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Payroll

How to Use Payroll Tax Forms

Intermediate 5 min read

This guide explains how to generate, review, file, and submit T4 and other year-end tax forms in Awditify, including electronic CRA XML submission.


Getting to Tax Forms

  1. Open the client you want to work with.
  2. In the left sidebar, under Payroll, click Tax Forms.

The Tax Forms Page

Filters

  • Tax Year — use the dropdown to select the year you want to view. Defaults to the current year.
  • Form Type — filter by T4, T4A, or show All.

The Tax Forms Table

Each row shows:

  • Form Type — T4, T4A, etc.
  • Employee — name and employee ID.
  • Tax Year — the year the form covers.
  • Employment Income — Box 14 amount.
  • CPP Contributions — Box 16 amount.
  • EI Premiums — Box 18 amount.
  • Income Tax Deducted — Box 22 amount.
  • Status — Draft, Generated, Ready, Submitted, Filed, Amended, or Cancelled.
  • Actions — Download PDF, Submit/File, and a bulk selection checkbox.

Generating Year-End Forms

  1. Click Generate Year-End Forms at the top right.
  2. A dialog opens. Select the Tax Year you want to generate forms for.
  3. Click Generate.

The system calculates T4 amounts from all payroll runs in the selected year and creates a tax form for each employee who received pay. Forms start in Generated status.

ℹ Info: You can re-generate forms for a year you have already generated. New forms will be created for any employees not already covered. Existing forms are updated with the latest payroll data.


Reviewing a Tax Form

Click on any form row to view its details. The detail view shows all T4 boxes:

  • Box 14 — Employment Income.
  • Box 16 — Employee CPP Contributions.
  • Box 17 — Employee QPP Contributions (Quebec).
  • Box 18 — Employee EI Premiums.
  • Box 20 — RPP Contributions.
  • Box 22 — Income Tax Deducted.
  • Box 24 — EI Insurable Earnings.
  • Box 26 — CPP/QPP Pensionable Earnings.
  • Box 44 — Union Dues.
  • Box 46 — Charitable Donations.
  • Box 52 — Pension Adjustment.
  • Box 55 — Employee PPIP Premiums.
  • Box 56 — PPIP Insurable Earnings.

Additional "Other Information" boxes (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 66, 67, 77, 84, 85) are displayed if they contain data.


Form Statuses

Status Meaning
Draft Form created but not yet populated with calculated data.
Generated Form has been calculated and populated from payroll data. Ready for review.
Ready Form has been reviewed and is ready for filing.
Submitted Form has been submitted for filing (internal status before confirmation).
Filed Form has been filed with the CRA.
Amended An amended version of a previously filed form.
Cancelled Form has been cancelled (e.g., duplicate or in error).

Downloading Forms

To download a PDF copy of a tax form:

  1. Click the Download action on the form's row.
  2. The PDF is generated and downloaded to your browser.

You can also batch download by selecting multiple forms and using the bulk action menu.


Filing Individual Forms

To mark a form as filed:

  1. Click the File action (send icon) on the form's row.
  2. The status changes to Filed.

ℹ Info: This action updates the internal status and records the filing date. For actual electronic submission to the CRA, use the CRA XML Submission feature below.


Batch Filing

To file multiple forms at once:

  1. Check the boxes next to the forms you want to file.
  2. Click the Batch File button at the top.
  3. All selected forms are processed. The system reports how many were filed successfully and any errors.

CRA XML Submission

Awditify supports electronic filing of T4 slips to the CRA via XML. This feature generates standardized XML files that can be uploaded through the CRA's online services.

CRA Info Panel

At the top of the page, a blue information panel shows your client's CRA identifiers:

  • Business Number (BN)
  • Payroll Account (RP)
  • GST/HST Number
  • CRA Transmitter Number

If any are missing, click Edit in Settings or Add in Client Settings to go to the client settings page and add them.

Generating CRA XML

  1. Click the CRA XML button or navigate to the CRA filing section.
  2. The system generates an XML preview showing:
    • Employer Information — company name, business number, contact details, address.
    • Employee Slips — one T4 slip per employee with all required boxes.
    • Summary — total employment income, CPP contributions, EI premiums, income tax, RPP contributions, pension adjustment, and slip count.
  3. Review the preview for completeness and accuracy.
  4. Any validation warnings (e.g., missing SIN, unusual amounts) appear at the top of the preview. Warnings are advisory; errors must be fixed before submission.

Submission Types

Type When to Use
Original First-time submission for a tax year.
Amendment Correcting previously submitted slips for specific employees.
Reissue Re-sending slips that were previously submitted (no changes).
Cancellation Cancelling previously submitted slips.

Saving and Downloading CRA XML

  1. From the preview dialog, click Save XML.
  2. Choose the submission type (Original, Amendment, Reissue, or Cancellation).
  3. Optionally add Notes about this submission.
  4. The XML file is saved to the database and stored on the filesystem.

To download the saved XML:

  1. Click the Submissions button to view saved CRA submissions.
  2. Each submission shows its Reference ID, Type, Status, Slip Count, and Date.
  3. Click Download on any submission to get the XML file.

CRA Filing Instructions

Click the Filing Instructions button for step-by-step guidance on how to upload your XML file to the CRA, including:

  • Step-by-step CRA submission process.
  • Filing deadlines (T4 deadline is the last day of February).
  • Late filing penalties.
  • Links to CRA online services.

⚠ Warning: Make sure all employee SINs and the employer's Business Number and Payroll Account number are correct before generating the XML. Incorrect identifiers will cause the CRA to reject your submission.

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