Fill your 2026 TD1 in Chrome without uploading your SIN

The TD1 asks for your name, address, date of birth and social insurance number. The CRA marks it "Protected B when completed", so a free "fill PDF online" site is a poor place to put it. Here is how to fill the 2026 federal TD1 and the Ontario, BC and Alberta versions on your own computer.

Updated October 2026 · 6 min read

Get the right forms first

Employers usually want your current-year TD1 when you start a job or when your situation changes. Download it straight from the CRA, not from a third-party mirror, so you get the 2026 version:

• Federal TD1, 2026 (canada.ca)
• TD1ON, Ontario
• TD1BC, British Columbia
• TD1AB, Alberta

The federal form says you also have to fill out a provincial or territorial TD1 if your claim amount on line 13 is more than the federal basic personal amount, and to use the form for your province or territory of employment. For 2026 the federal form shows a basic personal amount of $16,452 on line 1, and warns that if your net income will be above $181,440 and you enter the full amount, you may owe tax when you file. Both figures are printed in the CRA's own 2026 TD1 PDF (as of October 2026). Read page 2 of the form before you fill page 1, as the form itself says.

This is not tax advice. If you aren't sure which credits to claim, ask your payroll team or the CRA.

Why "Protected B when completed" matters

That phrase is printed at the top of every page of the CRA's form. It is the Government of Canada's label for sensitive personal information. You don't have to be afraid of it, but it is a fair reason to keep the file on your own machine and to send it only to the person who needs it, usually your employer's payroll or HR contact, by whatever secure method they ask for. A free web tool that uploads your PDF puts a copy, with your SIN in it, on a server you know nothing about.

Why the CRA says to use Adobe Reader

The TD1 page tells you: "For best results, download and open this form in Adobe Reader." We checked the 2026 PDFs to see what that means. Two things stand out:

• The fillable files (for example td1-fill-26e.pdf) were made in Adobe Designer and contain both normal form fields and XFA form data, an older Adobe format that only Adobe's software fully supports. They also contain scripts and are encrypted with permission restrictions. These are the same kind of features that make some browsers and previewers show a blank or half-working form.
• The federal download without "fill" in its name is a plain print version with no form fields at all.

So Adobe Reader is the safe, official route, and if it works for you, use it. It is a free download, though you have to install it.

What we found when we looked inside the PDFs

We counted the fields with pdf.js, the open-source engine Chrome-based PDF tools such as Penwise use. In each case it lists the fields as ordinary form fields, so you can click into them and type. What it cannot do is run the CRA's scripts, so any automatic totals or "clear data" buttons built into the form may not work, and you should add up your claim amounts yourself. The signature field in TD1ON is for certificate-based digital signatures, which are not what a typed or drawn signature is.

If you only have the flat print version, or a field won't take your text, you can still place text anywhere on the page. That works on any PDF, though you'll line it up by eye.

Option 1: Adobe Acrobat Reader

Open the downloaded fillable PDF in Reader, fill the fields, and save. This is what the CRA recommends and the one most likely to calculate totals correctly. Limits: a large install, and it may nudge you to sign in or buy a plan.

Option 2: Mac Preview or Chrome's built-in viewer

Both can type into visible form fields, and both keep the file on your computer. Because of the XFA and script parts, results vary, so after saving, reopen the file in a different app and check each entry, especially your SIN and the amounts. See our guide to signing a PDF without uploading it for the steps. Chrome 149 (June 2026) added basic PDF fill, add text and drawn signatures.

Option 3: Penwise in Chrome

Disclosure: we make Penwise.

1. Install Penwise, then open the TD1 PDF in Chrome and click the Penwise icon (or drop the file into it).
2. Click into the fields and type. Use Add text for anything that isn't a field, and the check and cross tools for tick boxes.
3. Use Today's date and add your signature if your employer accepts one. You can draw it, type it or upload an image.
4. Download. There is no watermark and the file is never uploaded.

Everything runs in your browser, with no account. Filling, signing and downloading are free. See our guide to filling PDF forms for free for more on how this works. Limits: Penwise doesn't run the form's scripts, so it won't auto-total your claim. It also can't make a certificate-based digital signature. We filled the 2026 federal TD1 and the TD1ON in Penwise in October 2026 and the entries were saved into the downloaded files. These forms are built for Adobe Reader, though, and Reader may warn that the file was changed by another app, so check the saved file before you send it.

Do I need a signature?

The federal form has a certification line with a date field on page 2. Whether a typed or drawn image is enough is your employer's decision, not Penwise's or ours, so ask payroll. Some want a printed, hand-signed copy.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use Adobe Reader?

No law says so, but the CRA recommends it for best results. Other tools may work. Check the output.

Is it safe to use an online PDF filler for my TD1?

You don't need one, and the form is marked Protected B when completed. A local tool means your SIN stays on your computer.

Do I need the provincial form too?

Often. The federal form says to also complete one if your line 13 amount is above the federal basic personal amount.

Can I sign it with a typed or drawn signature?

Ask your employer first. Some accept an image, some want a printed signed copy.

Related: sign a PDF without uploading it · fill a PDF form for free · sign on Mac or Chromebook