Filing the T5018 Form Electronically

You use the Create T5018 E-File (AP507600) form to generate an electronic XML file with T5018 returns, which you will submit to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) at the end of the reporting period or at the end of the calendar year.

You file the T5018 form by performing the following actions:

  1. On the Create T5018 E-File form, you specify the needed settings in the Transmitter and T5018 Tax Year boxes of the Selection area.
  2. On the Summary tab, you review the information inserted by the system from the settings of the selected company and update it if necessary.
  3. On the form toolbar, you click Prepare Report.

    The Details tab of the form shows the aggregated payment transactions of T5018 vendors in the selected year that were not previously prepared. When you click Prepare Report, the original T5018 file (revision 1) is created for the selected company and year. On the form toolbar, the Amend Report button appears and the View Validation Report and Create E-File buttons become available.

  4. You preview the T5018 e-file by clicking View Validation Report on the form toolbar. The system opens the T5018 Preview Report (AP607600) with the T5018 information.
  5. Optional: You review the list of the documents whose amounts are included in the T5018 report by clicking the link in the Amount to Report column on the Details tab. The system opens a separate page with the T5018 Report Details (AP407600) form. On this form, you can review each document by clicking the link in the Reference Nbr. column.
  6. If the information in the report is correct, on the Create T5018 E-File form, you create a T5018 e-file by clicking Create E-File on the form toolbar.

    The system generates an XML file with information for all vendors displayed on the Details tab. The generated file is attached to the form, and you can review it by clicking Files on the form title bar.

  7. Optional: You can activate the audit history for specific records by performing the following instructions:
    1. On the form title bar of the Create T5018 E-File form, you click Tools > Audit History.
    2. In the Update History dialog box, which is opened, you click Enable Field Level Audit. The system navigates to the Audit (SM205510) form.
    3. On this form, you specify the needed settings and then click Save on the form toolbar. For details, see Field-Level Auditing: General Information.

The e-files generated on the Create T5018 E-File have the following formats of the file name:

  • Original: T5018-<Transmitter_Name>-<Tax_Year>-<Revision>-Original.xml
  • Amended: T5018-<Transmitter_Name>-<Tax_Year>-<Revision>-Amended.xml
  • Canceled: T5018-<Transmitter_Name>-<Tax_Year>-<Revision>-Canceled.xml

In the given file names, <Tax_Year> is a date in the MMDDYY format and <Revision> is the revision number of the report, such as R1. For example, an original file can have the following name: T5018-PRODUCTS-021224-R1-Original.xml.

The T5018 XML file has the following structure.

Table 1. Structure of the T5018 XML file
Node Description
T619 Electronic Transmittal Details This node contains the submission reference ID, the type of filing (Original or Amendment), the transmitter number, the transmitter type indicator, the number of summary records, the language of the communication indicator, and the transmitter's name, address, and contact information.
T5018 Slip The T5018 slip contains the following vendor information: the recipient's name, the corporate partnership's name, the payer's SIN or Tax Registration ID, the recipient's address, and the amount.
T5018 Summary The T5018 summary aggregates the amounts of all vendors, the number of vendors included in the XML file, and the payer's (transmitter's) name, address, contact information, and ending day of the period.

Generating Amendments to the T5018 Form

You can prepare amendments to a T5018 report submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) whenever a new payment has been added or an existing payment has been voided for a particular subcontractor. You prepare an amendment by clicking Amend Report on the form toolbar of the Create T5018 E-File form and entering the settings (Transmitter and T5018 Tax Year) for the amended report.

The Amend Report button appears on the form after you prepare the original report (revision 1). You can prepare an amendment by clicking this button after you submit the original report to the CRA by selecting the E-File Submitted to CRA check box and saving the changes on the form. Likewise, you will be able to prepare an amended report (revision 3) after the previously amended report (revision 2) has been submitted to the CRA.

Canceling Submitted T5018 Reports

You can cancel a T5018 report already submitted to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) by generating a T5018 cancellation report in the XML format and electronically submitting it. A T5018 report can be canceled on the Create T5018 E-File (AP507600) form.

To amend or cancel a T5018 report, you complete the following general steps:

  1. Create a new document or documents for the needed vendor on the Checks and Payments (AP302000) form and select or clear the T5018 Service check box for the needed lines.
  2. On the Create T5018 E-File form, select the submitted report that need to be amended. (This report revision must have the E-File Submitted to CRA check box selected.
  3. On the form toolbar, click Amend Report.

    The system prepares a new report revision with the Amendment filing type if the new Total Service Amount is greater than the Threshold Amount. The system prepares a new revision with the Canceled filing type if the new Total Service Amount is less than the Threshold Amount.

  4. Create a T5018 e-file by clicking Create E-File on the form toolbar.