What is a T4A slip and who gets one?

A T4A (Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income) is issued by whoever paid you certain types of non-employment income during the year. You receive a T4A (not a T4) for: pension or annuity income, self-employment/contractor income from a single payer, RESP Educational Assistance Payments, bankruptcy trustee payments, death benefits, scholarships or bursaries, and government income replacement payments (CERB, CRB). You can receive multiple T4As from different payors in a single tax year.

How is a T4A different from a T4?

A T4 (Statement of Remuneration Paid) is issued only by employers for employment income. It includes CPP deductions, EI premiums, and provincial tax withheld because you are an employee on payroll. A T4A is issued for all other types of income payments — pension, annuity, contract work, scholarships, government benefits. T4A payors generally do not deduct CPP or EI because the recipient is not in an employment relationship with them (exceptions: RPPs and certain pension plans).

What do I do with box 20 on my T4A?

Box 20 on a T4A is self-employment commissions. Unlike boxes for pension or government payments, Box 20 income requires you to complete Schedule T2125 (Statement of Business or Professional Activities) and report gross income, expenses, and net self-employment income. Box 20 income is subject to CPP contributions (you pay both employer and employee shares as a self-employed person) — which are calculated on Schedule 8 of your T1 return.

Is T4A income always fully taxable?

Most T4A income is taxable in full, but there are exceptions. Scholarships and bursaries in Box 105 are fully exempt from tax for full-time students enrolled in a program qualifying for the tuition tax credit; part-time students have a partial exemption. Death benefits in Box 106 have a $10,000 lifetime exemption. RESP Educational Assistance Payments in Box 042 are taxable to the student (usually at a low marginal rate). Most other T4A boxes — pension, annuity, RRSP income, contractor fees — are fully taxable.

What if I received a T4A for CERB or CRB payments?

The CRA issued T4A slips for COVID-era payments including CERB, CRB (Canada Recovery Benefit), CRCB, and CRSB. These appear in Box 197 (CERB) or Box 202–205 for CRB/recovery benefits. These payments are fully taxable — they are treated like any other income and add to your tax liability for the year received. No tax was withheld at source for many early CERB payments, which resulted in surprise tax bills for many recipients. If you received these payments, check your T4A slips from CRA on My CRA Account.

What if I received a T4A but didn't expect one?

Common surprises: (1) You did some contract work and the payer decided to issue a T4A instead of just paying you. (2) You received a scholarship or educational grant. (3) You received RESP withdrawals. (4) You received a retiring allowance or severance. (5) A government program issued a T4A for payments you may have assumed were non-taxable. Log into My CRA Account to view all T4A slips on file — issuers file copies with CRA directly. Match every T4A to your tax return to avoid a reassessment.

What Is a T4A Slip in Canada?

Short Answer

A T4A is issued for income you received that is not regular employment wages — pension payments, contractor fees, scholarships, RESP withdrawals, CERB, and over a dozen other income types. You are responsible for reporting every T4A on your tax return even if no tax was withheld at source.

Common T4A Box Numbers and What They Mean

Box	Description	Where reported on T1	Fully taxable?
016	Pension or superannuation	Line 11500	Yes
018	Lump-sum payments	Line 13000 or Schedule 7	Yes (special averaging may apply)
020	Self-employment commissions	Schedule T2125	Yes (less expenses)
022	Annuities	Line 11500 or 12100	Yes
024	Annuities (other)	Line 12100	Partially (annuity principal exempt)
028	Other income	Line 13000	Yes
042	RESP Educational Assistance Payments	Line 13000	Yes (student’s hands)
048	Fees for services (contractor)	Schedule T2125	Yes (less expenses)
066	Eligible retiring allowance	Schedule 7 (RRSP transfer)	Can transfer eligible portion to RRSP
067	Non-eligible retiring allowance	Line 13000	Yes
105	Scholarships, bursaries, fellowships	Line 13010	Exempt for full-time students; partial exempt
106	Death benefit	Line 13000	$10,000 exempt, balance taxable
119	Quebec Parental Insurance Plan	Line 10400	Yes
197	CERB payments	Line 13000	Yes (lump-sum in year received)
202	Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)	Line 13000	Yes

Box 020 vs Box 048: What’s the Difference?

Box	Type	CPP required?	Self-employment Schedule?
Box 020	Commissions (usually sales, real estate, finance)	Yes — Schedule 8	Yes — T2125
Box 048	Fees for services (consulting, contractor, freelance)	Yes — Schedule 8	Yes — T2125

Both boxes require business expense deductions and CPP self-employment contributions. Box 020 is specifically for commission-based income; Box 048 covers project/contract fees.

Who Issues T4As

Payor type	What they report
Employer (for non-pay items)	Retiring allowance, death benefit
Pension plan administrator	Periodic pension, annuity
CRA/government	CERB, CRB, apprenticeship grants, research grants
Educational institution	Scholarships, bursaries, fellowships
RESP promoter	Box 042 Educational Assistance Payments
Business using contractors	Box 048 fees for services
Insurance company	Annuity payments

Box 105 (Scholarships): The Full-Time Student Exemption

Student status	Exemption
Full-time student in qualifying program	100% exempt — no tax on scholarship income
Part-time student	Exempt to the extent of tuition + supplies + other eligible costs
Not enrolled in qualifying program	Fully taxable

Report Box 105 in 13010 on the T1 — the exemption is calculated automatically when your T2202 tuition slip and full-time enrollment status are entered.

Box 066 (Retiring Allowance): RRSP Transfer Eligibility

If you received a retiring allowance on departure from employment before 1996, a portion may be eligible for direct RRSP contribution:

Service years before 1996	Eligible RRSP transfer amount
Per year of service	$2,000
Per year before 1989 (no vested RPP)	Additional $1,500

Service years after 1995 are not eligible for the RRSP transfer — the Retiring Allowance shelter was phased out. The non-eligible portion (Box 067) is fully taxable as income in the year received.

What to Do If You Have a T4A

Log into My CRA Account — all T4As filed by payors are visible; compare to slips received by mail
Identify the box numbers — each box maps to a specific T1 line or schedule
Determine if expenses are deductible — Box 020 and Box 048 allow expense deductions on T2125
Check for unwithheld tax — many T4A payors do not deduct tax at source; you may owe on filing
Report all T4As — CRA matches T4A data; omissions trigger a reassessment

Common T4A Surprises and Why You Got One

Surprise	Why you received the T4A
CERB or CRB T4A from CRA	COVID income replacement was taxable but often had no withholding
T4A from school for scholarship	Scholarship income — report on line 13010 (usually exempt)
T4A for RESP payments	EAP portion of RESP withdrawal is taxable to the student
T4A from a client	Client decided to report fees paid as T4A Box 048
T4A for “other income”	Catch-all box — disability payments, court awards, some grants

Bottom Line

A T4A is not an unusual document — millions of Canadians receive them each year for pension income, contractor work, scholarships, RESP withdrawals, and government payments. Every box maps to a specific line on your T1 return. Box 020 and Box 048 require additional work on Schedule T2125 and CPP self-employment contributions. Log into My CRA Account each spring to verify all slips on file before filing your return.