Free Tax Software in Canada: What's Really Free and How to File Online

Free tax software in Canada is easy to find, but “free” means three different things: free for every form, free only for a simple T4 return, or free only if your income is low. YieldMaple checked the CRA’s certified-software list and each provider’s pricing page on September 23, 2026: of the 17 programs certified for 2025 returns, 7 carry a “Free” label, and only GenuTax and Better Tax are listed as free with no paid option at all. This guide shows what each free option actually covers, how to file taxes online in Canada without paying, and which one fits your return before the 2027 filing season.

Free tax software in Canada at a glance

Free tax software in Canada, 2025 returns (checked September 23, 2026)

	Wealthsimple Tax	GenuTax	H&R Block	StudioTax
Price for a typical return	Pay what you want on Basic, even nothing	Free (donations optional)	Free for simple T4 returns; $29.99 once you claim donations or medical expenses	$17.50 desktop licence; free phone app, or free if income is under $20,000
Donations and medical expenses	Included	Included	Deluxe, $29.99	Included
Capital gains and investment income	Included	Included	Premier, $49.99	Included
Self-employment and rental income	Included	Included	Self Employed, $69.99	Included
Returns included	2 on Basic (8 on Plus)	Up to 20	Priced per return	10 per desktop licence
Where it runs	Web browser	Windows download	Web browser	Windows, Mac, iPhone/iPad, Android
Quebec provincial return	Yes (Basic and Plus)	No	Yes	Yes, except the Mac version
E-files Form T1135 (foreign property)	Yes	No, print and mail it	Yes	Yes (Windows and Mac)
Auto-fill My Return	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

What is the best free tax software in Canada?

Wealthsimple Tax is the best free choice for most people, GenuTax is the best fully free desktop program, and H&R Block’s free tier suits simple T4-only returns. All four programs in the table support the CRA’s Auto-fill My Return, per the CRA’s software details pages, so the right pick depends on the most complicated thing on your return. Here is what each one really includes.

Wealthsimple Tax: the best free option for most people

Wealthsimple Tax pricing for 2025 returns is Basic: pay what you want; Plus: $40 + tax (free for Premium); Pro: $80 + tax (free for Generation), per Wealthsimple’s tax page (September 2026). Basic really can cost nothing, and Wealthsimple says Basic has no restrictions on what you can file: employment, investment, self-employment and rental income, medical expenses, donations and childcare expenses are all included. That is the key difference from H&R Block, whose free tier stops at simple T4 returns.

Basic covers up to two returns per Wealthsimple account, so a couple can file both returns on it. It runs in a web browser, imports slips from the CRA or Revenu Québec, and handles Quebec returns on Basic and Plus (the Pro plan isn’t offered in Quebec or in French). The CRA’s software details list it as free with optional paid services and able to send Form T1135 electronically. Wealthsimple Tax is CRA and Revenu Québec NETFILE-certified (tax years 2023–2025).

You would pay for Plus to get audit protection, priority email support and up to eight returns. Wealthsimple makes Plus free for Premium clients ($100,000 or more in assets), and Pro, which adds a one-on-one session with a tax expert, free for Generation clients ($500,000 or more). The weak spots: Basic comes with standard email support (a three-day target), there is no desktop version, and a third return means upgrading. The full Wealthsimple Tax review goes through each plan.

GenuTax: the best fully free program for Windows

GenuTax Standard is free for everyone (donations are optional), including future annual updates, per GenuTax’s site, and it prepares up to 20 returns per tax year, with no income limit, which is the most the CRA lets you NETFILE from one computer. GenuTax says it handles most tax situations, including capital gains, rental properties and small business; its supported-forms list for 2025 includes Schedule 3 (capital gains), Schedule 9 (donations), T776 (rental income) and T2125 (business income). It supports Auto-fill My Return and ReFILE, and it can prepare returns for 2003 through 2025 (NETFILE for 2018 to 2025; older years are printed and mailed), which makes it the natural pick for catching up on unfiled years.

The limits are real, though. GenuTax is a Windows download (Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11) — no Mac, web or phone version. If you live in Quebec, it can prepare the federal return only — it doesn't prepare the Quebec provincial return (TP-1). And it doesn't complete or e-file Form T1135, which you need if your foreign property cost more than $100,000 — you'd print and mail it separately.

