Taxology – Episode 10: Get help faster with the Canada Revenue Agency’s digital services

CC: Welcome to Taxology, the official podcast of the Canada Revenue Agency. I'm your host CC. Today, We're diving into a conversation about services at the CRA, something that affects Canadians. Canadians expect and deserve reliable and timely service from us.

We understand that not knowing where to find the information you need can be frustrating. That's why we're dedicated to enhancing our digital services and simplifying our processes for you.

Our goal is to make sure you have what you need to manage your taxes and benefit information, so you can do it by yourself without delay, and without having to call us. On this episode, we're bringing you an expert who can give you all the best tips to find information you need for the most common tasks.

Today we'll cover digital services and tools to get faster help, and new improvements that will make it easier to manage your whole tax situation. So let's get started and welcome Animisha, our subject matter expert for this episode. Welcome to the show Animisha!

Animisha: Thanks for having me!

CC: Tell us a bit about yourself, and the work that you've been doing to help improve our services to taxpayers.

Animisha: So, I work in the communications section of the Digital Operations division. Our area is responsible for engagement and outreach activities in support of the CRA's digital services, including the My Account, My Business Account and Represent a Client portals within your CRA account.

We develop digital solutions that make it easier and faster for individuals and businesses to manage your tax and benefit affairs online, and get the answers that you need quickly and independently

CC: What motivates you to help Canadians?

Animisha: Well, I really enjoy the educational aspect of the role. We have all these great tools and resources available to help Canadians, and we're constantly making improvements to our services and developing new digital options.

So my motivation is basically figuring out the best way to tell Canadians about them so that they can take advantage of them, learn new tips and tricks that make it easier to manage their tax affairs online, and just make their life a little less stressful. That's probably the best part of the job.

CC: That's awesome. Those tips and tricks are exactly what we're here for.

So what recent services and tools are available for me to get faster help from the CRA without having to wait to reach a contact centre service rep?

Animisha: That's a great question. So we've built our digital services with security and self-service in mind to allow you to find answers to most of your questions within minutes, and to really provide you with support at your fingertips. So, many of the calls that we get can actually be resolved online without needing to speak with a service representative.

So for example, things like checking the status of your tax return or confirming a payment or balance owing can easily be done online. You can actually head over to the “Skip the line” webpage at canada.ca/cra-skip-the-line to learn more about the many ways that you can self-serve online.

CC: What are some of the things that we can do on your CRA account?

Animisha: So, you can update your personal information like address, marital status and your direct deposit. You can check on your benefits and credit payments. So for instance, let's say you received the Canada child benefit, you could sign-in to your account and view your next expected payment date and the anticipated amount.

You can also view your contribution room for things like the RRSP, or the Registered retirement savings plan. Or your TFSA, the Tax-free savings account. And you can view and print proof of income statement and so much more.

CC: What if I have a question, I want to call in because something I've submitted hasn't been done yet. What can I do to figure out the status of my file?

Animisha: So there's many services in your CRA account that can help you check out the status of your file. The main one would be our progress tracker service which provides you with status updates on any of your submissions to the CRA. No phone call required.

So, let's say you submitted a benefit application. Instead of calling to check in on it, you can actually sign into your CRA account, go to My Account, open up the progress tracker and check the status of your file.

You can see whether it's being processed and the estimated completion date. It's that easy. So it's a very useful service and it lets you follow wide range of submissions. You can track things like assessments, adjustments, benefit applications, relief requests, and disputes just to name a few. And we're continuously enhancing the service by adding the ability to track new file types just to help you keep tabs on any of your submissions to the CRA.

CC: So I am super forgetful. Well, what would happen if I lost access to my account, or if I was locked out of my account because I forgot my sign-in information?

Animisha: That's a good question. Over the past year, we've launched new digital improvements to help you find the answers you need, and one of them is our service which allows you to register again for a CRA account.

So previously, if you lost access or forgot your sign-in information and got locked out of your account, you often had to call the CRA to regain access.

