The employee guide to Canadian payroll year-end (2025)

Editor's note: This blog post was updated in January 2026 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Canadian Payroll Resources for Employees

Year-end always runs more smoothly when everyone has the right information at their fingertips. That’s why, each year, we pull together the most current and relevant guidance to support you and to give your employees a reliable resource they can use as they prepare for tax season.

In this post, you’ll find shareable tools and explainers designed to help your teams and employees navigate their 2025 income tax filing with confidence, while keeping your payroll processes running seamlessly.

Our goal is to make year-end a little easier for your payroll team and ensure your employees have everything they need, all in one place.

What’s new with your first pay of 2026?

1. CPP/QPP contributions, EI, and QPIP premiums are reset in the New Year.
2. Employees should complete a new TD1 form and submit it to payroll if there are changes to their tax claim amounts or if they want additional taxes deducted from their 2026 pay.
3. Refer to our Payroll Year-End Guide for any Federal or Provincial tax changes you need to know about.
4. Stay up to date with any minimum wage changes for your province.
5. In most jurisdictions, the 2025 tax slip filing due date is February 28, 2026.

Personal income tax deadlines

Filing dates for 2025 taxes

• March 2, 2026: Deadline to contribute to an RRSP, a PRPP, or an SPP
• April 30, 2026: Deadline to file your taxes

Payment due date for 2025 taxes

• April 30, 2026: Deadline to pay your taxes

Federal TD1 Changes for 2026

Provincial TD1 Changes for 2026

Minimum Wage Info

^*Alberta introduced Bill 201 – Employment Standards (Protecting Workers’ Pay) Amendment Act, proposing incremental increases to the province’s minimum wage of $1 per year for three years.

• December 15, 2025: $16.00
• October 1, 2026: $17.00
• October 1, 2027: $18.00

^**The minimum wage in Nova Scotia will increase to $16.75 per hour on April 1, 2026, and $17.00 per hour on October 2, 2026.

^***The minimum wage in Prince Edward Island will increase from $16.50 to $17.00 per hour on April 1, 2026.

Employee communications for Canadian payroll year-end

Now that you’re in full swing of getting those tax slips issued before the end of February, your inbox might be starting to pile up with questions from employees. Questions like, “What does Box 40 mean on my T4?” or “When do I get my T4?” Don’t sweat it. To educate employees on what they can expect regarding payroll year-end, share the tax slip guides and communications templates provided below.

Interactive 2025 tax slip guides for Canadian employees

• T4 Tax Slip Guide
• T4A Tax Slip Guide
• RL-1 Tax Slip Guide

Frequently asked questions from employees for 2025 year-end

Sometimes internal communications get missed. Suppose your employees don’t receive or see your communications regarding 2025 tax slip information or what they can expect from their first pay of 2026. In that case, we’ve put together a comprehensive FAQ of the most common questions employees ask their payroll team.

Employee tax slip FAQ for payroll year-end

1. Why do I have two T4 Slips?

If you have received more than one T4 from us, there are a few possible reasons:

• You worked at different locations and/or different divisions of the company, which required us to produce a T4 for each business number you worked in
• You worked or earned income in different ways, for example, you were on contract for a period of time and then gained full-time employment with us
• You worked for the company in two different provinces during the year

If any of these apply, and you received the two slips together, make sure you include both slips in your tax return.

2. What is box 40 on my T4?

Box 40 includes your taxable allowances and benefits besides your wages or salary. Not everyone will have a Box 40 amount on their T4 slip. However, if you do have an amount for Box 40, that same amount is also included in Box 14 – Total Employment Income. The company pays taxable benefits on your behalf. These may include life insurance, wellness spending accounts, flat-rate car/cell phone allowances, etc.

Taxable benefits are identified as such on your pay statements. When you add up the items identified as taxable benefits on your pay statements, you should arrive at the total in box 40. If your total is not the same as box 40, please contact your payroll team or manager.
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For more information on how taxable benefits and allowances appear on your T4, go to the CRA’s Benefits and Allowances Chart.

3. Why does my income in box 14 on my T4 seem high?

Box 14 is your gross employment income for the calendar year, including taxable benfits (the amounts shown in Box 40). If Box 14 looks higher than your final year-end pay statement, it may be because taxable benefits, retroactive pay, or other adjustments were included in the T4 but not obvious on a single pay stub. If you can’t reconcile the difference, please contact your payroll team.

4. Why does my income in box 14 on my T4 seem low?

If Box 14 looks low, first check whether you received more than one T4. You must add Box 14 amounts from all T4s. Other reasons include pay timing (some pay may be for a different calendar year) or employer reporting choices (some amounts on pay stubs may not be employment income). If totals still don’t match, please contact your payroll team.

For more information on how taxable benefits and allowances appear on your T4, see the Benefits and Allowances Chart.

5. What is the difference between a T4 and a T4A?

The Canada Revenue Agency requires that different tax slips be used to report specific types of income.

