MONTREAL -- This is the last weekend to file and file your tax return for the 2019 taxation year.

Revenu Quebec expects to receive another million returns from individuals by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the deadline being extended from April 30 to June 1, 2020.

“It varies from year to year, between 6 million and 6.5 million tax returns (for individuals, in total),” said Revenu Quebec spokesperson Martin Croteau.

He pointed out that despite the upheavals caused by the novel coronavirus, the latest blitz promised to be very positive, therefore easier to manage than what one might have thought two months ago.

“We are receiving tax returns at the usual rate, even a little more than usual at this point,” said Croteau.

As of May 28, Revenu Quebec had received returns from 5.3 million Quebec taxpayers, the vast majority of which by electronic means, which helped to mitigate the impact of the slowdowns linked to the pandemic.

“The NetFile service, which allows you to transmit the tax return using certified software, has been widely adopted by Quebecers. This is a very good thing because the processing times are much faster and this allowed Revenu Quebec to maintain a rate of tax return processing during COVID-19 period, which was about the same as in the past,” said Croteau.

“According to Thursday's figures, we're talking about 4.7 million tax returns that were filed electronically. That's 89 per cent of the total,” said Croteau.

The average reimbursement on nearly 64 per cent of the tax returns processed by Revenu Quebec amounted to $1,167, according to the data provided.

LENIENCE FOR LATE FILERS

If the deadline for filing your income tax return is June 1, it is worth remembering that the deadline for paying a tax balance has been extended until September 1.

In addition, both Revenu Québec and the Canada Revenue Agency are being tolerant of late payments since there will be no penalty fees for receiving late income tax returns from individuals before September 2.

“Revenu Quebec is committed to showing great administrative flexibility because of COVID-19,” said Croteau.

“People are strongly encouraged to file their tax returns before June 1, the deadline. That said, there will be no penalty for people who file their tax returns after June 1, but before September 1,” he concluded.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2020.