The great news is, that as of October, we launched a new self-serve option that could help you register again and regain access to your account without having to call us. So, to use this option and register again, you'll need to provide information from your tax return from one of the two previous tax years, and be able to use your existing multi-factor authentication or MFA option.

And this is just one of the ways that we're offering some flexible solutions to help you self-serve. One important thing to keep in mind is that the self-serve option won't work if your account was locked out by the CRA for security reasons or to protect your tax information.

CC: Other agencies and other companies have chatbots. Is there a chatbot on the CRA page?

Animisha: Yes. So we've actually made some recent enhancements to our chatbot using generative artificial intelligence, also known as GenAI. Our GenAI chatbot beta is available 24/7 and always ready to answer your questions even when our phone lines are busy. So if you haven't tried it yet, I would really encourage you to do so.

To give it a go, just head over to our Canada.ca pages, open up the chatbot on the bottom right corner and ask away. Now, the chatbot is designed for general questions, so you shouldn't enter any personal information into the chat. You can use it for help with any questions that you have relating to charities, personal income tax, as well as questions about accessing your CRA account.

And we've recently expanded its services, so it can now answer questions related to businesses and trusts as well. Just keep in mind, since this is a beta, we don't want you to be shy about leaving feedback. Your input is valuable, so feel free to share your comments using the feedback survey within the chat session to help us improve.

CC: I personally hate talking on the phone. I am more of an online chat person. I wish that I could talk to an agent, like a CRA agent, but online!

Animisha: Absolutely. So actually if you need something a little bit more personalized online, we also have a live agent chat in the My Account portal within your CRA account. So this chat service lets you discuss account specific issues with a live CRA service representative and get answers to your questions about personal income tax, benefits, and other topics without ever having to make a phone call.

To use the chat service sign into your CRA account and go to My Account. The chat widget can be found at the bottom right corner of the page, and we've recently even expanded the hours of service so you can now access the live chat from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

CC: That is so helpful. What if I don't have like a really specific question? I just have a general question, but I am having trouble navigating through the website. Like I can't be the first person to ask these questions.

Animisha: No, not at all. So if you ever have a situation where you're just looking for some quick answers to common questions, I would recommend that you check out our online frequently asked questions so you can find them under the “Help with common topics” section on canada.ca/CRA-contact.

If after checking out our digital options, you find that your situation is more complex and you need to speak with an agent. I can share a few tips.

So first if your question is about the status of your tax return or another submission that you've made, check out the CRA Processing times page at Canada.ca/CRA-processing-times. If you have a different question and need to speak with an agent, be sure to check the current wait times online. So you can decide the best time to call in and join the queue. So the online frequently asked questions page that I mentioned earlier also tells you what information you need to have on hand to verify your identity and make the phone call process a little bit smoother, once you do actually reach a service representative.

CC: So you were talking about your CRA account, right? Like the biggest self-serve digital service for Canadians, and the portals inside your CRA account. What are other improvements that we've done to improve it over the last year?

Animisha: So I'm glad you brought that up. If you or anybody listening hasn't visited the CRA account page in the past year, you've probably noticed some big changes. We've streamlined our pages and updated the look and feel to make it a little bit faster, a little bit more intuitive to find the information that you need.

This year, we also introduced simplified sign-in process to make it easier for you to access our services with a single sign-in.

So previously, you might recall having the sign-in separately to each of our portals, like My Account, My Business Account, or Represent a Client, depending on the task that you were doing.

Now, we've made it a little easier to access all our portals with just a single set of credentials, and this comes especially in handy if you're somebody who wears multiple hats. So, say for example you manage your own taxes in My Account, but you also manage a business and use My Business Account. And maybe you also help your family members with their taxes and act as an authorized representative for them through Represent a Client.

So this new sign-in process would allow you and users like you with multiple accounts to easily switch between the portals and seamlessly access the information that you need.

CC: So when I sign up for a CRA account, it's ready to go right away, I can start using it?

