T4, Statement 1 and year-end slips: employer obligations

In short. Every employer in Quebec issues two slips per employee at the end of the year: the T4 for the Canada Revenue Agency. Canada (CRA) and the Relevé 1 for Revenu Québec, no later than the last day of February following the calendar year, i.e., March 1, 2027, for 2026 salaries (February 28 falls on a Sunday). Also required are the employer's Summary 1, T4A slips for certain fees, T5 and Relevé 3 slips for dividends, and the CNESST Wage Declaration by March 15. Electronic filing is mandatory for more than five slips of the same type, and a late filing incurs a minimum penalty of $100.

The end of the payroll year is the time when everything paid, withheld, and remitted over the past twelve months must be reconciled down to the last dollar. For a Quebec employer, this process is twofold: each amount is reported to the CRA on a federal slip and to Revenu Québec on a statement, according to rules that don't perfectly align. This 2026 guide reviews the required slips, the complete date-by-date schedule, the discrepancies between the T4 and Relevé 1 slips that most often catch employers out, and provides a ready-to-use year-end checklist.

What documents must an employer produce?

The picture depends on what you paid out during the year: salaries, fees, dividends, or construction payments. Here are the most common payslips and summaries for SMEs in Quebec.

• T4, Statement of Remuneration Paid (CRA). One slip per employee: gross salary, taxable benefits, federal tax withheld, QPP and EI contributions. For an employee working in Quebec, the slip shows the QPP contribution, not the CPP contribution.
• Statement 1, Employment income and miscellaneous income (Revenu Québec). The Quebec equivalent: employment income in box A, Quebec tax withheld, contributions to the QPP and QPIP, and taxable benefits calculated according to Quebec rules, which sometimes differ from the federal rules.
• Summary 1 (form RLZ-1.S). The employer's summary that reconciles all deductions and contributions: Health Services Fund (HSF), labour standards contribution, employer's share of the QPP and QPIP, and skills development contribution (1%) if your payroll exceeds $2 million.
• T4A. For certain non-salary payments: service fees, subsidies, pension benefits. In Quebec, several of these amounts are declared separately, notably in box O of the Relevé 1.
• T5 and Statement 3. If your company paid dividends to its shareholders in 2026, including the director, these two slips occur on the same date at the end of February.
• T5018. Specific to the construction sector: contractual payments made to subcontractors must be declared within 6 months of the end of your financial year.

Each type of slip is accompanied by a summary that totals the declared amounts. In electronic transmission, the summary is included with the submission; in paper submissions, it is included with the slips.

The 2026-2027 calendar of end-of-year reports

The end of the payroll year spans approximately ten weeks, from the last December paycheck to the CNESST payroll declaration. Here are the key dates to mark on your calendar for the 2026 payroll year.

Two rules to remember regarding these dates. First, the due date for payroll slips is always the last day of February; when it falls on a weekend, as in 2027, it is moved to the next business day. Second, the January 15th submission deadline applies to regular payroll filers: those with accelerated filing schedules have earlier deadlines, determined by their withholding history. These payroll deadlines are part of the company's broader tax calendar (advance payments, VAT, T2 and CO-17 returns): our 2026 tax season checklist places them within the full year.

T4 and Statement 1: discrepancies to watch out for;

The riskiest reflex is to believe that the Relevé 1 is a copy of the T4. Both slips describe the same remuneration, but with different rules, and it is in these differences that most of the modified slips reside.

• Group insurance. Federal and Quebec treatment differ: see the box below, this is the most frequent difference.
• RRQ rather than RPC. An employee in Quebec contributes to Social Security: the contribution boxes on the T4 and Relevé 1 must reflect the RRQ, with its specific rates.
• The RQAP. The Quebec Parental Insurance Plan appears on both sides, but in different boxes, and it reduces the employment insurance rate applicable in Quebec.
• Box O of the Relevé 1. Amounts declared on a T4A at the federal level are often found in box O of the Relevé 1 in Quebec: the two declarations must remain consistent.
• Totals and discounts. Before filing, reconcile the totals on the slips with the discounts paid during the year: any unexplained discrepancy will trigger questions from both administrations.

The employer's year-end checklist

Here is the complete sequence, in the order in which it unfolds correctly. Each step completed on time makes the next one easier.