H&R Block Free: fine for a simple T4 return

H&R Block’s online Free package is $0 for straightforward returns with T4 income and standard deductions, per H&R Block’s pricing page (September 2026). It covers employment income on T slips and RL slips, tuition and other student credits, and RRSP contributions. The moment your return needs more, the price changes: claiming donations, medical or employment expenses requires Deluxe at $29.99 per return, capital gains and foreign income require Premier at $49.99, and self-employment or rental income requires Self Employed at $69.99 per return.

Where H&R Block earns its place: it handles Quebec returns and RL slips, the CRA lists it as able to e-file Form T1135 and emigrant returns (2024 and 2025 tax years), which Wealthsimple Tax, GenuTax and StudioTax can’t send electronically, and if you get stuck you can pay for expert help or visit one of its offices. The CRA’s 2025 list describes it as having free and paid versions, with free offerings based on your tax situation (online).

StudioTax: free on your phone, paid on your computer

StudioTax is no longer free on a computer for most people. Its 2025 desktop software costs $17.50 per licence, which covers up to 10 returns for one tax year, per StudioTax’s payment page, which says rising maintenance costs mean it can no longer offer the software free. The desktop version stays free if your total income (line 15000) is below $20,000, or $40,000 combined for linked couple returns, and it is free for residents of the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

The mobile app is free on iPhone/iPad and Android, and the CRA’s 2025 list shows StudioTax as a free mobile app and a paid computer download (with free offerings based on your tax situation). The desktop program installs on your Windows or Mac computer and saves returns on your hard drive (not an online service), which appeals if you’d rather not keep a return online. StudioTax says it covers self-employed and rental returns, and its Windows and Mac versions e-file Form T1135. Revenu Québec has certified the Windows, iPhone/iPad and Android versions (not the Mac version). If a list you’re reading still calls StudioTax free for everyone, it’s out of date for 2025 returns.

Other programs the CRA marks as free

Three smaller programs also carry a free label on the CRA’s 2025 list. Better Tax is listed as Free (online) and doesn’t prepare the Quebec provincial return. CloudTax is listed as free (CloudTax Free), with optional paid services (online and mobile app), but it doesn't prepare Quebec residents' federal or provincial returns. EachTax is listed with both free and paid versions, with free offerings based on tax situation. YieldMaple hasn’t compared these three in depth, so check each one’s site for what its free version includes before you start entering slips.

What about TurboTax and UFile?

The CRA lists both TurboTax and UFile as paid software with free offerings based on your tax situation. The CRA explains that free options like these usually depend on a modest income, a simple return, the province or territory you live in, or other criteria the provider sets.

In practice, TurboTax Free is $0 for a simple return only, per TurboTax’s free-filing page, and it doesn’t cover donations, medical expenses, employment expenses, investment income, rental income and self-employment income. One donation receipt moves you to Do It Yourself Deluxe at $30 per return. UFile’s help page says students, first-time filers and people with a simple return may qualify for a free return, and there is no charge for individuals or families with total income (line 15000) of $20,000 or less. UFile defines a free simple return as only employment income from a single T4 (or a government OAS or CPP/QPP pension), standard credits only, and no RRSP, donation or medical expense claims. The Wealthsimple Tax vs TurboTax comparison walks through what TurboTax’s paid tiers add.

Is free tax software as good as paid software?

For most returns, yes: free and paid programs on the CRA’s list are all certified for NETFILE, and the paid tiers covered here mainly sell help, audit support, extra returns or extra forms. Free software comes in two models, and knowing which one you’re using is what saves money:

• Free forms, paid help. Wealthsimple Tax Basic, GenuTax and the StudioTax app let you complete the forms they support without paying. You pay, if at all, for support, audit protection or more returns.
• Free for simple returns only. H&R Block’s free tier, and the programs the CRA marks as paid with free offerings based on tax situation, usually charge once your return goes beyond the basics or your income passes the provider’s limit. The CRA’s own summary: most certified software prepares a basic return for free if you have a modest income; otherwise there is usually a service fee.

Two cautions apply to every program. The CRA says it doesn’t look at software developers’ privacy policies and can’t be held responsible if programming errors affect the amounts calculated, so read the privacy policy and review the return before you send it. Wealthsimple says it never sells client data, and StudioTax’s desktop version keeps returns on your own computer.

