How To Open A CRA My Account In Canada?

Are you looking to open a CRA My Account? Well, you’re at the right place then. In this article, I’ve covered the step-by-step process to open the CRA My Account and access the same. Before we begin, CRA stands for the Canada Revenue Agency.

Every Canadian Resident is bound to have or open a new CRA My Account as part of the norm. If you are new to Canada or finding difficulties opening a new account, please don’t worry, I’m here to help! Please follow the exact steps and guidelines mentioned here (have pasted the screenshots too for every step) and you should be good to go!

You need the CRA My Account to file your taxes, check your TFSA/RRSP deduction limits annually, print or see your NOA (notice of assessment), or even see your tax refund status. There are many more benefits that I will discuss in this article, but these are the high-level ones that millions of Canadians use. 

CRA My Account is of two types – For Individuals and Business Accounts. We’ll see how to open both these accounts in detail. In this article, I will guide you through the exact step-by-step process so that by the end of this article, you should be pretty clear on opening a new CRA My Account.

If you have any questions please let me know in the comment section below. Alright then let’s get started. Let’s begin by understanding who the CRA is and what they actually do.

About The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

For all the Newbies to Canada and the term CRA, CRA stands for the “Canada Revenue Agency”. The Canada Revenue Agency or CRA is a Canadian federal agency that regulates tax laws for the Canadian government and for most provinces and territories.  

By logging in to your CRA My Account, you’ll be able to see all the tax deductions that are withheld from employees’ Gross pay, federal and provincial income tax, CPP contributions, and EI premiums which are sent to the CRA and then dispersed to the appropriate government department.  

The CRA also monitors compliance on behalf of governments across Canada. CRA’s head office is located in Ottawa and it is divided up into five regions for administrative purposes – Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie, and Pacific. Each region contains tax services offices that carry out a variety of duties, such as audits and collections.

What Is A CRA My Account? 

Now that we know about the CRA and who they are, let’s dive down a bit deeper into the topic of discussion here – CRA My Account Services and how to open one. 

My Account is the online service available via the Canada Revenue Agency’s website where you can access your personal (individual) or business income tax (for example – small business owners or business owners) information securely.

Opening a new Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) “My Account” and getting your CRA access code is pretty easy and straightforward. You can definitely make your life easier with tension-free access to your tax returns and benefits – including childcare payments, and CPP information. Consider registering for a CRA My Account today – It’s a must if you’re planning to reside and stay in Canada.

What Are The Benefits Of Registering To The CRA My Account? 

CRA My Account Services are useful for one and all. If you reside in Canada, then I’m sure you’ll need a CRA Account. There is no second thought to it or should I say it is mandatory to open one. 

First of all, let’s divide the CRA benefits into two categories – Individual or Personal Accounts (used majorly by individuals) and second Business Account Owners. 

Apart from that, the online CRA services are pretty much always available and can be accessed for the most part of the day and seven days a week. This makes it a much easier way to obtain your important information.

Trust me logging into the CRA My Account online is way better than having to call the CRA and waiting to speak to a representative.

Online CRA services are very good and useful. You have all the information in digital format ready. Unless you’ll have to call the CRA toll-free number for some technical system issues.

The information and benefits you can access directly via your My Services Account will vary depending on the type of account.

A quick point to note here is – In case you did not know – CRA My Account undergoes a daily maintenance schedule which is usually for a couple of minutes at some part of the day.

CRA Individual Account 

In this section, I will list the CRA My Account individual account benefits.

Benefits Of The CRA My Account (Individual Account) 

1. You can view or print your Income Tax Return (ITR) statements and a notice of assessment copies (current or any of the previous years)

2. By logging in to your online CRA My Account, you will be able to view or print your tax information including T4, T4A, T4A (P), T4E, T4 (OAS), T5, and more. In case you don’t know what these forms are for – please learn more about them. It’ll be useful to you in everyday tax information. T4s are usually issued by your employer around February every year before filing taxes. 

