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First year

The money tasks that actually come first.

By Vishal Tomar · Checked against official sources · Updated 13 November 2026

Six steps, in the order they usually matter. Each one points at a government page. Benefit dollar amounts are left on those pages so this checklist cannot go stale.

Educational only, not financial or tax advice. Not affiliated with CRA.

  1. Step 1

    Get a social insurance number

    You need a SIN to work, to file a tax return, and to open a TFSA, RRSP, or FHSA. Service Canada issues it. Do not use it as a piece of identification at a store, and do not email it around.

  2. Step 2

    Open a bank account in your name

    A Canadian account is where a paycheque lands and where rent usually leaves. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains what identification a bank may ask for. Several banks publish their own newcomer packages. Two official examples are linked below. They are not recommendations, and this site is not paid to show them.

  3. Step 3

    Start a credit file without inventing a history

    Canadian lenders usually cannot see a credit history from another country. A file here is built by borrowing a small amount and paying it back on time, or by a credit-builder product you understand. Order your own report from the credit bureaus; the consumer agency explains how, including the free options. Nothing on this page is a card offer.

  4. Step 4

    File the first tax return, including your date of entry

    The newcomers pages at the CRA cover the date you became a resident, income from before you arrived, and world income for the part of the year you were a resident. Keep immigration papers, T4 slips, and those income records. The longer guide on this site quotes only the filing dates CRA has printed. A filed return is also how the CRA records RRSP room for the next year.

  5. Step 5

    Apply for the groceries benefit and, if you have children, the Canada child benefit

    CRA's newcomers page now calls the former GST/HST credit the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. You can apply when you arrive, before the first return, on form RC151. Families applying for the Canada child benefit use form RC66, which also covers related provincial programs. Payment amounts stay on the CRA page.

  6. Step 6

    Learn the three registered accounts before you fund one

    A TFSA can start in the year you are a resident and 18 or older. An RRSP usually has no new room until the year after you have Canadian earned income. An FHSA starts in the year you open it, if you qualify, and the first-time buyer test is on CRA's opening page. Use the calculators for the arithmetic, then read the CRA page before you contribute.

Keep a small folder

Date you arrived, the document that shows it, your SIN confirmation, T4s, and any foreign income from the part of the year you were a resident. You will want those for the first return and, later, if a bank or the CRA asks how long you have been here.

Questions

Do I file a Canadian tax return in the year I arrive?

CRA's March 2026 tax tip says you file for the year you become a resident. A 2026 arrival files the 2026 return by April 30, 2027. Benefit applications can start before that return. Filing each year is how the CRA keeps calculating the payments.

Do I report income from before I moved?

Income from outside Canada before you became a resident is not taxed in Canada. You still report up to two years of it on a Statement of Income for benefits. World income for the part of the year you were a resident goes on the tax return. The first-tax-return guide cites the CRA pages.

How do the groceries benefit and the Canada child benefit start?

CRA now calls the former GST/HST credit the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. New residents apply on form RC151, or on RC66 if they are applying for the Canada child benefit. You do not need to file the first return before that application. This page does not quote a payment amount.

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