Free tax software in Canada: every way to file your T1 for $0

What free tax software is available in Canada?

Three certified programs are free for every filer: Better Tax, GenuTax Standard and Wealthsimple Tax. On its list of software certified for 2025 returns, the CRA marks Better Tax and GenuTax Standard as free and Wealthsimple Tax and CloudTax as free with optional paid services (CRA certified software).

Free NETFILE certified tax software means a product the CRA has certified to transmit returns through NETFILE that charges you nothing to file. Most of the other 17 certified products carry a free offering that depends on your tax situation, so the same program can be free for a student and paid for a landlord.

Free and pay-what-you-want tax software compared

The catch with most free tiers is a condition you only meet if your return is small. Read the condition before you start, because switching programs halfway means typing everything again.

How TurboTax Free defines a simple return

Intuit's Canadian pricing page lists employment and pension income, tips, RRSP contributions, child care expenses, tuition, disability and caregiver amounts as covered. It excludes employment expenses, donations, medical expenses, investment income, rental property and self-employment, and any of those moves you to a paid tier.

What are the limits of free tax software in Canada?

Free tiers are limited by return count, platform and past years, not by accuracy. Every certified product applies the same federal and provincial rules, so a $0 return is not a lesser return.

• Return count: Wealthsimple Tax Basic covers up to 2 returns per account, so a family of three pays for Plus or splits returns across accounts.
• Platform: GenuTax runs on Windows only; StudioTax for Mac cannot prepare the Quebec TP-1.
• Past years: Wealthsimple Tax files only 2023 and later, while NETFILE accepts returns back to 2018 in the 2026 season. GenuTax can NETFILE 2018 to 2025.
• Special returns: StudioTax is not certified for non-resident returns or returns needing Form T2203 or Form T1273.
• Imports: Wealthsimple Tax does not import another program's file, so carry-forward amounts must be entered by hand.

If a free product stops working partway through, the Canadian tax software problems hub sorts faults by product.

Can I file my taxes for free with the CRA directly?

Yes, if you qualify for SimpleFile. SimpleFile is a free CRA service for people with lower income and a simple tax situation, and it comes in three forms: SimpleFile Digital, SimpleFile by Phone and SimpleFile by Paper (CRA SimpleFile).

SimpleFile by Phone and by Paper need a CRA invitation; SimpleFile Digital can be used with or without one if you are eligible. You must be a Canadian tax resident, at least 15, with income only from sources such as employment, pensions, benefits and interest, below a threshold that varies by province, age and disability tax credit status. For example, the CRA lists a $16,129 limit for Alberta residents aged 15 to 64 without the disability tax credit.

Free tax software for seniors, students and newcomers

Seniors

Seniors with pension, Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan income often qualify for a free tax clinic under the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP), where a volunteer prepares the return. The CRA's guideline is total family income under $40,000 for one person and $55,000 for two, though local organizations can adjust it (CRA free tax clinics).

Worked example: a retired couple has $31,000 and $21,000 of pension and benefit income, $52,000 in total. That is under the $55,000 clinic guideline for two people, so a CVITP clinic can file both returns free. Neither spouse is at $20,000 or less, so UFile ONLINE would charge them, while Wealthsimple Tax Basic covers both returns at $0.

Students

Students with a T4 and a T2202 tuition slip fit TurboTax Free, Wealthsimple Tax Basic or, below $20,000 of income, UFile ONLINE and StudioTax. Filing even with low income matters, because unused tuition amounts carry forward on the CRA's records.

Newcomers

In their first year, newcomers may find Auto-fill my return nearly empty, because the CRA only holds slips it has received. Enter slips by hand from the paper copies. Clinics do not prepare returns with foreign income, apart from US Social Security, or foreign property reported on Form T1135.

Is free Canadian tax software safe?

Free certified software is as safe to file with as paid software, because certification is the same test for every product. The CRA does not certify how a company handles your data: it says it does not review developers' privacy policies and that using the software is the responsibility of the user and the developer.

1. Confirm the product and tax year on the CRA's certified software page before you enter anything.
2. Download installers only from the developer's own site, reached through the CRA's product listing.
3. Read the privacy policy, especially on free products that sell other financial services.
4. Keep a PDF of the finished return and your NETFILE confirmation number.

Free tax software for 2026 returns: what is known

The CRA has not published its certified list for 2026 returns, and no vendor has announced 2026 prices or free-tier rules as of September 2026. Current NETFILE service for 2025 returns runs until January 29, 2027; the 2027 opening date is not yet announced and usually comes in January or February.

If you are choosing between paid products, see Wealthsimple Tax vs TurboTax and the full best tax software in Canada comparison. US filers should start with best tax software or TurboTax vs H&R Block.