Which free tax software fits your situation?

Match the software to the most complicated item on your return: that single slip or receipt decides whether a free tier stays free.

Free options by tax situation (2025 returns)

	Free options that cover it	Watch out for
T4 job income and RRSP contributions only	Any of them: H&R Block Free, Wealthsimple Tax, GenuTax, the StudioTax app	Nothing; this is the easy case
Donations or medical expenses	Wealthsimple Tax, GenuTax, the StudioTax app	H&R Block moves you to Deluxe ($29.99); StudioTax desktop needs a licence above $20,000 income
Sold stocks, ETFs or crypto (capital gains)	Wealthsimple Tax, GenuTax, the StudioTax app	H&R Block needs Premier ($49.99)
Self-employed, gig or rental income	Wealthsimple Tax, GenuTax, the StudioTax app	H&R Block Self Employed is $69.99 a return; free tax clinics won't prepare these returns
Foreign property costing more than $100,000 (Form T1135)	Wealthsimple Tax; H&R Block and StudioTax desktop also e-file it, but may not be free for you	GenuTax can't complete it; you'd print and mail the form
You live in Quebec	Wealthsimple Tax (Basic or Plus), H&R Block, the StudioTax app	GenuTax, Better Tax, CloudTax and StudioTax for Mac don't prepare the Quebec return
You only have a Mac or a phone	On a Mac: Wealthsimple Tax or H&R Block in a browser, or StudioTax desktop. On a phone: the StudioTax app	GenuTax runs only on Windows; StudioTax on a Mac needs a licence unless your income is low
Three or more returns for your family	GenuTax (up to 20 returns, free)	Wealthsimple Basic stops at 2; a StudioTax licence covers 10
Low income and a simple return	CRA SimpleFile or a free tax clinic	Income limits and allowed income types apply

What the paywalls cost over five tax seasons

Take a single filer with a T4, a few donation receipts and an ETF sale each year. At H&R Block that return needs Premier at $49.99, or $249.95 over five tax seasons at current pricing. The same return costs $87.50 over five seasons on StudioTax’s desktop licence if the filer’s income is above $20,000, nothing on the StudioTax app or GenuTax, and whatever the filer chooses to pay on Wealthsimple Tax Basic. Prices can change each January, so treat these as today’s numbers, not a forecast.

Filing for a family changes the math again. Wealthsimple Tax Basic stops at two returns; Plus covers eight for $5 a return before tax if you use all eight. A StudioTax licence covers 10 returns, or $1.75 a return, and GenuTax covers up to 20 at no cost. If you file for a parent or adult child, the CRA requires you to be set up as their authorized representative before you can see their online tax information.

Wealthsimple Tax vs GenuTax: which free option is better?

Wealthsimple Tax suits browser filers, Quebec residents and anyone with foreign property; GenuTax suits Windows users filing three or more returns or catching up on old years. Both are free for a typical return and both use Auto-fill My Return. The differences that matter:

• Devices: Wealthsimple Tax runs in a web browser; GenuTax is a Windows program only.
• Number of returns: Wealthsimple Tax Basic covers two; GenuTax covers up to 20.
• Quebec: Wealthsimple Tax prepares the Quebec return on Basic and Plus; GenuTax does the federal return only.
• Foreign property: Wealthsimple Tax e-files Form T1135; GenuTax doesn’t complete it.
• Older years: Wealthsimple Tax is certified for 2023 to 2025; GenuTax prepares returns back to 2003 and can NETFILE back to 2018.
• Help: Wealthsimple Tax offers email support, with audit protection on Plus; GenuTax offers help pages and email support.

Pick Wealthsimple Tax if you file one or two returns from any computer, live in Quebec, or own foreign property that needs Form T1135. Pick GenuTax if you use Windows and want to file for a whole household, or several past years, without paying anything.

How do you file taxes online in Canada for free?

