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Email this12:51 pm
December 12, 2009
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I haven't paper-filed my income tax return in decades, but if I'm remembering correctly, back in the early days of tax software in Canada, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), as it was then known, was rather strict in terms of paper-based returns. You had to use 24 lb. stock paper, rather than 20 lb. paper. Do they still impose that requirement, or is any computer paper accepted?
To be clear, this is to satisfy my own personal fascination; I am not looking to file my return by paper.
1:00 pm
January 12, 2019
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.
Thanks for the history lesson, Doug ... I had forgotten all that ⬆
Given that the CRA will now accept 00 lb. paper (electronic submissions), I'm guessing any ol' paper will do. 
- Dean
" Live Long, Healthy ... And Prosper! "
1:39 pm
October 21, 2013
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I don't know the answer.
I do remember, though, when photocopiers were a new item. You had to put your original in a "carrier", a kind of plastic envelope open on three sides, before running it through the machine in order to ensure your original didn't get damaged. That was in about 1963 or 1964.
1:51 pm
February 7, 2019
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Loonie said
I don't know the answer.I do remember, though, when photocopiers were a new item. You had to put your original in a "carrier", a kind of plastic envelope open on three sides, before running it through the machine in order to ensure your original didn't get damaged. That was in about 1963 or 1964.
Dating yourself with that ... I was still in primary school then. I don't know if there was a photocopier in my small home town then ... :):):)
| CGO |
3:08 pm
December 12, 2009
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Loonie said
I don't know the answer.I do remember, though, when photocopiers were a new item. You had to put your original in a "carrier", a kind of plastic envelope open on three sides, before running it through the machine in order to ensure your original didn't get damaged. That was in about 1963 or 1964.
I think I may have heard of that. It's not a bad idea, actually. I wonder if the frequency of paper jams were less with those carriers?
3:37 pm
October 21, 2013
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I was using the carriers as part of my summer job. They never jammed when I used them as far as I remember. However, it was time-consuming.
3:53 pm
March 30, 2017
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I always use 20lb paper and never has issues. Prob did that for the past 10 years.
4:48 pm
September 11, 2013
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I don't use my own paper, they send me the paper package every year and sometimes I've sent in the rough copy forms instead of the glossier real one (if my rough copy ends up being the final one I just send it, sometimes with some earlier amounts crossed out and final ones inserted and they don't seem to care, no problem). I have no idea what 24 vs 20 lb paper is so I'm guessing the youngsters at CRA wouldn't care about the difference either.
5:15 pm
January 12, 2019
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Doug said
.
. . .To be clear, this is to satisfy my own personal fascination; I am not looking to file my return by paper.
Hey Doug ... has your Fascination been satisfied yet ?
LOL 
- Dean
" Live Long, Healthy ... And Prosper! "
5:18 pm
March 15, 2019
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Question 1: You guys still filing paper returns?
Question 2: Anybody know if the dropbox at 1 Front Street Toronto is now unsealed?
6:48 pm
October 27, 2013
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It is only a matter of time when dropboxes, if they still exist, will be gone the way of the dinosaur. Paper filings as a percentage of filings drop every year. For 2022 tax year up to Apr 3, only 5.7% are paper filings and some of them will be first timers who don't yet have Netfile access codes and/or T1 Final Returns.
Added later: If you folks who are still using snail mail paper filings and are expecting a refund, you may be waiting quite a long time. CRA employees are in a position to walk off the job as of this Friday and all the keypunchers could be on the picket line.
5:13 am
March 30, 2017
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I still paper file (printout from tax app) as I provide all paper work, receipts with my return. For example, T5008 rarely matches my record, so I do a worksheet to show my work and include it with my return.
My thoughts are by providing all worksheets thru paper filing, it’s less likely to get an audit etc.
Am I incorrect to think that way and in reality makes no diff whether paper or netfile when it comes to audit time ? I do pay tax every year and the amount has been somewhat consistent. I should not be on their radar ?
6:10 am
September 11, 2013
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Unless you have a business or something else other than regular employment, pension or investment income you are very unlikely to be audited, based on my experience. Plus it's something relatively large that draws their attention that results in a full audit. I don't know if I've ever met anyone not with an obvious mitigating factor (e.g. they have rental income, or business losses, etc) that has had a full audit by CRA.
A request for further information, e.g. they contact you to provide more information regarding a line or a few lines on your return, is quite common and some people mistakenly call that an "audit".
No idea if efiling vs paper affects anything, as AltaRed points out virtually no-one files paper anymore so my guess is you're off their radar a bit more with paper but I don't know. Their whole system is geared to electronic, I'm hoping the employees dedicated to paper filers are disgruntled being relegated to that uncool department so are more lackluster about their jobs. They certainly don't like the numerous staples I've got holding the various parts of my paper return, etc together, I provide them with some physical activity pulling them all out.
