01 · The ProblemThe work doesn’t grow in February. It all arrives at once.
A 600-return firm doesn’t receive 600 files. It receives 5,000 slips. And almost all of them share one deadline: the last day of February. T4, T4A, T5, T5008, RL-1, RL-3, RL-24, RL-31: employers, banks, daycares, and landlords all wait for the final week to issue them.
The outcome is mechanical. For six weeks, your team waits. Then, within ten days, the inbox overflows: a lone T4, an RL-31 photographed at an angle, an investment statement “just so you have it.” Every message means opening the file, filing the document, noting what’s missing, closing it again.
The real cost of the bottleneck isn’t volume. It’s fragmentation: a file opened nine times instead of once, and returns already started that have to be redone when the T3 shows up on March 31.
≈ 8
slips per personal tax file, on average
1
shared deadline: the last day of February
10 d
during which most of the volume lands
Orders of magnitude for a typical firm; compare them with your own numbers.
A file is only complete when its last slip has arrived. Not its first.
02 · The Deadline ReminderFour waves, to circle right now.
For the 2026 tax year, slips don’t arrive at random: they follow four predictable waves. The last day of February 2027 falls on a Sunday, so issuers have until Monday, March 1.
Wave 1 · The early birds
January – mid-February 2027
- T4A(P)
- T4A(OAS)
- T4E
- Donation receipts
- RRSP receipts (Mar.–Dec.)
Government slips and receipts already issued. They appear in My Account before they’re mailed: the right moment to open your retired clients’ files.
Wave 2 · The wall
Monday, March 1, 2027
- T4
- T4A
- T5
- T5008
- T2202
- RL-1
- RL-2
- RL-3
- RL-8
- RL-24
- RL-31
The deadline for the vast majority of federal and Quebec slips. It’s also the 2026 RRSP contribution deadline.
Wave 3 · The latecomers
March 2027
- RRSP receipts (first 60 days)
- T3
- RL-16
- T5013
- RL-15
Trusts and mutual funds have until March 31 (90 days after year-end), as do most partnerships. These are the slips that stall “almost complete” files.
Wave 4 · The corrections
April 2027
- Amended slips
- Revised T3s
- Medical expenses
- Forgotten receipts
Amended slips, plus everything the client “finds” in a drawer. Individuals must file by Friday, April 30, 2027.
A gift for your clients
The deadline reminder, ready to send them in January
📌 2026 tax slips: 4 dates to circle 🟢 Jan. – mid-Feb.: T4A(P), T4A(OAS), T4E, donation receipts 🔴 March 1: T4, T5, RL-1, RL-3, RL-24, RL-31… and the RRSP deadline 🟠 March 31: T3, RL-16, T5013, RL-15 ⚪ April 30: T1 and TP1 filing deadline A file is only complete when its LAST slip arrives. Save this post, and send your documents in a single upload. Calendar courtesy of ClicBook · clic-book.com
03 · The DemonstrationOne file, nine slips, ninety days.
Meet Sophie’s file: employee back from parental leave, tenant, two kids in daycare, a brokerage account, and a mutual fund. Drag the slider and watch when her file actually becomes ready to prepare.
Sample file · Sophie T.
March 1 2027
- Donation receiptCharity · Received January 20
- RRSP receiptFinancial institution · Received February 4
- T4EService Canada · Received February 11
- T4 · RL-1Employer · Received February 21
- RL-24Daycare · Received February 24
- RL-31Landlord · Received February 26
- T5 · RL-3Bank · Received February 27
- T5008Broker · Received February 28
- T3 · RL-16Mutual fund · Waiting March 31
File openings
8if every upload is handled on arrival
File openings
0with tracking by expected slip
8/9 received · Typical arrival dates, for illustration
On March 1, eight of nine slips are in. The file looks ready; it isn’t. The mutual fund’s T3 won’t arrive until March 31. Starting now means redoing it a month from now.
04 · The MethodSix ways to flatten the peak, to set up before January.
You can’t move the issuers’ deadline. You can change how slips enter your firm.
