CRA has made 'important changes' to the 2025 income tax package. What Canadians need to know

If you filed your 2024 tax return on paper, the Canada Revenue Agency would like you to know that you won’t automatically receive a paper version of the 2025 forms in the mail next year.

Under the heading of “Important changes to the 2025 income tax package: What you need to know,” the CRA last week notified taxpayers that the practice of mailing out the most recent forms has been shelved.

“This decision has been made to support the CRA’s continued shift to digital services,” the agency said in a press release. “Electronic returns are generally processed much quicker than paper. Online self-serve options are also available for individuals to easily obtain what they need, if they choose to file on paper.”

The agency noted that last year about 93 per cent of income tax and benefit returns were filed online. It then nudges the remaining seven per cent with: “If you typically file on paper, why not enjoy the benefits of online filing?” It points out that refunds get delivered more quickly that way, and with less postal fuss.

“However, if you choose to file on paper, there are important changes to be aware of this tax-filing season,” it adds. In addition to not automatically mailing the forms, the standard tax package it sends if requested will come without a number of secondary forms that don’t get used much.

These include forms for capital gains and losses, multigenerational home renovation tax credits and education amounts, plus the provincial versions where applicable. “Careful analysis was completed in order to remove schedules that would minimize impact on individuals that still choose to file on paper,” the CRA said.

If you’re still determined to file on paper, the agency has a website where forms can be downloaded and printed, or you can contact the CRA by phone to request forms. It notes that forms for the 2025 tax year won’t be available until Jan. 20, 2026, so any requests made before then will just result in a copy of the previous year’s forms being mailed to the caller.

The CRA also has a service called SimpleFile (formerly known as File My Return) that allows individuals with a lower income and a non-taxable outcome to have CRA complete and process the return on their behalf. It is also, of course, paperless.

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