Search "NR6 filing service cost" and you'll get a lot of vague answers, because the honest answer is: it depends on what you're actually comparing. Filing NR6 isn't a single $X task—it's an entry point into an ongoing annual compliance relationship that includes a Canadian agent, monthly withholding remittances, an NR4 slip, and a Section 216 return. The sticker price on any option only tells you part of the story. Here's a real breakdown of what each path costs, in money and in the things that don't show up on an invoice.
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Costs and fee structures vary by provider and by your specific situation—confirm current pricing directly with any firm you're considering, and consult a cross-border tax professional if your situation is complex.
What "Filing NR6" Actually Includes
Before comparing prices, it helps to know what you're pricing. A complete NR6 compliance package covers:
- The NR6 form itself—filed and signed by you and your Canadian agent, submitted to CRA on or before January 1 (or before your first rental payment for a new property).
- A Canadian resident agent—CRA requires one to co-sign the NR6 and take on responsibility for withholding and remitting tax. See our NR6 form guide for what the agent role actually entails.
- Monthly withholding remittances—25% of net rental income, remitted to CRA by the 15th of the following month, every month, for as long as the NR6 is in effect.
- An NR4 slip—issued after year-end summarizing the rent and tax withheld.
- A Section 216 return—filed by June 30 of the following year to reconcile actual income and expenses against what was withheld, and to claim any refund.
Any cost comparison that only prices step 1 is missing four-fifths of the job. That's the trap a lot of non-resident landlords fall into when they see "NR6 filing" advertised cheaply and don't realize the agent, remittance, and Section 216 pieces are billed—or handled—separately.
Option 1: Do It Yourself
Out-of-pocket cost: close to $0. But "free" here is doing a lot of work.
You can't be your own Canadian agent if you're a non-resident, so DIY really means finding a Canadian-resident friend, family member, or property manager willing to sign on as agent and accept the legal responsibility that comes with it—including joint and several liability if remittances or the Section 216 return don't get filed correctly. Not everyone you ask will say yes once they understand what they're taking on.
If you do have a willing agent, the real costs are:
- Time. Researching the form, tracking monthly remittance deadlines for 12 months, preparing NR4 slips, and completing a Section 216 return from scratch typically takes several hours spread across the year—more if you're unfamiliar with CRA's forms.
- Error risk. Get the net-income calculation wrong, miss a monthly remittance, or file the Section 216 late, and CRA can revert you to 25% withholding on gross rent, or worse, treat the NR6 as void for the year. Our deadlines guide covers what's actually at stake.
- Your agent's exposure. If something goes wrong, CRA can pursue your agent directly, not just you. That's a real ask of whoever agrees to the role.
DIY works best if you have one property, a cooperative and detail-oriented Canadian-resident agent, and the time to stay on top of a recurring monthly obligation for the life of the filing.
Option 2: Hire an Accountant or Cross-Border Tax Firm
Most Canadian accounting firms that handle non-resident files bill per service, not as a package. That typically means separate charges for NR6 preparation, ongoing remittance bookkeeping, NR4 slip issuance, and the Section 216 return—plus the firm often won't act as your Canadian agent at all, so you still need to arrange that separately.
Exact fees vary firm to firm and depend on how many properties you own and how complex your expenses are, so we won't quote a single number here—get a written quote from any firm before committing. What's worth knowing going in:
- Ask what's included, not just the headline price. A quote for "NR6 filing" might cover only the initial form, with remittance tracking and the Section 216 return billed separately at year-end.
- Multi-property owners often pay per property, which can add up faster than a single flat rate. Our multi-property NR6 guide covers how filing scales with your portfolio.
- A good accountant is genuinely worth it for complex situations—multiple income sources, a recent sale, or treaty questions—where judgment matters more than process. For a straightforward single-property rental, you may be paying for expertise you don't need.
Option 3: A Flat-Fee Specialized Service
Services built specifically around NR6 compliance—like NR6.ca—charge one flat annual rate that's meant to cover the whole cycle: NR6 preparation, acting as your Canadian agent, monthly remittance handling, NR4 slip issuance, and your Section 216 return at year-end. Our own fee is $999 CAD per property, per year, with everything above included—no separate agent fee, no per-form add-ons.
The trade-off works in the other direction from DIY: you're paying more up front than "free," but you're not assembling the pieces yourself, and you're not asking a friend or family member to accept personal liability for your compliance.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| DIY | Accountant (à la carte) | Flat-Fee Service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash cost | ~$0 (excluding your time) | Varies by firm; typically billed per service | Fixed—$999 CAD/year at NR6.ca |
| Canadian agent included | You must find your own | Usually not included | Included |
| Monthly remittance handling | You track it | Often billed separately | Included |
| Section 216 return | You file it | Usually a separate fee | Included |
| Time commitment | Several hours across the year | Low, but requires coordinating multiple providers | Minimal |
| Liability exposure | Falls on you and your agent | Shared with the firm for what they prepare | Handled as part of the service |
| Best for | One property, hands-on owners with a willing agent | Complex situations needing tax judgment | Owners who want one predictable annual cost |
A Worked Example
Say you're a non-resident owner renting a Toronto condo for $2,800/month CAD—$33,600 gross rent per year. Without an NR6, your agent withholds 25% of that gross amount: $8,400/year, remitted monthly regardless of your actual expenses.
With an approved NR6, withholding drops to 25% of net rental income. If your deductible expenses (mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, management fees, and so on) run around $12,000/year, net income is $21,600, and withholding falls to $5,400/year—a difference of $3,000 in cash flow you're not waiting on CRA to refund.
That $3,000/year swing is why the "cost" of filing NR6 isn't really the service fee in isolation—it's the service fee weighed against what happens if you don't file, or file incorrectly and lose the reduced withholding partway through the year. A missed remittance or a late Section 216 return can put you back on 25%-of-gross for months while you sort it out with CRA, which typically costs far more than any filing fee. Our NR6 tax savings calculator and Section 216 refund estimator can help you run your own numbers before deciding which route makes sense.
What Actually Drives Your Cost
A few factors matter more than which option you pick:
- Number of properties. Multi-property owners should specifically ask whether pricing is per property or bundled—this is where DIY and à la carte accounting costs can multiply quickly, while flat-fee services vary in whether they bundle or charge per property too.
- How organized your records are. Messy or missing expense records add time (and often fees) to any option, since someone has to reconstruct them before the Section 216 return can be filed accurately.
- Whether you already have a Canadian agent. If a family member or property manager is already willing and reliable, DIY becomes more viable. If not, sourcing one is itself part of the cost.
- What happens if something goes wrong. A cheap option that leads to a missed deadline isn't actually cheap once you account for months of full withholding while it gets fixed.
The Bottom Line
There's no single right answer to "how much does NR6 filing cost"—it depends on whether you're pricing just the form, or the full year of agent duties, remittances, and the Section 216 return that come with it. If you want to compare apples to apples, ask any provider (including us) exactly what's included before you compare the number.
If you'd rather skip assembling agent, remittance, and Section 216 services separately, NR6.ca handles the entire cycle for a flat $999 CAD per property, per year—NR6 preparation, Canadian agent, monthly remittances, and your year-end Section 216 return, all included.