3. By logging into your CRA My Account, you can make changes to your individual tax return online

4. Using the CRA Account, you will be able to track your tax refund and when you will get it

5. You can also apply for and view your child benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which is an important financial benefit in case you have kids and your income is mediocre. Using the CRA My Account, you will be able to know the CCB amount, that you’ll receive every month just by logging in to CRA. 

6. You’ll be able to check your RRSP deduction limit and TFSA contribution room available for the year. Again these are pretty big topics that’ll probably need separate articles

7. If you are planning to buy a new home in the near future, by logging into the CRA My Account, you’ll be able to view the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) and Lifelong Learning Plan statements

8. You can log in to the CRA My account online and view your online emails or notifications from the CRA officials.  

9. You’ll be able to view the Climate action incentive payment (which was newly Introduced in 2019)

10. By logging into your CRA account, you can view the GST/HST credit payments – which are usually paid out every quarter of the year

11. Another important benefit of using the CRA My Account online is, in case you are disabled you’ll be able to apply for the Disability Tax Credit application which is available online and newly Introduced from 2019 onwards

12. Also, you can update your personal information such as your address, phone number, marital status, and banking information and keep it up to date with the Government records

13. All your proof of income or POI statements can now be opened in PDF Format which is really time-saving

14. In case you have any issues/discrepancies about your EI (Employment Insurance) payments or the refunds part of it, you can request a CPP or EI ruling online by using your CRA My Account. 

15. Now this one’s pretty big, by logging into your CRA My Account you can file for a GST or HST rebate online

16. CRA has newly introduced the “Auto-fill my return” service when filing your tax return. This will help you file taxes on your own without much help. 

17. In case you get a mail from the CRA asking for proof or photocopies, you can do so and submit the documents to the CRA online

18. Apply for direct deposit to your bank account online so that your tax refunds, EI payments or CPP will be sent directly to your bank account instead of cheque deposits (Time saving and easy)

20. You can also view your CRA account balance and statement of account by using the CRA account

21. By logging in online to the CRA My Account services – you’ll be able to set up a payment plan if owing taxes, instead of one lump sum amount which is usually hard on anyone

22. Finally, if you need help accessing the CRA services, you can also authorize a representative for managing and taking care of your CRA Individual Account services. 

How To Register For A CRA My Account? (Individual) 

First of all, it is extremely easy to sign up for the CRA Account. Make sure you have the prerequisites ready before actually filling out the CRA registration form (I’ve mentioned the list of documents below).

There are two options when it comes to registering for a new CRA My Account – 

1. CRA My Account Registration (First Option) 

Keep the following documents ready to register for the CRA My Account – 

• Your social insurance number [SIN number]

• Your date of birth is required (No Documents only DOB details)

• A postal code is required (Just the postal code where you reside)

• Your last two tax returns – for the current year and the previous one. You will be required to enter an amount from one of these returns. But don’t worry in case you are new to Canada or haven’t filed your taxes yet. We have all been there and it’s ok without it. 

When you have the above information ready, proceed to the CRA My Account page. 

1. Navigate to the “CRA My Account” registration page – Click here to access the link

 

2. Next, Click On the “CRA Register” button on the CRA My Account Login page

3. Now, enter your Social Insurance Number (SIN number), and click on the Next button

4. Next, you’ll need to “Validate your Identity” by completing all the required fields – Postal Code, Date Of Birth, Tax Information from the previous year’s tax return (if you have). 

If you haven’t filed your taxes yet or are new to Canada without a Tax Return yet, no need to worry. You need to enter “0” in the Tax information field. 

After filling out all these details correctly click on the Next button.

5. On the next page, Create a “CRA User ID” and “Password”

Make sure you write it down in a safe and secure place. You’ll need these login credentials for as long you are in Canada.  

