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Where to start: what to do when...

Pick the situation that looks like yours. Each one gives you the first steps in a sensible order, then the guides, tools and province pages on this site that go further. Rules differ by province: where that matters, we say so and point to your province's page.

Our step-by-step guides

Jump to: I lost my wallet, passport or ID · I am moving (or moving to another province) · I lost my job or my hours were cut · We are having a baby or adopting · Someone close to me died · I want to start a business or work for myself · I think I was scammed or my identity was stolen · I need to file my taxes or the CRA wrote to me · I just arrived in Canada · I am a student or going back to school · I am retiring or planning to · I have a disability or a long illness · I have a problem with my landlord or my rent · I want a refund or have a consumer complaint

I lost my wallet, passport or ID

Act in the first hours: cancel what can be misused, then replace documents in a sensible order.

First steps

  1. Call your bank and card issuers to cancel or freeze cards, and change online banking passwords.
  2. Report a lost or stolen passport or permanent resident card to the issuing authority right away so it cannot be used.
  3. If your SIN, driver's licence or health card was in the wallet, watch your accounts and ask each issuer how to replace it.
  4. Ask both credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your file, and review your credit report for accounts you did not open.
  5. Report the theft to your local police and, if you were defrauded, to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Guides that can help

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I am moving (or moving to another province)

Moving between provinces changes your health coverage, driver's licence, vehicle registration and which provincial tax applies.

First steps

  1. Before you go, ask your current health plan when coverage ends and your new province's plan when it starts: there can be a waiting period.
  2. Register for the new province's health plan, driver's licence and vehicle registration within the delay it sets.
  3. Change your address with the CRA, Service Canada, your bank, employer, insurers and the post office.
  4. Your province of residence on December 31 decides which provincial tax you pay for that year.
  5. Use our checklist and the province pages for the exact bodies and links.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I lost my job or my hours were cut

Timing matters: Employment Insurance and other supports start from the date you apply, not the date you lost the job.

First steps

  1. Ask your employer for a record of employment (ROE) and for your final pay and vacation pay in writing.
  2. Apply for Employment Insurance as soon as you stop working, even if you are waiting for your ROE.
  3. If you think the dismissal was unfair or you were not paid, contact your province's employment standards office (see your province's working page).
  4. Check provincial income support and housing help if your savings run short.
  5. Keep every document: pay stubs, letters, messages from your employer.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

We are having a baby or adopting

Register the birth, get the child's identity documents and make sure family benefits start.

First steps

  1. Register the birth with your province's vital statistics office to get a birth certificate (see your province's family page).
  2. Apply for the child's social insurance number and health card.
  3. Apply for the Canada child benefit: the CRA usually needs the birth registered and your tax return filed. Use our calculator for an estimate.
  4. Ask your employer about maternity, paternity and parental leave and apply for Employment Insurance (or the provincial plan in Quebec).
  5. Look into child care waitlists early and into education savings plans.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

Someone close to me died

There is a lot to do and little of it is urgent in the first days: start with the essentials and ask for help.

First steps

  1. Get the official death certificate or statement of death (you will need several copies).
  2. Find the will and contact the named executor, or the court office in your province if there is none.
  3. Notify Service Canada (pensions) and the CRA; a final tax return is usually due, and a clearance certificate protects the estate's representative before it distributes assets.
  4. Cancel or transfer accounts, subscriptions and digital accounts; ask insurers and the employer about benefits.
  5. Ask whether a survivor, death or orphan benefit is available from the Canada Pension Plan or a pension plan.

Guides that can help

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I want to start a business or work for myself

Choose a structure, register, and open the tax accounts you need before your first sale.

First steps

  1. Decide on the structure: sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation. Each has different tax, liability and paperwork.
  2. Register the business name with your province or territory and ask your municipality whether you need a licence.
  3. Get a CRA business number and register for GST/HST if you must (or choose to).
  4. Keep business and personal money separate and keep your receipts; self-employed people file by June 15 but still pay by April 30.
  5. Look at federal and provincial programs for small businesses.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I think I was scammed or my identity was stolen

Stop contact, secure your accounts and report: the sooner you act, the more you can limit.

First steps

  1. Stop talking to the scammer and do not send more money, gift cards or codes.
  2. Call your bank or card issuer immediately: some payments can be stopped or reversed if you act fast.
  3. Change passwords (start with email and banking) and turn on multi-factor authentication.
  4. Place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus and watch your credit report.
  5. Report to your police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre; keep screenshots, messages and receipts.

Guides that can help

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I need to file my taxes or the CRA wrote to me

Most tax problems are easier when the return is filed and the paperwork is in order.

First steps

  1. Read our step-by-step guide to filing, from gathering slips to payment.
  2. Create a CRA My Account so you can see your slips, assessments and messages.
  3. If you owe tax and cannot pay, contact the CRA before the debt grows.
  4. If a letter looks suspicious, do not click or pay: check it through your account or by typing the CRA address yourself.
  5. Disagree with an assessment? There is a time limit to object.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I just arrived in Canada

Start with the documents and accounts that unlock everything else.

First steps

  1. Apply for a social insurance number: employers and benefits need it.
  2. Register for your province's health plan right away and ask about the waiting period and private coverage in the meantime.
  3. Open a bank account and learn how to build a credit history.
  4. Create your online accounts (CRA, Service Canada, IRCC) and keep your immigration documents safe.
  5. Free settlement services help with language, jobs and housing; ask your province.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I am a student or going back to school

Plan the cost first, then look for aid, and remember that a tax return can bring money back.

First steps

  1. Estimate the real yearly cost with our funding plan, using your province's average tuition.
  2. Apply for student aid and scholarships early: deadlines are often in spring or summer for the fall.
  3. File a tax return even with no income: you can carry forward your tuition credit and may qualify for credits and benefits.
  4. International students: check study permit conditions on work hours before you take a job.
  5. Keep your T2202 tuition slip each year.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I am retiring or planning to

Public pensions are not automatic in every case: apply on time and check your record.

First steps

  1. Check your Canada Pension Plan record and estimated pension in My Service Canada Account.
  2. Apply for the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security when you are eligible: do not wait for a letter if you have not received one.
  3. Plan the order in which you draw RRSP, TFSA and pensions; ask a fee-only planner if the situation is complex.
  4. Check provincial seniors' programs and property tax relief.
  5. Keep filing your tax return every year: it keeps income-tested benefits going.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I have a disability or a long illness

Several federal and provincial programs exist and each has its own application: start with the tax credit and your province.

First steps

  1. Ask a qualified practitioner about the Disability Tax Credit: it also unlocks other benefits and savings plans.
  2. Check Employment Insurance sickness benefits and your employer's coverage.
  3. Look at your province's disability support program and its drug coverage.
  4. Ask whether you qualify for the federal disability benefit for working-age adults and for accessible-housing help.
  5. Keep medical records and every form you submit.

Guides that can help

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I have a problem with my landlord or my rent

Tenancy law is provincial, so the rules, forms and deadlines depend on where you live.

First steps

  1. Read your lease and keep all messages, receipts and photos in writing.
  2. Write to your landlord, describe the problem and the fix you ask for, and keep a copy.
  3. If that fails, use your province's tenancy board or tribunal: open your province's renting page for the rules, rent increase limits and the body to contact.
  4. Never withhold rent without checking your province's rules first.
  5. Free legal clinics and tenant associations can help.

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

I want a refund or have a consumer complaint

Start with the business in writing, then use the right complaint body for the sector.

First steps

  1. Write to the business: what happened, what you want (refund, repair, replacement) and by when. Keep proof.
  2. If you paid by credit card, you can ask the issuer about a chargeback for goods or services not received.
  3. For telecom, banking, airline and other regulated sectors, use the industry's complaint body or the federal regulator.
  4. Your province's consumer protection office handles most other complaints.
  5. Small claims court is a last resort and the limits depend on your province.

Guides that can help

Tools

Rules differ by province and territory: find yours.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm each step with the official body before you act. Quebec has its own rules for many of these steps: see AtlasQuébec.