Canadian tax slips are official documents that report your income and deductions to both you and the CRA. Your employer issues a T4 for employment income, your bank issues a T5 for investment income, and there are additional slips for RRSP contributions, pension income, and more. You must include all slips when filing your tax return.
Why Tax Slips Matter
Tax slips are the foundation of your Canadian tax return. Every slip has a corresponding box number that maps directly to a line on your return. Filing correctly means accounting for every slip you receive.
The CRA also receives copies of all your slips directly from issuers. If you forget to include a slip in your return, the CRA will likely flag it — which can trigger a reassessment and possibly penalties.
The Most Common Tax Slips
T4 — Statement of Remuneration Paid (Employment Income)
Who sends it: Your employer Deadline to receive it: Last day of February What it reports: Your total employment income and all the deductions taken from your paycheques: income tax withheld, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums.
Key boxes to know:
- Box 14: Employment income (your gross wages)
- Box 22: Income tax deducted
- Box 16: CPP contributions
- Box 18: EI premiums
If you had more than one employer during the year, you will receive a T4 from each.
T5 — Statement of Investment Income
Who sends it: Your bank, investment account, or company paying dividends What it reports: Interest earned in savings accounts, dividends from Canadian stocks, and foreign income.
You only receive a T5 if your investment income from that issuer exceeded $50 during the year. If your savings account earned $12 in interest, you may not get a slip but still technically need to report it.
T3 — Statement of Trust Income
Who sends it: Mutual funds, ETFs, REITs What it reports: Income and capital gains distributed by investment funds you hold.
RRSP Contribution Receipt
Who sends it: Your RRSP provider (bank or investment firm) What it reports: How much you contributed to your RRSP during the year and in the first 60 days of the following year.
This is not numbered like T-series slips but is essential if you want to claim your RRSP deduction on your return.
T4A — Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity and Other Income
Who sends it: Various government agencies, pension providers, scholarships What it reports: CPP benefits, scholarships, self-employment income through certain programs, COVID-19 benefits, and other miscellaneous income.
T4E — Statement of Employment Insurance and Other Benefits
Who sends it: Service Canada What it reports: Employment Insurance (EI) benefits received.
Where to Find Your Slips
From Your Employer or Financial Institution
Most issuers mail slips to your address of record. You can also find them:
- In your bank's online portal
- In your payroll software (e.g., ADP, Ceridian)
- Via the CRA My Account (CRA receives copies from all issuers)
Via CRA My Account
Once you have a CRA My Account (see our guide on [how to register](/articles/how-to-register-for-cra-my-account)), you can view all slips the CRA has on file for you. This is the most reliable way to confirm you have not missed one.
What If a Slip Is Wrong or Missing?
If a slip has an error: Contact the issuer (your employer, bank, etc.) directly and ask for an amended slip (called a T4 Amendment). Do not adjust the numbers yourself.
If you are waiting for a slip: Do not file until you have all your slips. If a deadline is approaching and a slip is very late, you can still file based on your best estimate and then file an amendment later.
If an issuer goes out of business: Contact the CRA directly — they can often provide the information on file.
Example Scenarios
Frequently Asked Questions
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