Cancel or waive penalties and interest

Processing Delays

Under normal circumstances, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) aims to issue a taxpayer relief decision within 180 calendar days of receiving the request. However, we are receiving a higher than normal number of requests. We are processing requests within eight months for most cases, but it could take longer for more complex cases.

The Minister may grant relief from penalty or interest when the following types of situations prevent a taxpayer from meeting their tax obligations:

The topics below provide more information in respect of the Minister's discretion to provide relief from penalty or interest amounts.

Topics

Note: When an extraordinary event (e.g., natural disaster) has prevented a large number of taxpayers from meeting their tax obligations, the Minister may issue a news release to announce that special consideration will be given to providing relief, such as a waiver or cancellation of penalty and interest charges on late tax remittances or late filing of a return. In such cases, taxpayers need to make a request to get relief. CRA news releases on extraordinary events that qualify for relief can be found at News releases.

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Forms and publications

Multimedia

Video: Taxpayer Relief

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