How to fill out a T4 slip (2026): box by box, due date, penalties

Tax forms › T4 slip · Last reviewed October 25, 2026 · General information, not tax advice

T4 slip at a glance

What it reports	One employee's employment income for the year and the CPP, EI and income tax deducted
Who files	Every employer who paid an employee remuneration
Due for 2026	Mon, Mar 1, 2027 (Feb 28 is a Sunday), to the CRA and to employees
File with	CRA, with the T4 Summary
Electronic filing	Required for more than 5 slips

What T4 slip is

The T4 slip reports what you paid an employee in the calendar year and what you deducted: income tax, CPP or QPP contributions, EI premiums and other amounts. The employee uses it to file their return, and the CRA matches it to your remittances.

Each slip goes with a T4 Summary that totals all the slips. For 2026 the CPP maximum pensionable earnings are $74,600 (with CPP2 up to $85,000) and the EI maximum insurable earnings are $68,900.

Who has to file

You prepare a T4 for every employee you paid remuneration if you had to deduct CPP, EI or income tax, or if the remuneration was more than $500, or if you provided a taxable benefit or allowance.
Self-employed contractors get a T4A (box 048), not a T4.
Shareholders paid dividends rather than salary get a T5.

Due dates

What	Due
T4 slips and T4 Summary for 2026	Mon, Mar 1, 2027 (Feb 28 is a Sunday)
Employee copies	By the same date, two copies on paper or electronically with consent
Business closes or ceases to be an employer	Within 30 days of ending the business

Penalties for filing late or wrong

Filing late, under the CRA's reduced administrative policy for T4 returns: $100 for 1 to 5 slips; $5 a day for 6 to 10 slips (maximum $500); $10 a day for 11 to 50 (maximum $1,000); $15 a day for 51 to 500 (maximum $1,500); minimum $100, counted for up to 100 days. Higher tiers apply above 500 slips.
Filing on paper when electronic filing is required: $125 for 6 to 50 slips, $250 for 51 to 250 slips.
Not giving an employee their slip: $25 a day per slip, minimum $100, maximum $2,500.
Interest on any remittance shortfall the summary reveals.

T4 slip box by box

Box	What goes there	Where it comes from in your books
Employer's name	Your legal or operating name	Company settings
54	Your 15-character payroll account number (BN + RP + 4 digits)	Your CRA registration
10	Province or territory of employment (two-letter code)	The employee record: where they report for work
12	Employee's social insurance number	The employee record, checked against their SIN
14	Employment income: total pay and taxable benefits before deductions	The year's gross pay plus taxable benefits
16 / 17	Employee's CPP contributions (outside Quebec) or QPP contributions (Quebec)	The year's CPP or QPP deductions, at most $4,230.45 CPP for 2026
16A / 17A	Employee's second CPP or QPP contributions (CPP2 / QPP2)	CPP2 deductions on earnings between $74,600 and $85,000, at most $416.00
18	Employee's EI premiums	At most $1,123.07 for 2026 ($895.70 in Quebec)
20	Employee's registered pension plan (RPP) contributions	Only for a registered pension plan, not an RRSP
22	Income tax deducted, federal and provincial combined	The year's income tax deductions
24	EI insurable earnings, up to $68,900 for 2026; 0 if none	Insurable pay, capped at the maximum
26	CPP/QPP pensionable earnings, up to $85,000 for 2026; 0 if none	Pensionable pay, capped
28	Exemptions: tick CPP/QPP, EI or PPIP if the employee was exempt	The employee's exemption settings
29	Employment code, for special situations such as placement agencies or taxi drivers	Usually blank
44	Union dues deducted	Union dues deductions only
45	Employer-offered dental benefits: code 1 to 5 for the employee's access on December 31	Your benefits plan; required on every slip
46	Charitable donations deducted from pay	Payroll donation deductions
52	Pension adjustment	Your pension plan administrator
55, 56	Employee's PPIP premiums and PPIP insurable earnings (Quebec)	Quebec payroll
Other information	Codes such as 30 (board and lodging), 34 (automobile benefit) and 40 (other taxable benefits)	Benefit records

