Enter T4 or T4A Slip Data

Updated: 2021-01-29

Create a TaxCycle T4/T4A file to prepare T4 and/or T4A slips. Start a file by carrying forward from the prior year, creating a new file from the Start screen. See the Create or carry forward a slips return help topic to learn how to do this.

Next, complete the Info worksheet to enter the issuer information and filing details. See the T4/T4A Info worksheet help topic to learn more.

Create a new slip

To create a new slip, use one of the following ways. The example below is for a T4 slip, but the same steps apply whichever slip type you create.

1. Click on the blank slip in the Prepare sidebar (this is the slip with a green plus sign in the form icon).
2. Press F4 and T4 (or another slip type, depending on the return) and press Enter. If you already have some slips in the file, press Ctrl+Enter to make sure you get a blank slip.
3. In the Favourites bar, choose Create a new slip from the T4 drop-down. Or, hold down the Ctrl key and click once to create a blank slip.
4. If you have an existing slip open on screen, click New Slip in the slips toolbar.

On the blank slip, begin entering recipient information. As soon as you complete the first field, TaxCycle inserts the default information as entered on the Info worksheet.

Import from Excel or XML

You can import slips from an Excel spreadsheet, or from the XML used to file the return. Learn how in the Import slips from Excel help topic.

Mark Slips as Amended or Cancelled

1. On the data entry slip, select the type of slip: Cancelled or Amended. 
2. Amended and cancelled slips have a different icon than other slips in the return, so you can quickly recognize them in a list.

Choose whether or not to carry forward a slip next year

When you create a slip in any of the slips modules, you can choose whether to carry forward a slip to next year.

By default, the Carry forward slip? is checked on each slip so that they each carry forward to the following year.

Simply clear this check box if you don't want a slip to carry forward. For example, if you know an employee has left and you will not need to complete their T4 in the following year.

Adjusted column

1. Set the thresholds for adjustments to CPP, EI and PPIP contributions on the T4AdjustmentOptions worksheet. Learn how in the T4 adjustments to CPP, EI and PPIP help topic.
2. On each T4 slip, you can see the adjustment by comparing the Actual and Adjusted columns. Amounts in the Adjusted column are included in the totals on the T4 Summary.
   
3. If TaxCycle detects an under-contribution because there isn't sufficient tax to cover the shortfall or because you haven't specified a maximum amount to take from tax withheld, a review message appears indicating that CPP and/or EI have been adjusted and those adjustments exceed any adjustment to income tax withheld. If there is still tax available, you can increase the maximum amount to take from tax withheld on T4AdjustmentOptions. Or, you can sign off on the review message.
   

Reduced EI T4 slips

You can enter T4 slips with reduced Employment Insurance (EI) rates in TaxCycle without creating a separate file. Learn how in the T4 reduced EI help topic.

Add Other Information boxes

If you complete the default Other Information fields on the Info worksheet, it is used as soon as you enter any information on a new slip. These boxes appear in the Other information section on each slip.

You can add more boxes as needed on the individual slips. If you don't need all the default boxes on a particular slip, complete only those you do. Hover over any unneeded boxes and a review message will give you the option to delete this item or to delete all zero rows:

Other Information codes 57 through 60

"Other information" codes 57 through 60 allow you to report employment income and retroactive payments during COVID-19 pay periods. You can automatically add these as Other information for all new T4 slips in the return by answering Yes to the new question on the Info worksheet in TaxCycle T4.

When carrying forward a T4 return from 2019 to 2020, TaxCycle also automatically answers Yes to the question on the Info worksheet. A review message on the same field on the Info worksheet provides a Quick Fix message to Add COVID-19 'Other information' boxes to all existing slips. This allows you to quickly add the boxes to all slips carried forward from the prior year.

The CRA limits the number of Other information codes to six on any T4 slip. For this reason, TaxCycle only allows six rows in the Other Information section of the T4 slips.

If more than six codes apply to the same employee, create an additional T4 slip in TaxCycle. TaxCycle does not create this additional slip automatically. Do not repeat all the data on the additional slip. Enter only the employer’s name and address, and the employee’s SIN and name, and complete the required boxes in the “Other information” area. Report each code, and amount only once. You can enter a note in the Footnote field on the slip to indicate it has two parts.

If a T4 carried forward from 2019 already has other information boxes, TaxCycle will only add as many of the COVID-19 codes as there are available blank rows on that slip. You will need to create a new slip for the excess boxes. Before creating the new slip, we suggest changing the COVID-19 question on the Info worksheet back to No and remove any of the other default additional boxes. Otherwise, you will need to remove those before adding the remaining boxes to the second slip.

Creating a second slip will trigger a review message alerting you to a duplicate social insurance number. Once you verify the data is correct, sign off this review message.

For more information, see the CRA page on Filling out the T4 slip.

T4Summary and T4ASummary

The T4Summary and T4ASummary bring all the slip information into one summary to report the total source deductions and employer contributions. Before filing, review the employer contributions remitted over the year to accurately reflect any balance due or refund.

If you filed slips for T4 Reduced EI, you will see a separate T4Summary for these slips. Learn how in the T4 reduced EI help topic.