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OTTAWA — Canadian tax preparers rushing to get their 2014 returns filed on time can take a deep breath as they’ve now got five more days than expected to do so.

The deadline for most Canadians was set for the end of the month.

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However, due to a human error, an incorrect notification was sent to tax preparers last week indicating the deadline was May 5.

A spokesman for Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay said Tuesday the minister has directed her officials to ensure no Canadians are penalized for the CRA’s error.

“Canadians who file their taxes before May 5th will not face any penalty,” Carter Mann said in an email.

For the self-employed, the deadline remains June 15.

CRA extended the tax filing deadline for individuals to May 5 last year after the Heartbleed bug forced a five-day shutdown of its electronic services.

Missing the tax filing deadline triggers penalties on any amounts owed to the CRA, as well as interest on the outstanding balance.

The CRA’s affected services last year included EFILE, NETFILE, My Account, My Business Account and Represent a Client.

The Heartbleed flaw allowed the contents of a computer server’s memory, including private data such as usernames, passwords and credit card numbers, to be revealed.

Some 900 social insurance numbers were stolen over a six-hour period due to the vulnerability in the CRA system.