Tax information for northern residents

If you live or own a business in the north, you may be able to receive benefits and credits by doing your taxes. Here's what you need to know:

Free tax help for individuals

If you have a modest income and a simple tax situation, volunteers may be able to do your taxes for you for free! These volunteer clinics are usually open from February to the end of April. Some are open year‑round.

Employees working out of the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Northern Service Centres in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit can answer your questions about benefits and credits, help you respond to letters from the CRA, and assist you in completing your taxes.

If you have tax questions related to living in the north and a telephone number with an 867 area code, you can call 1-866-426-1527 to talk to a CRA employee who understands northern tax issues.

Northern residents deductions

You may qualify for the northern residents deductions if you live in a prescribed zone. If you are eligible, you can lower the amount of taxes you might owe. To qualify, you must have lived in the prescribed zones permanently for at least six months in a row beginning or ending in the tax year.

Help for you and your family

Several benefits and credits are available to help you and your family. These include the Canada child benefit, the GST/HST credit, and the Canada workers benefit.

Because the CRA uses the information from your tax return to determine your eligibility for benefits and credits, and any related provincial and territorial payments, it is important that you complete your taxes on time every year, even if you do not owe any taxes or had no income at all.

Free tax help for small businesses

If you operate a small business in the north, you can request free in-person tax help through our Liaison Officer service in the Northern Service Centres.

If you have tax questions about operating a business in the north and a telephone number with an 867 area code, call 1-866-841-1876 to talk to a CRA employee who understands northern business tax issues.

Many ways to pay your taxes

You can pay the CRA:

• using your financial institution's banking service.
• using the pre-authorized debit service in My Account or MyCRA, which lets you:
  • set up a payment from your Canadian bank account to the CRA on pre-set dates.
  • pay an overdue amount or make instalment payments.
• using the CRA's My Payment service, which lets you make payments online. You can use a Visa® Debit, a Debit MasterCard®, or an Interac® Online debit card from a participating financial institution. You can access the My Payment service from My Account or MyCRA.
• in person at any Canada Post outlet using cash, or your debit card with a QR code you can create using My Account or MyCRA.
• in person at a Canadian financial institution with a remittance voucher.

For more information on how to pay the CRA, visit canada.ca/payments.

Contacts

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca