If you owed over $3,000 when you filed your 2013 tax return, and you owed over $3,000 in either 2011 or 2012, you will be required to make instalment payments.
You will receive a letter in late July if you are required to make these payments.
In the first year, you will be required to make payments equal to one half of the tax owing in September and December, and then one quarter in March and June of next year.
You will be charged interest if you miss your instalment payment, or do not pay the entire amount, at the CRA’s current rate of interest. The interest will be charged from the date the instalment was supposed to have been made.
There are no direct penalties for missing an instalment payment. However, if the interest owing on your instalment payments is over $1,000 for the year, the government will charge you a penalty based on the amount of interest you ended up owing.
If you have underpaid one instalment, you can reduce your instalment interest by paying a future instalment early.