaid tax, plus 1% for each complete month late, up to 12 months. Repeat offenders who were already penalized in one of the three prior years and were demanded to file can face 10% plus 2% per month, up to 20 months. If no tax is owing, there's no percentage to apply — but the return is still legally required.

CRS is a corporate registry agent, not a tax preparer — we don't file T2s, and your accountant generally doesn't file registry annual returns. That division of labour is exactly where corporations slip through the cracks.

Why does the CRA come up when you search "annual return"?

History, mostly — and one province in particular.

Until May 15, 2021, Ontario corporations filed their annual return with the CRA, as a schedule attached to the T2 (Schedule 546 for Ontario business corporations). Your accountant filed your taxes, ticked the box, and the annual return rode along. That ended when Ontario launched the Ontario Business Registry: since then, the annual return is a standalone filing made directly in the OBR, and the CRA no longer accepts it.

Thousands of Ontario corporations never got that memo. Their accountants kept filing T2s as always, no one filed the registry return, and the corporations quietly fell out of compliance.

The second source of confusion is simpler: "annual return" sounds like it should mean "the return you file annually" — i.e., taxes. Federally and in every province, it never goes to the CRA. Federal corporations file with Corporations Canada; provincial corporations file with their provincial registry.

What happens if you miss each filing?

Miss the registry annual return, and your corporation stops being in good standing. Keep missing it and the registry can dissolve your corporation — in Alberta, a corporation that misses its returns can be struck and receives an intent-to-dissolve notice first; federally, Corporations Canada can dissolve for non-filing as well. A dissolved corporation can't sign contracts, its bank accounts get frozen, and reviving it costs far more than the missed filings would have. Lenders and purchasers also routinely check good standing before closing a deal.

Miss the T2, and the CRA applies the late-filing penalties and interest described above. The CRA won't dissolve your corporation — but unpaid tax debt compounds, and a corporation can't get a clearance certificate to wind up cleanly until its tax filings are current.

The worst position is the common one: taxes filed faithfully every year, registry returns never filed, and the owner finds out when a bank, buyer or lawyer pulls the corporate record.

Who files what?

A clean split that keeps corporations out of trouble:

• Your accountant files the T2 (and GST/HST returns, payroll remittances, T-slips). Confirm your year-end dates with them.
• CRS or you files the registry annual return. We file in every Canadian jurisdiction for $159 + tax, all-in including the government fee, with no CORES account or registry login required.

One isn't a substitute for the other — put both deadlines in your calendar, or let each professional handle their lane.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the annual return the same as the T2 corporate tax return?

No. The annual return is a corporate-registry filing that confirms your corporation's directors, addresses and status and keeps it legally active. The T2 is the income tax return you file with the CRA. They go to different offices, on different deadlines, and filing one does not satisfy the other.

Do I file my corporation's annual return with the CRA?

No — annual returns go to your corporate registry: Corporations Canada for federal corporations, or your provincial registry (CORES in Alberta, the Ontario Business Registry, BC Registries, and so on). Ontario annual returns were collected by the CRA with the T2 until May 15, 2021, which is why many owners still look for them there, but that ended when the Ontario Business Registry launched.

My accountant filed my T2 — is my annual return taken care of?

Usually not. Most accountants file the T2 and stop there; the registry annual return is a separate corporate filing that many tax preparers don't handle. It's worth asking directly — corporations are routinely struck from the registry while fully up to date with the CRA.

Does a corporation with no income still have to file both?

Yes. Every Canadian-resident corporation must file a T2 for every tax year, even with no activity and no tax owing (registered charities are the main exception). The registry annual return is also required every year the corporation exists, active or not, until it is formally dissolved.

File the half your accountant doesn't

Your accountant has the T2 covered. CRS covers the registry side: we confirm your deadline, prepare the filing, and submit it to the registry in any Canadian jurisdiction — no registry account needed.

Turnaround: 1 business day from order. Price: $159 + tax, all-in — government fee included.

File your annual return → · Not sure of your deadline? Check the deadlines guide or look up your corporation first.