Remittance Due Date

What a remittance due date means in Canadian payroll and how it connects payroll remittance timing to remitter type.

Remittance Due Date

A remittance due date is the deadline by which an employer must remit payroll amounts after a payroll period or remittance cycle.

In payroll terms, this deadline matters because calculating source deductions is only part of the employer’s job. Payroll also needs to know when the remittance must reach the CRA under the employer’s remitter classification.

Why Remittance Due Date Matters

Remittance due date matters because it affects:

  • employer-side payroll compliance timing
  • cash planning after payroll runs
  • how payroll staff organize follow-up work after employees are paid
  • the difference between a payroll run date, a pay date, and a remittance deadline

It is one of the clearest timing terms in the employer-administration side of payroll.

How It Works In Canada

After payroll calculates and records source deductions, the employer may need to remit those amounts by a deadline that depends on the employer’s remitter type and current CRA rules. That is why remittance due date should be understood as:

  • an employer obligation date
  • different from the employee’s pay date
  • closely connected to remitter classification
  • part of the payroll-control process after the run is finished

Example

An employer finishes payroll and employees receive their paycheques on schedule. Payroll still has follow-up work because the remittance due date for the withheld amounts may fall later, and the employer needs to organize that remittance correctly.

Common Misunderstandings

  • Remittance due date is not the same as the pay date. One is employee-facing and one is employer-facing.
  • Remittance due date is not the same as remitter type. The type helps determine the timing; the due date is the deadline itself.
  • Remittance due date is not the payroll run date. The run may happen earlier than the deadline to remit.

Knowledge Check

  1. Is the remittance due date the same as the pay date? No.
  2. Can the remittance due date depend on remitter type? Yes.
  3. Does the remittance due date belong to the employer-side payroll workflow? Yes.

Caveat

Exact due dates can change with the employer’s CRA status and current rules. This page explains the payroll role of the term, but live remittance timing should always be confirmed against current official guidance.