Did you know that there are several options for filing your annual T-3010 information return? Philippe Brideau of the Canada Revenue Agency outlines four choices:

1. The fillable and saveable form available on CRA's website;
2. The paper return CRA sends you automatically;
3. The services of a tax preparer or accountant; or
4. Commercially available software (customized T3010-1 form). In addition to well-defined fields for text and numbers, Brideau explains, a customized T3010-1 form may contain extra features such as line annotations with links to the guide, different error warnings, 2D bar-code generation of the completed return, some auto-fill functions, and automatic sum functions for line totals.

Customized T3010-1 forms are only available from authorized producers. Software producers are required to prepare test returns using test data or conditions provided by the CRA. These T3010-1 form test samples are submitted to the CRA electronically or by hard copy.The CRA evaluates the customized form to ensure that it complies with the specifications and assigns an approval code.

That approval is valid until CRA revises its version of the form. At that point, the software producer must submit a new customized form with the revisions or changes to get a new approval code.