The T1044 NPO Information Return

Short answer The T1044 is a federal information return that many non-profit organizations (not charities) are required to file — separately from any corporate return. You must file it if, in the fiscal period, you received or were entitled to more than $10,000 in passive income (interest, dividends, rent or royalties); OR your total assets at the end of the previous fiscal period were more than $200,000; OR you had to file a T1044 for an earlier year (once you file one, you file every year after). It’s due six months after your fiscal year-end, and filing late brings a penalty of $25 per day, from $100 up to $2,500. Registered charities don’t file it — they file the T3010 instead.

The T1044 is one of the most-missed filings in the non-profit world, because nothing announces it. You can run a perfectly healthy organization for years, then learn you were supposed to be filing an information return the whole time. Here’s how to know whether it applies to you.

What the T1044 is

The T1044, Non-Profit Organization (NPO) Information Return, is a federal return the CRA uses to see inside tax-exempt non-profits — their revenue, assets and how they use their money. It is not a tax return and it is not the same as the T2 or Québec CO-17 corporate return. An incorporated NPO can have to file several things at once (more on that below).

Who has to file

You file a T1044 if your organization is a non-profit under the Income Tax Act (not a registered charity) and any one of these is true for the fiscal period:

You received, or were entitled to receive, more than $10,000 in passive income — taxable dividends, interest, rentals or royalties.
Your total assets were more than $200,000 at the end of the immediately preceding fiscal period (book value, under normal accounting).
You had to file a T1044 for an earlier fiscal period. Once you’ve filed one, you file one for every year after — even if you later drop below the dollar tests.

That last rule catches a lot of organizations: one big year puts you in the system permanently.

Who doesn’t file it

Registered charities don’t file the T1044 — they file the T3010 instead. Registered Canadian amateur athletic associations and registered national arts service organizations are also excluded. If you’re not sure whether you’re a charity or an NPO, that distinction decides everything — start with charity vs. non-profit.

When it’s due, and the penalty

The T1044 is due no later than six months after the end of your fiscal period — the same timing as the T3010 for charities. File late and the penalty is $25 per day, with a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $2,500 for each failure to file. The CRA can waive the penalty where the lateness was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control.

The filing stack: T1044 is usually not the only one

This is where non-profits get tangled. Being exempt from income tax does not make the paperwork go away. An incorporated Québec NPO can owe, in the same year:

The T1044 (if you cross a threshold above);
A federal T2 corporate return and the Québec CO-17.SP — incorporated entities generally file even when no tax is due (see Québec non-profit filings);
The REQ annual updating declaration to keep your registration in good standing.

Not sure which of these you owe? The 2-minute filings quiz walks you through it.

Why clean books decide this

You can’t answer “did we cross $10,000 in passive income?” or “were our assets over $200,000?” without books that track revenue by source and a real balance sheet. Organizations with loose records either miss the T1044 entirely or scramble at year-end to reconstruct the numbers. We keep non-profit books so these thresholds are visible all year and the return is just there when it’s due — see non-profit bookkeeping, or talk to us. General information, not advice for your organization’s situation.

Frequently asked questions

Which non-profits have to file a T1044?

A non-profit (not a charity) files if, in the fiscal period, it had more than $10,000 in passive income (interest, dividends, rent, royalties), OR total assets over $200,000 at the end of the prior period, OR it had to file a T1044 before.

When is the T1044 due and what’s the penalty?

It’s due six months after your fiscal year-end. Filing late carries a penalty of $25 per day, with a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $2,500 per failure to file.

Do registered charities file a T1044?

No. Registered charities file the T3010 information return instead. The T1044 is only for non-profit organizations that are not registered charities.

The T1044 NPO Information Return: Do You Have to File It?