A Canadian tax return refers to the obligatory forms that must be submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) each financial year for individuals or corporations earning an income in Canada. The return paperwork reports the sum of the previous year's (January to December) taxable income, tax credits, and other information relating to those two items. The return is the method by which the Canadian government determines the appropriate amount of tax that should be paid by individuals and corporations. The result of filing a return with the federal government can result in either a refund (money owed to the person or corporation filing the return), or an amount due to be paid. There is a penalty for not filing a tax return.