The December 15 Instalment: A Plain-English Guide for the Self-Employed
It is the first week of December. The snow has come, the holiday orders are in, and you are thinking about everything except a payment you may owe to the CRA in about two weeks. If you are self-employed, there is a date worth putting in your calendar now: December 15.
What an instalment is
When you are employed, tax comes off every paycheque. When you are self-employed, nothing is withheld, so the CRA may ask you to pay in advance during the year. Those advance payments are called instalments. Many people first hear about them after an unexpected bill, so they are worth understanding before you need to.
Who may have to pay them
According to the CRA, you may have to pay instalments for 2026 if your net tax owing is more than C$3,000 for 2026 and in either 2025 or 2024. For Quebec residents the figure is C$1,800. If you are in Quebec, also check the rules that Revenu Québec applies on the provincial side.
The four dates
- March 15
- June 15
- September 15
- December 15
If a date falls on a weekend or a CRA-recognized holiday, a payment received on the next business day counts as on time. Farmers and fishers whose main income is from farming or fishing have a single date, December 31. Late or insufficient instalments can lead to instalment interest and penalties, which is why the December date matters: it is the last of the year.
A simple way not to miss one
You do not need a system, you need two reminders. One set about ten days before each date, so you have time to check the amount. One on the day itself, in case you had not got to it. If you are not sure which amount to pay, the CRA's own materials set out how instalments are calculated, and an accountant can confirm your case.
Reminders are something Edwin, a digital assistant, handles well: you tell him once and he reminds you before each date. He does not calculate your tax or make payments for you, so think of him as the nudge, not the accountant. You can join the waitlist to try it. This article is general information, not tax advice.