Common mistakes

Box 24 or 26 above the yearly maximum, or blank instead of 0 when there are no insurable or pensionable earnings.
Leaving box 45 blank. A dental benefits code is required on every T4.
Putting RRSP contributions in box 20, which is for registered pension plans only.
Box 44 including deductions that are not union dues.
Box 10 showing the employee's home province instead of where they report for work.
Totals that do not match your remittances for the year, which gives a PIER review or balance owing.

How to file T4 slip

Check employee details. Confirm each employee's name, SIN, address and province of employment, and your payroll account number.
Reconcile to your remittances. Compare the year's deductions and employer contributions with the PD7A remittances you made.
Fill in each slip. Complete boxes 10 to 56 and any other information codes, applying the 2026 maximums to boxes 24 and 26 and a box 45 code.
File with the CRA. Use Web Forms (up to 100 slips, free in the CRA online services), Internet file transfer for an XML file from payroll software, or paper if you have 5 slips or fewer.
Give employees their copies. Distribute two copies to each employee by March 1, 2027, on paper or electronically if they agreed.

How AcboBooks fills it in

In the Canadian edition of AcboBooks 0.2.1, Payroll Remittances & T4 → T4 Slips & Summary builds one row per employee from the year's non-voided paycheques.

Box 10 province, box 12 SIN, box 14 employment income (gross pay), boxes 16/17 and 16A/17A CPP or QPP (switched by province), box 18 EI, box 22 combined federal and provincial tax, box 24 EI insurable and box 26 pensionable earnings, box 28 exemptions, box 44 and Quebec boxes 55 and 56.
Warnings to fix before filing: an employee without a valid 9-digit SIN or a province of employment, and a missing payroll program account.
Print T4 saves a plain-paper T4-style PDF for the employee's copy, one per employee or all at once; Export T4 Summary CSV gives every box in a spreadsheet.

What it leaves to you

Boxes 24 and 26 are set to the employee's gross pay (or 0 if exempt); cap them at $68,900 and $85,000 for 2026 for anyone who earned more.
Box 44 shows the paycheque's other deductions; keep only union dues there. Box 20 is always blank, and box 45, box 29 and other information codes are not filled.
Type the figures into CRA Web Forms to file. AcboBooks prepares the figures; it does not file or remit for you. You file through the CRA or Service Canada and pay the Receiver General yourself.

Described as of AcboBooks 0.2.1. See Canadian payroll in AcboBooks

Questions

When are 2026 T4 slips due?

The deadline is the last day of February. February 28, 2027 is a Sunday, so slips and the summary are on time if filed by Monday, March 1, 2027. Employees must have their copies by the same date.

Do I have to file T4s online?

Yes if you file more than 5 slips of one type. Web Forms in the CRA's online services is free and takes up to 100 slips; payroll software can create an XML file for Internet file transfer. With 5 or fewer you may file on paper.

What are the 2026 CPP and EI maximums for the T4?

CPP: maximum pensionable earnings $74,600, employee contribution up to $4,230.45; CPP2 up to $85,000, employee contribution up to $416.00. EI: maximum insurable earnings $68,900, employee premium up to $1,123.07 ($895.70 in Quebec).

What goes in box 45?

A code from 1 to 5 showing whether the employee, or their family, had access to employer-offered dental care on December 31. It has been required since the 2023 slips.

How do I fix a T4 after filing?

File an amended slip, marked as amended, through Web Forms or Internet file transfer, or on paper if you filed on paper, and give the employee the corrected copy. Do not send a new T4 Summary for an amendment.

Sources

Checked against these sources on October 25, 2026. Dates assume a calendar year and apply the next-business-day rule for weekends and holidays.

General information, not tax or legal advice. Forms, thresholds and dates change; confirm with the CRA and Service Canada or a tax professional before you file.