Pick CRA-certified software whose free version covers your slips, import them with Auto-fill My Return, claim your deductions, and send the return through NETFILE. NETFILE is the CRA’s electronic filing service, and it’s built into every certified program, so you don’t file “on NETFILE” separately. Step by step:

1. Check whether you can skip software entirely. If your income is low and your return is simple, SimpleFile or a free tax clinic may do it for you (details below).
2. Pick a certified program whose free version covers your hardest item. Use the situation table above, and make sure the program is certified for the tax year you’re filing; the CRA requires that.
3. Sign in to your CRA account and use Auto-fill My Return. It imports the slips the CRA has on file. The CRA says it should receive most slips from third parties such as employers and banks by mid-March, so filing in early March can mean missing slips. Update your direct deposit details and address in your CRA account first, because those changes can’t be made inside tax software.
4. Add what Auto-fill can’t see. That means donation, medical and childcare receipts, plus RRSP and FHSA contributions. For the deduction side, see how the RRSP deadline and deduction work and how FHSA contributions reduce your tax.
5. Review, then send with NETFILE. The software shows a confirmation code once the CRA has received your return; keep it.
6. Watch for your notice of assessment. The CRA’s timing is usually within 2 weeks for returns filed online, compared with usually within 12 weeks for paper returns.

When can you file taxes online in Canada, and when is the deadline?

For 2025 returns, NETFILE runs February 23, 2026 to January 29, 2027; 2026 returns are due April 30, 2027, and the CRA hasn’t announced when NETFILE opens for them yet.

The deadline rule is April 30 for most people; June 15 if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed. Any balance owing is due April 30, even if your filing deadline is June 15. When a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, it moves to the next business day. For 2026 returns that means Friday, April 30, 2027, or Tuesday, June 15, 2027 for self-employed filers.

Late filing is where the real cost is. If you owe tax and file late, the CRA charges 5% of your balance owing plus 1% for each full month late, up to 12 months, plus compound daily interest on the unpaid balance. That works out to an $80 penalty on a $1,000 balance filed three full months late, before interest. The CRA’s advice is to file on time even if you can’t pay. If you’re owed a refund, there’s no balance for the penalty to apply to, but filing late can still hold up benefit and credit payments such as the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST credit), the Canada child benefit and Old Age Security.

Still haven’t filed your 2025 return? File it by October 31, 2026 if you want a chance at a CRA pre-filled return invitation in 2027 (covered below).

Can you file taxes online for the first time?

Yes: first-time filers can NETFILE with any certified program, and the missing access code doesn’t stop the return from going through.

NETFILE is open to anyone with a SIN starting with 1 to 9, newcomers whose SIN starts with 0, or a temporary tax number starting with 01 or 03. If it’s your first return, you won't have an access code — the code is optional, and the software can still send the return. Without a CRA account you’ll type your slips in by hand rather than use Auto-fill My Return, which is slower but works the same way. NETFILE can’t be used for some returns, including a deceased person’s return and a bankruptcy return, and it accepts tax years 2018 to 2025 (amendments through ReFILE for 2022 to 2025).

For a simple first return, such as a student with a T4 and a tuition slip, H&R Block’s free tier includes tuition and student credits, and Wealthsimple Tax Basic covers the same at pay-what-you-want pricing. UFile also lists students and first-time filers among the people who may qualify for a free return.

Can the CRA do your taxes for free?

Yes, if you qualify: SimpleFile and free tax clinics cost nothing, and starting in March 2027 the CRA will invite eligible people to file pre-filled returns.

SimpleFile

SimpleFile is a free CRA filing service for eligible people with a lower income and a simple tax situation — online (SimpleFile Digital), or by phone or paper with an invitation. It accepts only certain income sources, such as employment on a T4, Old Age Security, CPP or QPP benefits, EI, Canadian interest on a T5, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, social assistance and workers’ compensation, and the income limit depends on your province, your age and whether you get the disability tax credit. In Ontario, the limit for 2025 returns is $12,747 if you're 15 to 64, or $18,970 if you're 65 or older (higher if you receive the disability tax credit). You also need to have been a resident of Canada for the whole year and be at least 15. The CRA says it sends invitations for 2025 returns in September 2026; if you don’t get one, you may still be able to use SimpleFile Digital.

Pre-filled returns from March 2027

The CRA says that starting March 2027, 1 million eligible people will be invited to file a free pre-filled 2026 return in their CRA account. You can check and update the pre-filled information and add anything missing before you submit. Invitations may go to people who filed a 2025 return by October 31, 2026, have a lower income and a simple, non-taxable situation, have a CRA account, and set their correspondence preference to electronic mail. If that might be you, the step to take now is to file any outstanding 2025 return and switch your CRA account to electronic mail by October 31, 2026.

