eForms News

If you are currently running AvanTax eForms 2025.105, you do not need to install AvanTax eForms 2025.106 unless one or more of the items described in this update notice apply to your situation.

If you are running version 2025.104 or earlier, then you should install eForms 2025.106, as it contains important updates.

Improved the XML validation and creation screen so the [XML File and Validation Report] and [Validation Report] buttons are always visible while the screen is open. In previous versions, one of these buttons could occasionally be hidden.

Resolved an issue where AGR1 XML files incorrectly used the Business Number as 00000000RP000 when a slip had recipient type 4 (association, trust, club, or partnership) and a valid Business Number was provided. The supplied Business Number is now correctly reflected in the XML.

Fixed a program error that occurred during XML generation when an entity included a slip with recipient type 4 (Other - for example, an association, trust (including fiduciary-trustee), nominee, estate, or partnership).

Removed the Inactive column from the XML validation filing reports for the T4RSP and T4RIF. This column does not apply to these forms, as their XML files may legitimately contain slips with all zero-dollar amounts. Previously, the column always displayed a value, which was misleading. This was a cosmetic change only and did not affect any XML files already created.

TFSA slips may have negative amounts in 'Acquisition of non-qualified investment' and 'Withdrawal of non-qualified investment' as an indicator that those fields are to be excluded from the Xml file. Such slips were sometimes treated as inactive and did not get written to the Xml file. This has been corrected.

Users sending recipient slips via SMTP email may now include the sender's name with the reply-to email address to display the sender's name when the email is received. eForms will accept either of the following formats:

- emailaddress@mydomain.com

- Name <emailaddress@mydomain.com> (angle braces and the space after 'Name' are required)

Effective January 12, 2026, CRA has retroactively updated its XML specifications for filing previous year XML returns. Consequently, any XML file generated using AvanTax eForms 2024.114 and earlier will probably be rejected by CRA if:

♦ You did not enter a Transmitter Rep ID, meaning that you are using a Transmitter CRA Account Number, which could be either a 15-character business number, a 9-character SIN or a trust identification number.

or

♦ If you are submitting 2024 AGR1, T5 or T5008 Returns, regardless of whether or not you have entered a Transmitter Rep ID.

In these above noted cases CRA will probably reject your XML submission if it was created by eForms 2024.114 and earlier.

AvanTax eForms 2024.115 updates XML processing to comply with the CRA requirements that came into effect on January 12, 2026. Therefore, almost all eForms users who wish to file forms produced by eForms 2024 should download this new release.

We also provide a free utility that can update previous years' XML files to comply with the CRA requirements that came into effect on January 12, 2026. This includes XML files created by all eForms versions released before eForms 2024.115, including eForms 2023 and earlier years.

1 - CRA XML Update - This release updates the XML schema eForms uses in validating CRA XML files to meet CRA's revised XML specification of January 12, 2026.

2 - T5008 Slip Printing Enabled - This release enables printing of the T5008 slip. Printing had been disabled in the prior release pending government approval.

3 - RL-31 XML Filing Enabled - This release enables XML filing of RL-31 data. XML filnig had been disabled in the prior release pending government approval.

4 - Transmitter Setup - Email addresses on the 'avantax.ca' and 'elmcomputers.com' domains can no longer be used as the Technical Contact email address.

1 - Support for Revenu Québec RL-1.T & RLZ-1.ST - eForms now supports processing of Revenu Québec forms RL-1.T (2026-01) and RLZ-1.ST (2026-01). Users issuing RL-1 slips and summaries for the 2026 taxation year may do so with this release.

1 - Transmitter Recipient ID Fix - The previous versions of eFORMS did not include the transmitter’s recipient ID that was entered in the Setup in any XML files that were produced. This issue has been resolved in the latest release of AvaTax eForms.

2 - T4PS Slip Layout Correction - An issue with the T4PS slip layout has been corrected. The plan name was printing too far to the left, and the employer account number was printing too high on Copy 1 of the form.

1 - Printing of the T5008 and T5008 consolidated forms are disabled in this release of eForms pending final government approval.

1 - Forms & XML - We have updated all forms and XML output for the 2025 taxation year.

2 - Validation Report - The validation process now produces a redesigned report that’s easier to read and better organized, helping you quickly understand and review your data.

1 - New Form - We've added the Relevé 32.

2 - Guided Tours - We’ve added a guided tour to help anyone new to eForms - or those who have not used it for a while - get oriented quickly. The tour provides a clear, step-by-step introduction to producing tax slip returns, so you can feel confident using the system without having to dig through documentation first.

3 - Online User Guide - Our user guide has been completely rewritten and is now available online. The new version is easier to navigate, clearer to follow, and designed to help you find answers quickly.

4 - Recipient Search - A new search feature lets you quickly find recipients across companies and slip types, making it easier to locate and manage records without scrolling through long lists.

1 - In version 2025.101, the number of companies displayed in the active company selection box was limited to 999. If your data file contained more than 999 companies, any additional companies would not appear in the list. There was no data loss, but the company list was incomplete. Release 2025.102 resolves this issue.

2 - The CRA Form T215 did not print correctly in previous versions of eForms 2025. If you use Form T215 and need to print the slips, you will require this new update.

AvanTax eForms has been refreshed for the 2025 tax season with current rates, smarter tools, exciting new features and a more intuitive experience.

1 - All values have been updated for the 2025 tax year

2 - Easily roll data forward from AvanTax 2024 into AvanTax eForms 2025

3 - All other forms & XML output remain in their 2024 format, but can be used for 2025 end-of-business returns

4 - Note that electronic filing of the RL-31 is disabled in this version of AvanTax eForms pending government approval

1 - Redesigned Email - Email recipient slips is now more intuitive and easier to use

2 - Flexible Signatures - Print signatures on the forms exactly where they're needed

3 - Improved Data Validation - The data validation process now produces a redesigned report that’s easier to read and better organized, helping you quickly understand and review your data

1 - File-Wide Search - Quickly find recipients across all companies and slip types, making it easier to locate and manage specific slips without scrolling through vast amounts of data

2 - Guided Tours - Step-by-step walkthroughs to help those new to eForms - or those who haven't used it for a while - to get oriented quickly. The tours provide clear, step-by-step introductions for producing tax slip returns, so you can feel confident using the system

3 - Company Management Console - Create, transfer, merge, copy & delete companies from a single location

4 - Online User Guides - The English and French user guides have been completely rewritten and moved online; the new guides are easier to navigate, clearer to follow, and designed to help you find answers quickly