After entering the CRA user ID and password, you are required to create a couple of security questions and answers on the next screen. Be careful while creating the security questions and answers – As long you are in Canada, you’ll be eligible to have only one CRA My Account and it’s very important you don’t lose access to the information you provide here! These questions are part of recovering your CRA access, in case you lost your CRA ID or password. 

Say tomorrow for whatever the reason be, if you forget your CRA ID or Password – or you need to call CRA for some tax inquiries, you are required to answer the security questions.

Also, do remember the exact way you entered the security question answers – I mean the caps and small letters. 

6. Hurray! Your CRA My Account is now registered and created. It’s now ready to log in and access the page. However, note that you can access only a limited and certain tax information on your CRA My Account at this moment.

For full and complete access to your CRA My Account, CRA will be mailing you via Canada Post a security code which you will need to enter online when prompted after log-in. The mail might take anywhere from 1-2 weeks to arrive depending on your region. 

Once you have completed this step, you will only need your CRA user ID and password to access your complete account features. 

2. CRA My Account Registration – Second Option (Easier than the First One)

A second option to register for the CRA My Account is to use a CRA Sign-in Partner.

For this option, you’ll need to log in via one of the CRA’s trusted financial institutions. Once you select and click on the financial institution (usually your bank) – Log in using your existing financial institution’s credentials – such as CIBC or TD Bank. You’ll be redirected to the bank’s login screen and upon successful login, you’ll be through to the CRA’s welcome screen. 

I have already mentioned this in the first option; you’ll be required to have your social insurance number, date of birth, postal code, and last two tax returns (just in case) readily available.

The CRA security access code will be mailed to you as well to enable full access to the “My Account” services

Once you get the access code, log in as usual through the Sign-in Partner and enter the security code when prompted. You should now have full access.

What Is The CRA Business Account?

If you are a small business owner or a business owner in general, the CRA my account allows you to access lots of useful information related to your business including:

1. Tax returns for GST/HST

2. Business payroll deductions

3. Corporate income taxes

4. Excise duty

5. Excise tax

6. Information returns and lots more

Why Do You Need A CRA My Business Account?

CRA has two types of accounts:

1. CRA My Account For Individuals

2. CRA My Business Account for Business owners

If you are a business owner in Canada or planning to start a new business, you’ll need a business account first. Before you can register for the business account, you need to have the business account number (which is 9 digits numeric).

By enrolling for the CRA My Business Account you can perform the following business activities:

1. GST/HST Payments – You will eventually have to pay the GST/HST taxes as part of your business. In order to do so, you need the business account to pay the GST/HST taxes to the Government Of Canada.

2. Payroll Deductions – You are running a business and have employees to pay for, therefore you need a CRA Business account number/business account to pay your employees and payroll deductions.

3. Pay for the Export/Import Items – If your business is all about export/imports such as beer, wine, arts and crafts, etc., you’ll have to pay taxes to the Canadian Government using your CRA my business account. Also, there’s the excise duty tax that you’ll pay for beer/wine imports using the business account.

4. As a Canadian business owner, you’ll have to pay the Corporate Business Taxes, for this you need a business account.

5. Fuel Charge – In order to file or claim the fuel charges, you need to enroll in the CRA My business account

6. Registered Charity Services – Again, as a business firm you need to contribute to charities in your neighborhood or elsewhere, you can do so and claim tax benefits through the “CRA My Business Account”.

7. Make Contract payments – If you have contract employees working for your firm, and if they are not incorporated, you as a firm need to pay the taxes. In order to do so, you need to register for the “CRA My Business Account.

If you want to see the complete list of benefits and features of the CRA My Business Account head over to this link here.

Hey did you know – Keeping aside the business number, which is like the base of the pizza, there are several business programs under it. Confusing? Don’t be.

What Is The CRA My Business Number?

The CRA Business Number or BN is a unique 9-digit number provided by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Your business number is your official CRA tax ID.