- 01
Predict 2026 slips from 2025 slips
The best predictor of the slips Sophie will receive this year is the slips she received last year. A file without a list of expected slips can never be declared “complete.”
In practice
- For every client, list last year’s slips along with their issuers.
- Ask clients in January to confirm what changed: new job, a move, a closed account, a newborn.
With ClicBook: The expected-slip list is built from the previous return and sent to the client in their portal.
- 02
One entry point, never email
Every slip that arrives by email has to be saved, renamed, filed, and matched by hand. Multiply by 5,000 and that’s a week of work. Plus one unencrypted attachment too many under Law 25.
In practice
- Announce in January that documents go to a single secure location.
- Reply to emailed documents with the upload link, without processing the attachment.
With ClicBook: Clients upload slips from their phone; every document lands in the right file, for the right tax year.
- 03
Read slips the day they arrive
The February bottleneck becomes an April bottleneck when slips are merely stored. Reading them and validating their amounts on arrival spreads data entry across eight weeks instead of two.
In practice
- Validate every slip’s boxes on receipt, while volume is still manageable.
- Flag an unreadable, incomplete, or misnamed slip immediately.
With ClicBook: Boxes on T4s, RL-1s, and other slips are read automatically; the accountant validates every amount next to the document.
- 04
Sort into three piles, and only prepare the first
Complete, incomplete, waiting on a late slip. Only the first pile goes into production. The other two get an owner and a follow-up date, nothing more.
In practice
- Set aside files waiting on a T3, T5013, or RL-16: they won’t be complete before March 31.
- Ban the “almost done” file: a file started incomplete gets opened three times.
With ClicBook: The dashboard shows, for every file, what’s missing and since when.
- 05
Follow up for a specific slip, not “your paperwork”
“We’re missing your documents” triggers nothing. “We’re missing the RL-24 from Little Steps Daycare” gets solved in five minutes. A precise reminder is one you don’t have to repeat.
In practice
- Name the slip and the issuer in every reminder.
- Set the schedule in advance: one week after the issuer’s deadline, then weekly.
With ClicBook: ClicBook spots the missing slip and reminds the client by email or text, following your rules.
- 06
Cross-check with pre-filled data, don’t rely on it alone
CRA and Revenu Québec pre-fill services are an excellent safety net for catching a forgotten slip. But they don’t include childcare paid outside a slip, medical expenses, or anything an issuer filed late.
In practice
- Compare pre-filled data with the slips received before declaring a file complete.
- Treat every gap as a missing slip, with its own reminder.
With ClicBook: The robot enters the validated return into the tax software, even overnight: review starts on a complete file.
05 · Your TurnReady for February? 10 items to tick.
Tick what your firm already has in place. No data is stored or transmitted.
February bottleneck
0 out of 10 items in place
Frequently Asked Questions
Why March 1 rather than February 28 in 2027?+
Because February 28, 2027, falls on a Sunday. When a deadline lands on a weekend or public holiday, the CRA and Revenu Québec move it to the next business day. Issuers therefore have until Monday, March 1, 2027.
Should we wait for every slip before opening a file?+
Wait for every slip before preparing it, not before opening it. Opening the file in January, with its list of expected slips, is precisely what lets you know for certain when it’s complete.
My clients refuse to use a portal. What now?+
Make it simpler than email: one link, a photo of the slip from their phone, no password to remember. Most resistance comes from the tool’s complexity, rarely from the principle.
What about files still waiting on a T3 in April?+
Isolate them in March, let the client know their return will be filed late in the season, and have them sign the engagement letter in the meantime. If the slip runs too late, discuss filing on time followed by an adjustment request.
SourcesOfficial References & Further Reading
- When to file information returnsCanada Revenue Agency
- T5 information return: due dateCanada Revenue Agency
- Important dates for individualsCanada Revenue Agency
- Filing RL-1 slips and summary 1: general informationRevenu Québec
- Obligations regarding the RL-31 slipRevenu Québec
- List of RL slipsRevenu Québec
This article is a planning tool. Arrival dates in the sample file are illustrative, and some issuers have specific deadlines. Refer to official CRA and Revenu Québec publications. Sources last verified: October 7, 2026.