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Accounting encyclopedia · Payroll

T4 slip

A T4 slip, the Statement of Remuneration Paid, is the form an employer prepares for each employee after the calendar year ends. It reports employment income and the CPP, EI and income tax deducted. The employee uses it to file a personal return, and the employer files it with the CRA and gives the employee a copy.

Sora Accounting & Tax · General information · Editorial policy
Updated · 3 min read

From payroll records to the employee’s T4 copy

A flow showing payroll records becoming a T4 slip and summary, filed with the CRA and distributed to the employee.

Visual labels: Payroll records; T4 slip and summary; File with CRA; Copy to employee.

What the slip reports

A T4 identifies the remuneration an employer paid one employee during a calendar year. Salary and wages go in box 14, employment income. The employee’s CPP contributions are in box 16 and EI premiums in box 18, with any second CPP contribution (CPP2) in box 16A. Income tax withheld is in box 22. Boxes 24 and 26 show the earnings the EI and CPP calculations were based on, which are often, but not always, the same as box 14.

The slip does not show the employer’s share of CPP or EI. Those amounts stay in your payroll records. Taxable benefits and allowances are reported too, so a slip can carry more than wages alone.

Who gets one, and when

Generally you issue a T4 if you deducted CPP, EI or income tax from an employee’s pay. If you deducted nothing, a slip is generally still needed when total remuneration for the year was more than $500, with exceptions such as taxable group term life insurance benefits, which require a slip regardless of the amount.

The CRA filing date for T4 returns is the last day of February after the calendar year, and employees’ copies are due by the same day. When a filing due date falls on a weekend or a holiday the CRA recognizes, the return is on time if it is received or postmarked by the next business day. For 2026 slips, February 28, 2027 is a Sunday, so the filing date works out to March 1, 2027. The CRA’s distribution page states the end-of-February date without that extension, so plan to give employees their copies by Friday, February 26 to be safe.

Filing and distributing

Employers who file more than five T4 slips for a year must file them electronically; CRA also encourages electronic filing below that. Paper filing of a required electronic return can bring a penalty, and late distribution to employees can bring a penalty per slip. Slips can be given on paper or, with the conditions CRA sets, through a secure employer portal or by email with consent.

If you have more than one payroll account, each needs its own return. Employers with a place of business in Quebec may also have to file with Revenu Québec.

An illustrative example

Suppose an employee earned $60,000 in 2026, all of it pensionable and insurable. Using the 2026 rates, CPP of $3,361.75 and EI of $978.00 would be deducted. The slip would show $60,000 in boxes 14, 24 and 26, those two deductions in boxes 16 and 18, and whatever income tax was withheld in box 22. The figures are illustrative, not a payroll calculation.

Before filing, reconcile the slip totals to the year’s payroll reports and your remittances. A mismatch is far easier to fix before the deadline. Bring your payroll register, benefit records and any year-end adjustments to your accountant, and ask who is responsible for correcting a slip after it has been filed.

Sources & editorial notes

Sources checked October 24, 2026. The examples are illustrative and provide general information. Discuss how the guidance applies to your circumstances with your accountant.

Rules and guidance can change. Use the current official source and confirm the treatment for your facts. To flag an error, contact Sora.