Every business number is unique and is used when dealing with federal, provincial, or local governments for tax purposes.

What Is The Business Program Account?

There are 5 business program accounts in Canada. Each business program account is a 15-digit alphanumeric number that contains the “Business Number” as the base (first 9 characters), the business number is then followed by a two-letter identifier for the business program.

For example – RT in case of GST/HST, RM if its import or export business and RP in case of payroll deductions, and RZ in the case of Information return. Now, that’s the first 11 digits for you. The last four digits of the business program numbers are the reference number for the specific account type.

CRA My Business Account Types

Now that you know what the Business Program Accounts are, let’s look at the different business account types under the CRA.

There are five major CRA business account programs types and they are:

1. RT – Goods, and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax

2. RP – Payroll

3. RC – Corporate Income Tax

4. RM – Import/Export

5. RZ – Information Return

You can only add programs to your business account, provided you already have an active business account.

At a glance, the basic business account is “9” digits which you need to get from the Canada Revenue Agency or the CRA.

Every program you enroll in is usually 15 digits long as we discussed in the previous sections.

How To Open A CRA My Business Account?

First of all, you’ll need to have an active CRA Account (at least a personal/individual account). Having an active CRA account is mandatory to open a business account.

You have two options to register for the business account

1. Register for a CRA Business Account using a “Sign-In Partner”

2. Register for a CRA Business Account using “your existing CRA account credentials”

Let’s look at both the options here:

1. Register For The CRA Business Account using a “Sign-In Partner”

1. Click on the link here and go to the first option and click on the “Sign-In Partner Login/Register” green button.

2. Select your “Sign-In Partner” from the available options. For example, if you bank with CIBC, select CIBC.

You have other options too – such as TD Bank, Tangerine, Scotiabank, BMO, and RBC. Select the bank you deal with and click on continue.

3. Next, you will be re-directed to the bank’s sign-on page. Here, enter your debit card number and the banking password.

4. After you have successfully “signed on”, you’ll be redirected to the CRA’s “Terms and conditions of use for My Business Account” page. Accept the terms and conditions and click on the “I Agree” button at the bottom of the page.

5. Now, you have to enter your 9 digit business number. Every business number is unique to a business or legal entity. To get the 9 digit business/legal entity number you need to contact the CRA (I’ve mentioned the number below or visit any of the Service Canada centers)

6. Once you enter your valid business number – It’s a cakewalk from here, you just have to continue entering all the required and mandatory fields the system prompts at and that’s it, you’re done! Easy Peasy. You are done registering your CRA business account. Congratulations!

2. Register For The CRA Business Account using “your existing CRA account”

Let’s look at option 2 here. In order to do this, you need to have valid CRA Individual credentials or a Personal Account. If you haven’t done this yet, please complete this and come to this section.

1. First, to begin, click on the link here and go to the second option, click on the “CRA Login” green button.

2. Then, log in to the “CRA My account” using your valid credentials.

3. Next, you will be taken to the “Terms and Conditions” Page. Scroll down the page to the bottom and accept the “Terms and Conditions”. Click On the “I Agree” button.

4. Then you will be taken to the CRA Business Account registration page, where you need to enter your valid 9 digits business/legal entity number. Make sure the number you enter is valid. In case you have any questions about the business number you are about to enter, don’t forget to call CRA Business Enquiries number at 1-800-959-5525.

5. Once you enter the valid business number, it should pretty much be a breeze from here. Fill in all the mandatory fields of your business/legal entity and you will be done. Hurray! You’ve just created yourself a brand new “CRA My Business Account”. Congratulations!

That’s it, you now know how to register your CRA My Business Account.

CRA My Account – Hours Of Service

I really hope this article was helpful to you. I’ve mentioned everything in detail – just so that it’s useful to one and all.

By now you should be familiar with how to create and access your CRA My Account and log in to see your benefits and other useful CRA features!