Animisha: Uh, not quite. So when you normally sign up for a CRA account, you'll actually need to go through an identity validation process before you can have full access to your account. Previously, after registering for an account, the final step required you to wait for a CRA security code in the mail.

Now, we've heard your concerns through our service consultations, and we recognize that waiting for a code via mail, which can sometimes take several days, could be a challenge. Especially if you lost or forgot the code and you only realize when you needed to sign-in during tax time.

So we introduced the Document verification service in March of 2024, and it has since helped many users gain access to their CRA account over the past year. And that service allows you to quickly and conveniently validate your identity using a government issued photo ID without having to wait for a code.

So to use the service all you need is a piece of ID that's accepted, such as a driver's license, and a mobile device with a working camera. Just take a real time picture of yourself and an accepted piece of ID and you can validate your identity to get immediate access to the information that you need.

CC: What is multi-factor authentication? You said it before, MFA. What is it and why is it so important?

Animisha: So multi-factor authentication is an additional security step that we have to increase your account security. And recently we've made multi-factor authentication or MFA mandatory for all CRA account users.

So it basically helps add an extra layer of protection to your account. Once you sign-in, you'll need to verify yourself by getting a real time code through an authenticator app, receiving a code via either phone or text message, or using a passcode grid.

And in 2026, we’ll actually require users to set up multiple MFA methods. But you don't have to wait. If you already have one MFA method set up, Take a few minutes ahead of tax season to add a second method on your account. That way you'll have a secure backup in place, in case you ever forget one of your existing methods. And you won't have to worry about losing access down the road.

CC: That will be me. I will forget one of my methods. I apologize in advance, but I'm excited for the multi…

Animisha: The new feature.

CC: Yeah, that's going to be perfect.

Animisha: We'll target you with that one.

CC: Thank you!

Animisha: Yeah.

CC: How can I be sure that my CRA account is secure, on top of the MFA?

Animisha: Sure. One of the ways that you can help protect your online account from unauthorized activity is by having an e-mail address on file with the CRA. This is a security feature that ensures you receive e-mail notifications when important changes are made to your account, such as updates to your address or direct deposit information. And it allows you to quickly spot and report any unauthorized activity.

Plus you'll also get an e-mail notification if your CRA account is locked out. So, for example, due to multiple incorrect MFA attempts, which can help you keep track of any activity on your account at all times.

CC: Smart. I really need to pay attention to that.

Animisha, you've told us so many things that we can do on your CRA account. What are the biggest takeaways that you want us to have for using online portals?

Animisha: So we've introduced many of the services that we mentioned today to help you skip the line. Using these self-serve options, you have the ability to access accurate up-to-date information at your fingertips.

Things like the Document verification service, the GenAI chatbot beta, our progress tracking service and simplified sign-in process are all available to help you control and manage your tax and benefit matters on your own time.

I'd really urge everybody to register for a CRA account if you haven't already done so. It really is the single easiest way to securely and independently manage your tax and benefit information yourself. Plus, while you're there, you can set yourself up for electronic mail within your account. That way you can ensure you receive all of your communications in a timely manner.

And just remember that our online portals aren't just there for tax time. You can sign-in at any time of the year to update your personal information, track your refund, and check up on your benefits and credits.

CC: It really is such a useful tool!

Animisha: Absolutely. And it can help you find answers to most of your questions anytime, anywhere.

CC: Well, thanks so much for coming Animisha, we really appreciate you coming on today's episode.

Animisha: Thanks so much for having me.

CC: Thanks again to our guest Animisha for joining us in today's episode of Taxology. We hope this episode has given you the tips you need to get faster service. You can also visit canada.ca/cra-skip-the-line for more tips on how to get faster help. You can follow us on Facebook, X or Instagram at  @CanRevAgency, and listen to our previous episodes to stay informed on all things taxes.

Thanks for listening and come back for more episodes covering everyone's favorite topic – taxes! Until next time I'm your host. CC, stay safe, and do your taxes.