Taxpayer Relief (Your Request — Form RC4288)
The CRA can cancel or waive PENALTIES and INTEREST (not the tax itself) when circumstances beyond your control caused the problem: serious illness, disaster, death in the family, CRA errors or delays, or financial hardship.
⏰ The deadlines
| Time limit | Requests can cover only the 10 calendar years before the year you ask |
💵 What you can get: Cancelled or waived penalties and interest — on large old debts, often thousands of dollars.
💡 What the pros know
- Document the circumstances (medical records, dates) and connect them to the missed obligation — specific timelines win relief requests.
- File it even while an objection or payment arrangement is running; they're independent tracks.
- Denied? You can request a second independent review, then Federal Court judicial review.
Related forms: Collections Letters (Reminder → Legal Warning) · Notice of Reassessment
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Decode it freeGeneral tax information, not tax or legal advice — verified against official guidance but programs and deadlines change. Confirm on canada.ca or with a licensed tax professional; free help exists at community tax clinics (CVITP).