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Newcomer first tax return in Quebec

A focused Quebec tax preparation path for newcomers whose return involves residency dates, Canadian slips, foreign-context questions, credits, and the first notices from CRA and Revenu Québec.

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Best when you have your arrival date, the Canadian slips for the year, and statements for any foreign income.

  • Human review before submission
  • Secure intake for tax documents
  • English and French

Prepare the facts around your arrival

A first Quebec return starts with the dates and records that connect your move, work, and family situation.

Build your arrival timeline

Note when you arrived, moved, worked, or studied.

Include foreign context

Mention income and records from outside Canada so any additional scope can be reviewed.

Available remotely in English or French for newcomers living in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. The intake separates arrival-date, residency, and foreign-income facts before either the federal or Quebec return is prepared.

Who this service is for

This path is for a first Canadian or first Quebec return where the date of arrival and pre-arrival facts can change which information belongs in the file.

  • New residents who need to document the exact date they established Canadian and Quebec residency.
  • Workers or students with Canadian slips plus income, assets, or tax documents from before or after arrival.
  • Newcomers completing a first benefits, dependant, spouse, direct-deposit, or tax-account setup alongside the return.

Pricing guidance

The price depends on slips, schedules, tax years, and follow-up needed for the file.

  • Standard personal files usually begin at the personal return tier.
  • Extra schedules, notices, investments, prior years, or follow-up can change scope.
  • The pricing page explains the current tiers before you start.

Pricing is based on the actual scope after the documents, tax years, schedules, and notice details are reviewed.

Review pricing

Why this service is scoped carefully

A newcomer return cannot be treated like a standard full-year resident file until arrival dates, family facts, and foreign-context records have been separated.

Residency timeline first

We record arrival, move, work, and study dates before deciding which periods and records require follow-up.

Two-authority onboarding

TaxCove explains the separate CRA and Revenu Québec steps in English and French, including first notices and account-access follow-up.

Foreign context is identified, not guessed

Foreign income, property, accounts, and prior filings are flagged for scope review; this service does not promise a benefit or residency result.

What is included

The preparation sequence is organized around the arrival timeline and the records needed to explain the first Canadian and Quebec filing period.

Arrival and residency chronology

We organize entry, housing, work, study, spouse, and dependant dates so the file does not silently assume a full year of residency.

Canadian and foreign record inventory

Canadian slips are separated from foreign income statements, account records, and pre-arrival documents that may require additional review.

First-account and benefit questions

We identify missing identification, spouse or dependant details, direct-deposit information, and first CRA or Revenu Québec notices.

Newcomer-specific follow-up

Unclear residency, treaty, foreign-asset, or multi-country issues are separated for confirmation before the return is finalized.

Arrival dates before credit calculations

Resolve the first-year timeline before treating a return as an ordinary full-year file.

Reference points for this file

  • Revenu Québec’s line 18 asks for the applicable arrival/departure date and reason. Entering Canada and moving from another province are different situations.
  • New-resident guidance identifies foreign investments, pensions and property held on arrival as issues needing their own review. Supply the foreign records as well as Canadian slips.

Official sources

References accessed September 27, 2026 (2026-09-27). Return guidance concerns 2025; confirm the deadlines and conditions for the actual file.

What is not included

These limits keep expectations clear around tax preparation, document review, and follow-up.

Review detailed exclusions

  • This service does not promise a specific balance, filing result, authority decision, penalty treatment, or tax amount.

  • It does not replace legal representation, investment advice, financial planning, or access to government accounts that only the taxpayer or an authorized representative can manage.

  • Bookkeeping cleanup, multi-year reconstruction, objections, appeals, or extended correspondence are scoped separately when they are needed.

Documents to prepare

Prepare records that establish when Canadian and Quebec tax residency began and what income or family facts existed around that date.

  • Arrival date evidence, immigration or study/work documents, and a simple timeline of moves and employment.

  • T4, RL-1, tuition, benefit, bank, investment, and other Canadian tax slips received for the year.

  • Foreign income statements, prior-country returns, and a list of significant foreign accounts or property that may affect scope.

  • Spouse, dependant, marital-status, address, and direct-deposit details as they stood before and after arrival.

Common mistakes we help prevent

First-return errors often begin with an incomplete arrival timeline or an assumption that only Canadian slips matter.

  • Using January 1 as the residency start without documenting the actual arrival and establishment facts.

  • Leaving out pre-arrival or foreign income information because no Canadian slip was issued.

  • Assuming CRA and Revenu Québec accounts, benefits, or notices will be created and synchronized automatically.

  • Submitting the return before spouse, dependant, address, and direct-deposit details have been reconciled.

How it works

The process follows the chronology of the move to Quebec rather than treating the return as an ordinary full-year file.

Step 1

Build the arrival timeline

Record immigration, housing, work, study, spouse, and dependant dates that frame the first filing period.

Step 2

Separate Canadian and foreign records

Upload Canadian slips and identify foreign income, accounts, property, and prior-country filings separately.

Step 3

Resolve first-return gaps

We flag missing identification, family details, notices, or residency explanations before preparation.

Step 4

Prepare both filing paths

The file proceeds only after the CRA and Revenu Québec scope and any specialist follow-up are clear.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my arrival date matter?

The arrival and residency timeline helps establish which period the first return covers and which pre-arrival or foreign-context information must be reviewed.

Should I disclose income earned before arriving?

List it in the intake even when no Canadian slip exists. The engagement must be scoped from the full residency and income context rather than assumptions.

Can an international student use this service?

Potentially. Study, work, residency, arrival, and foreign-income facts must be described before the appropriate filing path can be confirmed.

Can I begin without online CRA or Revenu Québec access?

Yes, but identify the missing access and provide every notice already received. Account setup or retrieval may become a separate follow-up step.

Ready to prepare your first Quebec tax return?

Use Start for a documented first return

Start when the arrival date is known, Canadian slips are available, and any foreign income or property has been listed.

Start my first Quebec return

Contact first for uncertain residency

Contact first when residency dates, treaty questions, foreign assets, or income from more than one country could change the engagement.

Ask about newcomer tax help

Related newcomer tax resources

Review first-return, student, family, and filing-season guidance before opening the secure intake.

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