1. Verify employee records before the final payroll. Social Security number, legal name, address: an incorrect SSN means a form that needs to be amended and a possible penalty.
2. List the taxable benefits. Company car, group insurance, parking, allowances: calculate the federal value and the French value, which are not always the same.
3. Reconcile payroll accumulations with your remittances. Compare the totals withheld during the year with the remittances paid to the CRA and Revenu Québec; a discrepancy must be corrected before the slips are issued, not after.
4. Pay the last hangar of the year. No later than January 15, 2027 for the December 2026 salary if you are a regular payer.
5. Produce and send the slips. T4 and T4A to the CRA, Relevé 1 and Summary 1 to Revenu Québec, no later than March 1, 2027, electronically as soon as you exceed 5 slips of the same type.
6. Provide copies to employees. Same deadline as the transmission; electronic delivery is permitted, provided that each employee can actually access it.
7. Complete the related declarations. T5 and Relevé 3 for dividends at the end of February, then the CNESST Wage Declaration by March 15, 2027.
8. Archive and correct as needed. Keep payroll records and copies of slips for 6 years; a detected error can be corrected with a revised slip, without waiting for a reminder from the authorities.

Penalties, electronic transmission and retention;

At the CRA, the penalty for late filing of tax slips is calculated by slip type and volume: a minimum of $100, and up to $7,500 for very large numbers of slips, depending on the number of days late. Revenu Québec applies its own penalties for late filing, generally $25 per day (minimum $100, maximum $2,500), plus interest. Failure to provide a copy to an employee is also penalized.

Electronic filing is mandatory once you produce more than five slips of the same type: the CRA has imposed this threshold since January 2024, and Revenu Québec applies an equivalent rule for statements. Filing on paper when electronic filing is required incurs a separate penalty. Finally, late remittances of source deductions are even more expensive than late slips: from 3% to over 10% of the amount, depending on the length of the delay, for both parties. All payroll records and copies of slips must be kept for six years.

Produire des feuillets exacts, c'est d'abord tenir une paie exacte toute l'année : bons taux, bons avantages, bonnes remises. Beaucoup de PME confient la paie et la fin d'année au même professionnel; pour situer la décision, voyez quand externaliser la paie et combien coûte réellement un employé au Québec une fois les charges comptées. Côté honoraires, les entreprises paient une médiane d'environ 3 000 $ par année pour l'ensemble de leurs services comptables, la plupart entre 500 $ et 6 000 $. Basé sur les honoraires réels de 1 248 mandats conclus via Bankeo (2024-2026), sur plus de 15 000 demandes reçues : le Baromètre Bankeo détaille ces fourchettes service par service. Vous pouvez aussi parcourir les comptables vérifiés du réseau Bankeo pour comparer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline for producing T4 slips and Relevé 1 slips?

The last day of February following the calendar year, at both the CRA and Revenu Québec. For salaries paid in 2026, February 28, 2027 falls on a Sunday: the deadline is therefore extended to Monday, March 1, 2027. The same deadline applies to providing copies to employees, the Summary 1, and the T5 and Relevé 3 slips for dividends.

What is the difference between the T4 and the Statement 1?

The T4 slip reports earnings to the federal government (CRA), while the Relevé 1 slip reports them to Revenu Québec (Quebec). The amounts are similar but not identical: the Relevé 1 slip, for example, includes the employer's share of private health insurance in box J, which is taxable only in Quebec, and reflects the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) and the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) rather than the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Each employee in Quebec therefore receives both slips.

Is an employer also required to produce T4A, T5 or Relevé 3 slips?

Yes, depending on the year's payments. The T4A slip covers certain non-salary payments, such as service fees, and is also covered in box O of the Relevé 1 slip in Quebec. If your company paid dividends, you file a T5 slip with the CRA and a Relevé 3 slip with Revenu Québec, both due at the end of February. For construction companies, the T5018 slip is due within six months of the fiscal year-end.

What are the penalties if the slips are produced late?

At the CRA, the penalty depends on the number of slips and the number of days late: a minimum of $100, up to $7,500 for large volumes, per slip type. Revenu Québec applies its own penalties for late statements, generally $25 per day (minimum $100, maximum $2,500), plus interest. Late remittance fees range from 3% to over 10% of the amount.

Is electronic transmission of leaflets mandatory?

Yes, as soon as you produce more than five slips of the same type, the CRA requires electronic transmission, and Revenu Québec applies an equivalent rule for statements. Submitting on paper when electronic transmission is mandatory incurs a separate penalty. Small employers can transmit via the online services of both administrations.

How much does it cost for an accountant to prepare the leaflets?

Elle est souvent incluse dans un mandat de paie ou dans le forfait comptable annuel de l'entreprise. Les entreprises paient une médiane d'environ 3 000 $ par année pour l'ensemble de leurs services comptables, la plupart entre 500 $ et 6 000 $. Basé sur les honoraires réels de 1 248 mandats conclus via Bankeo (2024-2026), sur plus de 15 000 demandes reçues. Le Baromètre Bankeo détaille les fourchettes par service.

Official sources

1. Revenue Agency of the | Canada Salary deductions
2. Revenue Agency of the | Canada Produce information returns (sheets and summaries)
3. Revenu Québec, Employer deductions and contributions;
4. CNESST, employer obligations and wage declaration
5. Quebec CPA Order