My Account (CRA)

Who can use it and how to sign in

To use My Account you need a social insurance number and a return that you have filed and the CRA has assessed, for either the current or the previous tax year. You register for a CRA account and then choose your individual account from the welcome page. The sign-in options are a CRA user ID and password, a Sign-In Partner using your online banking, or a provincial partner, which is a BC Services Card or an Alberta.ca Account.

Identity verification affects what you see. The document verification service gives full access immediately, while asking for a CRA security code by mail gives limited access until you finish registering. The CRA also asks you to enrol in a backup multi-factor authentication option.

What you can do in it

With full access you can view notices of assessment and reassessment, the status of your return and the Progress Tracker, your RRSP deduction limit and TFSA contribution room, tax slips such as the T4, T5 and RRSP contribution receipt, carryover amounts and instalments. You can also change a filed return, set up direct deposit, submit documents, register a formal dispute and authorize or review representatives.

The portal often shows the newest information first. If the CRA reassesses your return, the details appear in My Account before the notice arrives by mail, because the paper notice goes through manual steps. The service list changes, so check the CRA’s page.

An illustrative example

Suppose, for illustration, your return has been assessed and the refund is smaller than you expected. You sign in, open the detailed notice and compare it with the slips listed in the account. You find a T4A that was not on your return. Because the return has been assessed, you can now use Change my return to report it. Our entry on the T1 adjustment request explains that process.

Limits and common mistakes

My Account is for your own information. To see a friend’s, family member’s or client’s account you must be their authorized representative and use Represent a Client. You also cannot use it to view a deceased person’s information; an executor goes through Represent a Client instead. Registering with someone else’s banking credentials by mistake and linking your SIN would give that person access to your tax information, so avoid autofill on a shared device.

A business’s accounts sit in a separate service, My Business Account, even though it is reached from the same CRA account. If a slip has an error in your SIN or name, it will not appear in My Account, so contact the issuer to correct it.

What to discuss with your accountant

Tell your accountant whether you can sign in and whether you would rather authorize them or send documents yourself. Before an appointment, download your notice of assessment, slips and RRSP and TFSA figures, and note any slip that does not match your records. Ask which level of access you would be granting.