Free tax clinics

Community organizations run free tax clinics through the CRA’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program for people with a modest income and a simple tax situation. The CRA’s suggested total family income limits are $40,000 for one person, $55,000 for two, $60,000 for three, $65,000 for four and $70,000 for five (plus $5,000 for each additional person), though clinics can adjust them. A simple situation means income from employment, pension, benefits such as CPP, OAS and EI, RRSP income, scholarships, and interest under $1,200. Volunteers won’t prepare returns involving self-employment, business or rental income, capital gains or losses, interest over $1,200, foreign property or foreign income, bankruptcy, and a deceased person's return. Clinics run as walk-in, drop-off or by appointment, including by phone or video; in Quebec, the equivalent is the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program, where clinics may charge a minimal fee for the Quebec provincial return.

What is the best free tax software for seniors in Canada?

Many seniors don’t need software: free tax clinics handle simple pension, CPP and OAS returns, and Wealthsimple Tax Basic files a couple’s two returns at pay-what-you-want pricing.

A senior living alone with total family income up to $40,000, or a couple up to $55,000, fits the CRA’s suggested free-clinic guideline, as long as the income comes from pensions, government benefits, RRSPs or modest interest. SimpleFile’s income limit is higher at 65 and older (in Ontario, $12,747 if you're 15 to 64, or $18,970 if you're 65 or older (higher if you receive the disability tax credit)), and it covers OAS, CPP and GIS income, but private pension income isn’t on its list of allowed income sources.

If you’d rather file yourself, Wealthsimple Tax Basic’s two-return allowance fits a couple, and GenuTax is free on a Windows PC. Two things to know if you’ve always filed on paper: starting with 2025 returns, the CRA no longer automatically mails the income tax package to certain individuals (you can request one), and a paper return is processed usually within 12 weeks, against usually within 2 weeks online.

Who should (and shouldn’t) use Wealthsimple Tax?

Wealthsimple Tax fits most people filing one or two returns, especially with investments, self-employment or a Quebec return; GenuTax, StudioTax or a free clinic suit a few specific cases better.

Use Wealthsimple Tax if:

• You file one or two returns and want every supported form without a paywall.
• You have investment, self-employment or rental income that would push you into a paid tier elsewhere.
• You live in Quebec, or own foreign property that needs Form T1135.
• You want to file from any computer with a web browser, including a Mac.
• You’re a Wealthsimple Premium or Generation client, since the Plus or Pro tax plan is free for you.

You don’t have to be a Wealthsimple investing or banking client to use it; if you are, Wealthsimple fills in some personal details, such as your name and address, automatically. For everything else Wealthsimple offers, see our complete Wealthsimple guide.

Choose something else if:

• You file three or more returns and want to pay nothing: GenuTax on Windows.
• You need a return for a year before 2023: GenuTax.
• You’d rather use a program installed on your own computer than a website: GenuTax, or StudioTax desktop, which saves returns on your hard drive.
• Your income is low and simple: SimpleFile or a free tax clinic, where someone else does the work.
• You emigrated from Canada: the CRA lists H&R Block’s software as able to e-file emigrant returns for 2024 and 2025, and Wealthsimple Tax can’t send them electronically.
• You’re filing a deceased person’s return or a bankruptcy return: NETFILE can’t accept these, so you’d mail a paper return or use a tax professional.

The verdict

• Most people: Wealthsimple Tax Basic. You pay what you want, no forms are paywalled, and it covers two returns.
• Windows users filing for a household or catching up on old years: GenuTax, free for up to 20 returns.
• A simple T4-and-RRSP return: H&R Block Free works, but expect the Deluxe price the moment you add a donation receipt.
• Phone-only filers: the StudioTax app is free.
• Low income or a simple benefits-only return: SimpleFile or a free tax clinic, and watch for a CRA pre-filled return invitation from March 2027.

This guide is general education, not tax or financial advice. If your return is complicated, a qualified tax professional can look at your full situation. For ways to lower the bill itself, see the Canadian tax optimization guide.

Read next

• Wealthsimple Tax review: plans, limits and who it suits
• Wealthsimple Tax vs TurboTax: which costs less for your return
• RRSP deadline: dates and how the deduction works
• Canadian tax optimization guide for 2026
• Wealthsimple Canada: complete independent guide