• A T4 is a tax slip issued to report employment income, taxable benefits, and retirement allowances.
• A T4A is a tax slip for income, such as pension, lump sum payments, and other income as defined by the CRA.

If you received both a T4 and a T4A for amounts from the same payer, include both slips on your tax return and check the box descriptions for where to report each amount.

6.  How can I get a reprint of my tax slip if I lose it?

You can print copies from the Avanti Self-Service Portal (ASSP) if provided. You may also be able to view slips in CRA My Account after your employer files them with the CRA. If you can’t access them there, request a copy from payroll. If the issuer filed a slip with an incorrect SIN or name, it may not appear in My Account. Please contact your payroll team so they can reissue or correct it.

7.  Do I need to print my online tax slips?

If you are filing your taxes electronically, printing the slip is entirely optional since you aren’t required to mail copies to the CRA or RQ. You always have access to your tax slips through your Avanti Self-Service Portal (ASSP), should you need them now or in the future.

Tip: Keep digital or printed copies of your tax slips. The CRA may request supporting documents up to six years after you file.

8. Will the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) accept a self-printed/online tax slip?

Employers submit official T4, T4A, and NR4 returns to the CRA. In the case of a personal audit, a printout from the employer’s secure portal or from CRA My Account is generally acceptable as your copy and can be used if CRA requests documentation. If you need an “official” replacement (for example, a corrected slip), please ask your payroll team to reissue it.

9. What if there is incorrect information on my T4/T4A?

If your Social Insurance Number (SIN) is incorrect, or you believe the financial information on your tax receipt is incorrect, please contact your payroll team for them to review. If there is an issue, a new tax receipt may need to be issued. If your address is incorrect, simply enter the correct information on your tax return.

10.  How do I arrange to make changes to my tax claim amounts or have additional taxes deducted from my pay in 2026?

You will need to complete new Provincial and Federal TD1s for 2026, indicating the additional amount you’d like deducted. You can access the new TD1s through the CRA website. Once completed, please submit your TD1 forms to your payroll team.

11. Why are over half of my tax slip boxes empty?

Only the tax boxes relevant to you will be completed. However, if you believe there is a box that should have a value in it, please contact your payroll team.

12. Why is my income in box 14 greater than the CPP pensionable and EI insurable earnings?

Box 14 is the sum of all income you received that was subject to income tax. There is no limit on the amount of income subject to tax deductions.

13. Who should I contact if I have a question?

If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact your payroll team. To facilitate a response to your query, please have your T4 and/or T4A as well as your final December 2025 pay stub on hand.

14.  I need help filing my tax return.

The Canada Revenue Agency can help you if you're having a tough time filing your income tax return.

If you are a student, senior, person with a disability, a newcomer to Canada, or a low-income earner with a simple tax-filing situation, contact Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) at 1-800-959-8281 to ask for help. CVITP volunteers work with members of local community organizations who can help you complete and file your return.

Frequently asked questions from employees 2026 first pay period

1. Why is my paycheque less in January than it was in December?

Check your December 2025 pay statement to see if you maxed out on your CPP and EI contributions in 2025. Remember that CPP and EI restart every January.

Additionally, CPP, QPP, EI, and QPIP have increased, which means more will be taken off each paycheque. The new employee annual maximum contributions for 2026 are:

• CPP: $4,230.45
• eCPP: $416
• QPP: $4,479.30
• eQPP: $416
• EI: $1,123.07
• Quebec EI: $895.70
• QPIP: $442.90

2. I want to contribute to my RRSP in the first 60 days of the new year; what is the RRSP annual contribution limit for 2026?

The maximum RRSP annual contribution limit for 2026 is $33,810.

3. How much am I allowed to put into my TFSA during 2026?

The TFSA limit for 2026 is $7,000.

4. Will the minimum wage be changing in 2026, and if so, when and by how much?

Check out this guide to minimum wages and planned increases across Canada.

5. Why do I need to review my TD1s each year?

A new TD1 ensures that you inform us of any changes in your life that could impact your income tax calculations. This could include having a new dependent, becoming a caregiver, or recently enrolling in school. If changes are needed, sending new TD1s to your payroll team ensures your taxes will be calculated accurately at the source, your pay.

6. How do I prevent the additional tax from coming off my cheque this year?

If you were previously having additional tax deducted but want to change the amount, or no longer want additional tax deducted, then complete a new federal TD1 form and send it to your payroll team.

Additional payroll legislative updates and links

Here you’ll find provincial and federal information on payroll deductions, payroll year-end employer kits, and more.

• T4 (CRA)
• T4A (CRA)
• RL-1 (Revenu Quebec)
• T2200 Form and Work-From-Home Expenses

Additional reading

• The ultimate guide to Canadian payroll year-end
• T2200 forms: What you need to know
• Tips and best practices for a smooth payroll year-end