Tax Document Checklist for Canadian & Québec Personal Returns
Short answer: For a Canadian personal return, collect the income slips (T4, T4A, T5, T3, T5008) plus deduction receipts (RRSP/REER, donations, medical). A Québec resident also needs the provincial RL slips: RL-1 with the T4, RL-3 with the T5, and RL-31 for a leased dwelling. Use the checklist below, then assemble one merged PDF per client — PDF Insight classifies and orders the slips for you, locally.
Verify before filing. Slip names, box numbers and which documents apply change yearly. This checklist is a working reference for assembling a file — always confirm specifics against the current CRA and Revenu Québec guidance.
Income slips (federal)
| Slip | What it reports | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| T4 | Employment income and payroll deductions | Employer |
| T4A | Pension, annuities, self-employed commissions, other income | Payer |
| T4A(P) / T4A(OAS) | CPP/QPP and Old Age Security benefits | Service Canada |
| T4E | Employment Insurance benefits | Service Canada |
| T5 | Investment income: interest, dividends | Bank / broker |
| T3 | Income from trusts and mutual funds | Fund / trustee |
| T5008 | Securities transactions (capital gains/losses) | Broker |
| T4RSP / T4RIF | RRSP / RRIF withdrawals | Financial institution |
Québec slips (provincial)
Québec residents file a provincial return as well, so they receive RL ("Relevé") slips alongside the federal ones.
| Slip | What it reports | Federal counterpart |
|---|---|---|
| RL-1 | Employment income (Québec) | T4 |
| RL-2 | Retirement and annuity income | T4A / T4RSP |
| RL-3 | Investment income (Québec) | T5 |
| RL-31 | Information about a leased dwelling (for the solidarity tax credit) | — |
Deductions & credits (receipts to collect)
- RRSP / REER contribution receipts
- Charitable donation receipts
- Medical expense receipts
- Childcare and tuition (T2202)
- Professional or union dues
- Home office / employment expenses (e.g. T2200 if applicable)
- First-time home / FHSA contribution receipts
Reference & carry-forward documents
- Prior-year Notice of Assessment (NOA) — federal and Québec
- Installment payment records
- Carry-forward amounts (capital losses, tuition, RRSP room)
- Direct-deposit and identity details
Once you've collected everything: assemble the file
A collected pile still needs to become one orderly file. The reliable approach:
- Keep federal/provincial pairs together (T4 with RL-1, T5 with RL-3).
- Order the bundle consistently across all clients.
- Export one merged PDF per client per year.
PDF Insight automates the last part: point it at the client folder and a local AI classifies each slip — including scanned ones, via on-device OCR — orders them to your firm's rules, and exports one merged PDF. About 100 seconds for a full bundle on a 16GB Mac, with no file leaving the machine. It's bilingual, so it handles RL slips and French labels natively.
From a complete checklist to one clean PDF
PDF Insight classifies, orders and merges Canadian and Québec tax slips on your own Mac or PC. 14-day free trial, no card required.
Try PDF Insight freeFAQ
What documents do I need for a Canadian personal tax return?
Income slips such as T4, T4A, T5, T3 and T5008, plus deduction receipts (RRSP, donations, medical). Québec residents also need the provincial RL slips.
What extra slips do Québec residents need?
RL slips alongside the federal ones: RL-1 (with the T4), RL-3 (with the T5), and RL-31 (leased dwelling). Confirm the current list with Revenu Québec.
How should I assemble the documents once collected?
Group federal and provincial counterparts, order them consistently, and export one merged PDF per client. PDF Insight does the classifying and ordering on your own machine.