How to read your notice of assessment (NOA) line by line

Where to find your notice of assessment and what it shows

Your notice of assessment (NOA) is the CRA’s summary of a tax return after it has been processed. You get one for every return you file. Sign in to your CRA account and open your online mail to read it. If electronic mail is your correspondence preference, the CRA emails you to say a notice is waiting, and the only way to read it is through My Account. Otherwise you receive a paper copy, and the notice is still viewable online.

The notice has four broad parts: your notice details and account summary, a summary of the main lines of your return, an explanation of changes, and additional information such as your RRSP deduction limit statement. Electronic and paper versions can look slightly different but carry the same information. For 2026 the RRSP dollar ceiling is $33,810, but your own deduction limit on the notice depends on your earned income, pension adjustment and unused room.

If something is wrong, you have two routes. A correction you can support, such as a missing slip, goes through a change request, which you can make only after the notice arrives. The CRA lists a two-week processing time online and 19 weeks by mail. A disagreement with what the CRA decided goes through a notice of objection, which for most individuals must be filed by the later of one year after the filing due date and 90 days after the notice date. Both are covered below.

Page 1: notice details and the account summary

The top of the notice shows your name and address, a partly hidden social insurance number, the tax year of the return, the date the CRA assessed it and your NETFILE access code. Check the tax year first. If you filed several years together, the CRA assesses each separately and says to check the most recent year’s notice for the final result.

The account summary then gives the outcome. A refund appears as CR, for credit. A balance owing appears as DR, for debit. A zero balance means neither side owes anything. If you owed tax and have since paid, the notice still shows the balance as it stood when the return was assessed. For proof of payment, print a statement from My Account or ask the CRA for confirmation. The summary can also include penalty, interest or an unpaid balance from another year.

Page 2: the tax summary and the explanation of changes

The next section lists the main lines of the return the CRA used to reach the result: total income (line 15000), net income (23600), taxable income (26000), federal and provincial non-refundable credits (35000 and 61500), net federal and provincial tax (42000 and 42800), total payable (43500), income tax deducted (43700) and total credits (48200). The balance is total payable minus total credits. Lay it beside your own copy of the return.

These amounts will not always match your return, because the CRA may have changed something. That is what the explanation of changes is for. It says what was altered and why. Sometimes the change comes from information you sent. Sometimes it comes from information the CRA already holds, such as unused tuition amounts it adds automatically when you forgot them. The CRA’s own example is a smaller refund because a letter asking for medical receipts went unanswered. Read this section before you phone anyone.

The RRSP deduction limit statement

A later page of the notice, where one applies, holds the RRSP deduction limit statement. It shows your RRSP deduction limit for the following tax year, how the CRA calculated it, any unused contributions you made in earlier years but have not yet deducted, and your available contribution room. Unused contributions can be deducted later, within your limit.

The CRA says the limit is built from several items: unused deduction room at the end of the preceding year, 18% of the previous year’s earned income, and adjustments such as your pension adjustment, pension adjustment reversal and net past service pension adjustment. The annual dollar ceiling for 2026 is $33,810, but your own number may be lower or higher. If your contributions exceed your available room, you may owe tax on the excess. Use the latest notice, since later assessments can change the statement. If the statement is not on your notice, the CRA may send Form T1028, or you can find the limit in your CRA account or by automated phone service.

TFSA room and other carry-forward amounts

Do not expect your TFSA room on the notice. The CRA’s walkthrough of the notice describes the RRSP statement but does not list TFSA room, so check your TFSA contribution room in your CRA account and against your own records. The annual TFSA dollar limit for 2026 is $7,000 and is added to your room on January 1, 2026. The CRA warns that your account may not yet reflect the latest transactions, that contributions reduce room immediately even if the account does not show it, and that withdrawals restore room on January 1 of the following year. It also says 2025 records are processed by April 2026. Always reconcile with your institution’s records before contributing.

Other carry-forward amounts, such as unused tuition amounts, appear in the explanation of changes when they apply. They can reduce tax in a future year, so note them for next year’s return. If you used the Home Buyers’ Plan or the Lifelong Learning Plan, the notice may also show your remaining balance to repay and the minimum repayment for the next year.

What to do if your notice of assessment is wrong

First decide what kind of problem it is. If you left something out or entered something wrong, such as a T4 slip, a medical or child care claim or an RRSP receipt, request a change to your return. You must wait for the notice before asking, and the return must have been filed by you or your preparer. In your CRA account, choose Tax returns, then Change my return, pick the year and follow the steps. Certified tax software offers ReFILE, and the paper route is Form T1-ADJ with supporting documents sent separately from your current return. A change request cannot update your address, direct deposit, marital status or name.

If the facts are complete and you think the CRA applied the rules wrongly, the route is a notice of objection. The CRA’s dispute guide strongly recommends calling the number on the notice first, because many disputes are resolved that way. An individual who is not a trust generally has until the later of one year after the filing due date and 90 days after the notice date; RRSP or TFSA excess-contribution assessments have the 90-day limit alone. You can register the dispute in My Account, or use Form T400A by mail. Interest generally continues while an amount is in dispute. The CRA lists the RRSP deduction limit statement and carryforward balances among the items that cannot be objected to. Our article on disputing a CRA assessment goes further.

Notice of assessment, reassessment and proof of income

If you or the CRA changes a return after the first assessment, you receive a notice of reassessment. It looks like a notice of assessment and sets out the changes, so read it the same way. The latest notice governs your RRSP limit.

Lenders and others sometimes ask for a proof of income statement, sometimes called an option C print. It carries much of the same information as the notice but leaves out the explanation of changes and additional information. You can get it from My Account or by contacting the CRA. The notice holds personal details, so share it only when needed.

What to keep and when to get help

Keep the notice with a copy of the filed return, your slips and receipts, and any CRA letters. If you plan to request a change or file an objection, note the date on the notice and the deadline that applies, and gather supporting documents before you start. Ask your accountant to compare the summary with the return, review any unexpected changes and confirm which route fits. This article is general information, not advice on your situation.