6:32 am
October 27, 2013
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I doubt any of the supporting documentation is looked at in a paper filing. Keypunch operators punch in the relevant inputs for the "Keying Summary" and the paper document simply gets filed in one of their warehouses. Only if CRA, in the rare instance they may want to investigate further, would pull that paper document out of archive storage.
From the link I provided, CRA's computers are processing about 0.5M Netfile and Efile returns every day from about mid-March to end of April (about 30 million total) and maybe 50k paper returns a day (2-2.5 million) over the same period. Imagine keypunch operators keying in relevant data from 50k paper returns per day for 6-8 weeks. Imagine the potential for keypunch errors.
When I netfiled Monday morning, my Express NOA was in my CRA MyAccount inbox within a few minutes, after filing. I will be able to access a print version of the NOA online in 7 days and my refund will likely be deposited by then as well. It is a strictly automated process untouched by human beings.
Unless one MUST file by paper, why would anyone really do so?
7:17 am
September 11, 2013
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AltaRed, you've wondered this before, here are a few reasons for you off the top of my head, probably lots more others can add:
1. Not in a hurry in general, waiting is not an issue.
2. Always done it that way, like to keep some things the same.
3. Like to know how the tax system works re me, see what's really going on re my returns, what changes there are, in a way filling fields does not do.
4. Like to provide employment to humans.
5. Generally not interested in tech or more than required time on it.
6. Act of rebellion, like to do opposite of what "The Man" is trying to force me to do (e.g. 60s hippies).
7. Not getting a refund (why would anyone pay money and then have to wait for it back?)
8. Not convinced efiling is a net time saver.
9. Prefer paper over screens (some like hardcopy books, some like ebooks).
10. Efficiency not a high priority in life's activities.
11. Enjoy doing paper returns, it's a pleasurable activity.
12. Doing paper returns with family members is a traditional, fun family activity we all look forward to. Plus the kids, grandkids, learn stuff about taxes their efiling friends have no clue about, they seem to like that. (Every time that nasty Ontario Health Premium line comes along at the very end it reinforces their conviction never to vote Liberal, I get a laugh out of that every year!)
13. Enjoy going to post office to mail, chat with neighbours, etc.
14. The world's computers, servers, etc are terrible for electricity use, heat generated by it all.
I'm tired now.
7:39 am
October 27, 2013
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Fair enough. To each his/her own. None of those 14 reasons mean anything to me personally. My view is to get taxes done in a few short hours one afternoon and Netfile. That is literally all it really takes for most tax returns that do not involve business income.
The time is coming from the link I provided for paper returns to mostly disappear as the holdouts die off. The percentage is coming down each year and will likely settle in at under 1 million (first timers and T1 final returns excepted if there is no other mechanism devised to facilitate electronic filing of those).
An interesting development that I understand CRA is either piloting, or may shortly, is to automatically process returns for folks that have no taxable income and do not necessarily file, as a means to help ensure these folks are receiving benefits like HST/GST credits, climate change rebates and the like. Many residents miss out on these benefits because they do not file (as in the white supremacist off-the-grid or the homeless on the streets).
P.S. I usually I have to pay taxes rather than a refund but that changed this year due to far less cap gains realized in 2022 vs 2021 so installments were slightly overpaid.
8:24 am
September 11, 2013
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https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/cra-automatic-tax-return-filing
Not sure how this would work for those who have never filed, who don't have an address, who don't have a bank account.........
8:36 am
October 27, 2013
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Bill said
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/cra-automatic-tax-return-filingNot sure how this would work for those who have never filed, who don't have an address, who don't have a bank account.........
Nor do I. It seems mission impossible but kudos for giving it some thought.
10:44 am
March 30, 2017
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AltaRed said
An interesting development that I understand CRA is either piloting, or may shortly, is to automatically process returns for folks that have no taxable income and do not necessarily file, as a means to help ensure these folks are receiving benefits like HST/GST credits, climate change rebates and the like. Many residents miss out on these benefits because they do not file (as in the white supremacist off-the-grid or the homeless on the streets).
Another govt policy I dont agree with, esp their reason being "to make sure those people will receive the free handouts..." I am a firm believer in "one has to earn it"
7:51 am
November 18, 2017
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I'm with Bill on this. I wouldn't have bothered speaking up if I wasn't also wondering if the drop box in Vancouver would be opened?
The only way the CRA strike could affect me is if I couldn't get my assessment in time for my benefits update. (GST, Climate rebate, and other stuff...) I'm sure they'd go ahead with my estimate and confirm later.
THE PAPER I've used to print my returns is varied, often very thin, but that's what I print my spreadsheets on for them. The accompanying T1 is the one CRA sent me, and thus their choice of paper.
RetirEd
RetirEd
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