Annual Return vs Tax Return Checker
The annual return and the T2 are unrelated filings to different bodies. Two answers set them side by side.
Written and reviewed by Sharad Gondaliya, CPA (Ontario), CPA Ontario Membership 61040184.
Last reviewed: October 30, 2026
Answer both questions.
Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation is a registered EFILE electronic filer. Returns are prepared and transmitted in Canada. Credentials are never shared and never used offshore.
Two Filings at a Minimum, and One Shared Word
Every corporation owes at least two: a tax return, and an annual return to the registry that holds it. The annual return and the tax return share a word and nothing else. One confirms the directors and the registered office to the registry that holds the corporation. The other reports the year’s figures to the Canada Revenue Agency.
Nearly every confusion on this subject comes from the shared noun. Once they are set beside each other the overlap turns out to be the word, which is why this page is a comparison rather than an explanation.
Until 2021 the Ontario annual return travelled with the T2, which is why so many owners still expect it to. The Schedule 546 checker dates that change against a particular tax year.
| The T2 | The annual return | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A corporate income tax return | A registry filing |
| Filed with | The Canada Revenue Agency | The registry the corporation is incorporated with |
| What it reports | The year’s figures | The directors and the registered office |
| Missing it | The tax year stays open | The corporation can be struck from the register |
| Inside the fee | Yes | No |
Filing One Does Nothing for the Other
A corporation can be up to date on its annual returns and have six years of unfiled T2 returns behind it. The registry is satisfied and the tax years are open, because the registry never told the Canada Revenue Agency anything.
It runs the other way too. Every T2 filed on time does not stop a corporation being struck from the register for missing the annual return, which the involuntary dissolution risk checker covers.
The Federal Annual Return Has a Date and a Fee
A federal corporation files its annual return within 60 days of the incorporation anniversary, and the fee is $12.00. It is a government fee and HST does not apply to it.
Note what that date runs from. The anniversary, not the fiscal year-end, so the two filings can sit months apart and both be on time. The federal annual return anniversary calculator works out the dates.
Only One of Them Is Inside the Fee
The nil T2 is $300.00 plus HST per tax year. The annual return is a registry filing and is not covered by it, which is stated plainly here rather than discovered later.
That is not a gap in the service so much as a different counter. A registry filing is made to the registry, and a corporation can make it itself in a few minutes once it knows the date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the annual return the same as the tax return?
No. The annual return is a registry filing confirming the directors and the registered office. The T2 is a corporate income tax return filed with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Does filing my T2 cover the annual return?
No. They go to different bodies and neither one satisfies the other.
When is the federal annual return due?
Within 60 days of the incorporation anniversary. That date runs from the anniversary rather than the fiscal year-end.
How much is the federal annual return?
$12.00. It is a government fee and HST does not apply to it.
What happens if I miss each one?
An unfiled T2 leaves the tax year open, invites a demand to file and blocks a clearance certificate. A missed annual return can get the corporation struck from the register.
Nil T2 Filing, $300.00 plus HST per tax year
Type your corporation name, pick your unfiled years, pay, and sign Form T183CORP on a secure screen. Your CRA confirmation is emailed within 3 business days.
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