Canada Post mail service disruption – Impact on CRA services
Overview
As of November 15, 2024 postal services across Canada have been interrupted as a result of job action at Canada Post. During this labour disruption, certain services may be delayed or not delivered at all.
The CRA strongly encourages all benefit recipients to sign up for My Account and direct deposit. This will allow them to get emailed notifications from our system and any future payments straight to their bank accounts.
The CRA is committed to being transparent with Canadians and as the situation evolves, we will continue to update this page to tell you how services may be affected.
Benefits, credits and rebates
Canada child benefit (CCB)
- Canada Post and its bargaining agents have agreed to deliver specific social benefit cheques on a set date. This means that during this disruption, only cheques for the CCB, and any related provincial and territorial programs, as well as the Alberta child and family benefit (ACFB), will be delivered.
All other benefits, credits, and rebates
- For all other payments, regular cheque production will keep going during postal service disruptions, and cheques that cannot be delivered will be securely stored until the situation is resolved.
- Avoid missing a payment by signing up for direct deposit. If you are registered for direct deposit, you will receive your payments on time, but notices will be held until mail delivery resumes.
- Check benefits payment dates.
- If you are registering for My Account, you can verify your identity online using the document verification service, without having to wait for a CRA security code in the mail. Using this service will help you avoid delays, complete the registration process, and gain access to My Account during the Canada Post strike.
Even though notices may not be delivered by mail, you can register for, or sign in to My Account or My Business Account to view or print your notices. You can also register for email notifications from the CRA to be notified when you have mail to view in My Account or My Business Account.
Payments to CRA
- All paper-based payments are delayed, including cheques and remittance vouchers.
- Payments made at financial institutions will be honoured by using the bank date stamp.
- To avoid interest and penalties, we encourage you to send your payment(s) to the CRA electronically. For more information on all payment options, go to Payments to the CRA.
- Instalment payments are due December 15, 2024 for individuals.
- Due dates for corporate income tax payments:
- Monthly instalments: one month less a day from the starting day of your tax year
- Quarterly instalments (if eligible): one quarter less a day from the starting day of your tax year
- It is your responsibility to file your GST/HST return and/or remittance and make any necessary payments by your established due date.
- Relief from penalties and interest charged to an account may be granted when taxpayers cannot meet their tax obligations due to circumstances beyond their control. These can include financial hardship, actions of the CRA such as delays, extraordinary circumstances such as illness, and other circumstances outside the taxpayer’s control. For more information, see Cancel or waive penalties and interest.
Audits
- If you are being audited, the CRA will communicate with you via telephone, My Account, My Business Account or Represent a Client.
- During the postal labour disruption, the CRA encourages taxpayers to use digital services (such as the CRA sign-in services and Secure drop zone) to communicate with their auditors.
Submitting documents to CRA
If you are unable to make other arrangements to submit forms or other documents to the CRA while the postal strike is underway, you may be able to deposit your forms at a CRA drop box. Items deposited are date stamped with the date received. Please consult the drop box webpage in advance to confirm there is a location near you. Note, there is no walk-in counter service at these locations.
Registered charities and other qualified donees
Charities and other qualified donees should contact the Charities Directorate if they have questions related to receiving gifts or issuing donation receipts, or if the postal disruption has impacted their ability to meet their Registered Charity Information Return (T3010) filing deadline.
We encourage all registered charities to file their annual information returns online using My Business Account (MyBA) or Represent a Client. If this is your first time using our online services, go to Access our online services for charities for information on how to create an account and start filing your return.
All other mail and form requests
For the duration of the Canada Post strike, the CRA may not be able to mail out correspondence, forms, or notices. Taxpayers are encouraged to self-serve with the CRA website or by using digital services such as My Account and, My Business Account.
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