A nil return only applies when a corporation had absolutely no financial activity during the tax year.
If any income, expenses, or financial transactions are recorded, the return is no longer considered nil.
Understanding this distinction helps ensure your return is filed correctly and explains when standard filing fees apply on CloudTax.
What Is a T2 Nil Return?
A T2 nil return means the corporation had no financial activity during the tax year.
This means:
No revenue earned
No expenses recorded
No assets purchased or sold
No business transactions
No financial statements to report
In simple terms, the corporation existed but did not operate in any way.
When this happens, the return is considered nil.
What Is Considered Financial Activity?
A return stops being nil as soon as any financial information is reported in the corporate tax return.
Examples include:
Revenue: If the corporation earned income from sales, services, or investments.
Expenses: Expenses such as software subscriptions, accounting fees, marketing costs, or office expenses.
Net Loss: Even if revenue is zero, reporting expenses that create a loss still counts as financial activity.
Financial Statements: If schedules such as Schedule 125 (Income Statement Information) are completed, the return is not nil.
If financial activity exists, the corporation must file a standard T2 corporate tax return.
Example of a Nil Return
A corporation incorporated during the year but never started operations.
During the tax year it:
Did not earn income
Did not pay expenses
Did not open a business bank account
Did not purchase assets
This situation qualifies as a nil return.
Example of a Non-Nil Return
Consider this scenario:
Item | Amount |
Revenue | $0 |
Expenses | $2,000 |
Net income | -$2,000 |
Even though the corporation made no money, this is not a nil return because expenses were recorded.
This requires a standard T2 filing.
CloudTax Pricing: Nil Returns vs Standard Filing
CloudTax offers two different pricing approaches depending on whether the return is nil.
Nil Returns → Pay What You Want
If the corporation had no financial activity, the return qualifies as a nil return.
For these filings, CloudTax offers a Pay What You Want (PWYW) model.
This means you can choose how much to pay for filing your nil return.
Returns With Financial Activity → Standard Filing Fee
If your corporation reports any financial activity, the return is no longer considered a nil filing.
Financial activity includes:
Revenue
Expenses
Losses
Asset purchases
Financial statements
When this happens, a standard corporate filing fee applies on CloudTax.
Each T2 corporate return is $199 per filing.
This applies to corporations that need to report financial information and complete the required CRA schedules.
What Schedules Are Supported on CloudTax?
The CloudTax T2 platform is designed for simple to moderately complex Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs).
These corporations represent the majority of owner-managed businesses in Canada.
Our initial T2 release focuses on the schedules most commonly required for standard corporate tax filings.
Core T2 Forms
CloudTax supports the key forms required for filing a corporate tax return with the CRA.
These include:
T2 (200) Corporation Income Tax Return
Schedule 1 – Net Income (Loss) for Income Tax Purposes
Schedule 5 – Tax Calculation Supplementary
Schedule 100 – Balance Sheet Information
Schedule 101 – Opening Balance Sheet
Schedule 125 – Income Statement Information
These schedules form the foundation of most corporate tax filings.
Common CCPC Schedules Supported
CloudTax also supports common schedules required by Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs).
These include:
Schedule 3 – Dividends Received and Paid (Part IV tax)
Schedule 4 – Corporation Loss Continuity and Application
Schedule 6 – Capital Property Dispositions
Schedule 7 – Aggregate Investment Income and Small Business Deduction
Schedule 8 – Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)
Schedule 9 – Related and Associated Corporations
Schedule 11 – Transactions with Shareholders, Officers, or Employees
These schedules allow corporations to properly report items such as:
Dividends
Capital assets
Investment income
Loss carryforwards
Shareholder transactions
Additional Reporting Schedules
CloudTax also includes several additional schedules commonly required in corporate tax filings.
These include:
Schedule 19 – Non-Resident Shareholder Information
Schedule 24 – First-Time Filer After Incorporation, Amalgamation, or Wind-Up
Schedule 50 – Shareholder Information
Schedule 88 – Internet Business Activities
Schedule 141 – Notes Checklist
These schedules help ensure your return includes the required disclosures and supporting information for CRA compliance.
Built for Typical Owner-Managed Corporations
This setup works well for many standard Canadian small business tax filings.
Examples include corporations that report:
Dividends
Capital cost allowance (CCA)
Loss carryforwards
Shareholder transactions
QuickBooks-based financial statements
By focusing on the most commonly used schedules, CloudTax makes corporate tax filing simpler while still supporting the needs of most CCPC owner-managed businesses.
File Your T2 Yourself or Let Our CPAs Handle It
CloudTax is designed as a do-it-yourself corporate tax filing platform, making it easy for business owners to prepare and file their T2 returns online.
If your corporation has no financial activity, you can file a nil return using the Pay What You Want model. If the corporation reports revenue, expenses, or losses, the standard $199 T2 filing fee applies and the platform supports the key schedules needed for most owner-managed corporations.
If you would prefer our team of CPAs to handle your corporate tax filing from start to finish, you can learn more here: https://www.cloudtax.ca/corporate-tax