Email notifications from the CRA – Individuals

Email notifications from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) let you know when important changes are made on your account and when you have mail to view in My Account.

To view the terms of use, go to Terms of use for email notifications.

An email address is required to use My Account

My Account users are required to have an email address on file with the CRA to help protect their accounts from fraudulent activity. This security feature ensures that you receive email notifications when important changes are made on your account.

If you do not already have an email address on file, you will have to provide one the next time you access My Account.

Email notifications you will receive

Once you have provided the CRA with an email address, we will send you email notifications when there are changes or updates related to the following topics:

• Your address
• Your direct deposit information
• Your marital status
• Your authorized representative
• Your personal identification number
• Your multi-factor authentication enrolment
• Your CRA user ID and password
• Your account lockout status
• Your SimpleFile by Phone automated phone service invitation
• Mail sent to you by the CRA has been returned, meaning you need to update your mailing address
• New CRA mail to view in My Account (your correspondence preference must be set to Electronic mail)

You can also choose to receive additional optional email notifications when there are changes or updates related to the following topics:

• Your Disability tax credit application
• Your submitted documents
• Your T1 return(s) / reassessment(s)
• Your uncashed cheques
• Your Canada child benefit application
• Your tax information slip(s) 

CRA mail you will receive online

If your correspondence preferences are set to Electronic mail, you will receive an email notification when you have new mail from the CRA to view in My Account. You will not receive a paper copy in the mail.

Some examples of mail you can currently receive online include:

• Notices of assessment
• Notices of reassessment
• Benefit notices
• Adjustment notices
• Instalment reminders
• Letters asking for information and documentation for some programs

Some mail cannot be added in My Account and will continue to be mailed on paper.

You can access your mail by selecting the mail icon on the Welcome page of your CRA account or by selecting Mail on the Overview page of My Account. If you need a paper copy of your online mail, you can print it.

Updating your Correspondence preference

By default, your Correspondence preference is set to Paper. However, the CRA has changed the preference of some individuals to Electronic mail.

You can update your Correspondence preference by following these steps:

1. Sign in to your CRA account
2. Select your Individual account to go to My Account
3. Select Notification preferences from the Correspondence menu on the left
4. Select Edit
5. Select Start
6. Select or unselect Electronic mail as your Correspondence preference
7. Select Next
8. Tick the box to confirm that you have agreed to the Terms of use
9. Select Submit

If your correspondence preference is not set to Electronic mail, your mail will still be available to view in My Account, but you will not receive an email notification about it.

Providing your email address to the CRA

There are many ways to provide your email address to receive email notifications from the CRA. You can provide it when you:

• Access My Account for the first time
• File a return with NETFILE software
• Fill out a paper income tax and benefit return that you send to the CRA
• Have your tax preparer fill out Form T183 or use EFILE
• Contact Individual Income Tax and Trust Enquiries by phone

Once you provide your email address, you can update it in My Account by editing your Notification preferences, or you can complete any of the options above with a new email address. You can only have 1 email address on file at a time. We will use the most recent email address you provide.

You are responsible for making sure we have your correct email address at all times.

After you provide or update your email address

Once you provide or update your email address, we will send a confirmation email to the address you gave us. Depending on how you provided or updated your email address, you should receive your confirmation email within the following timelines:

• Immediately if you provided it through My Account
• Within 8 business days if you provided it on your electronic return (using NETFILE or an EFILE service provider)
• Within 4 to 6 weeks if you provided it on a paper income tax and benefit return

If you do not get a confirmation email, sign in to your CRA account and check the email address in your My Account Profile. If the email address is wrong, update it. If it is correct, check your junk mail folder for an email from the CRA.

How to know if the email notification you received is from the CRA

Emails sent from the CRA’s email notification service will have the sender name Canada Revenue Agency / Agence du Revenu du Canada.

The CRA’s email notifications will not do the following:

• Ask you for personal or financial information
• Request payment by prepaid credit cards or gift cards
• Use aggressive language or tone
• Threaten arrest or to send police

For more information, visit Scams and fraud - CRA.

Differences between the online and paper versions of the notice of assessment or reassessment

Both the online and paper versions of the notice include all of the assessment information and are official CRA-issued federal income tax notices. However, there are differences between the online and the paper versions:

• The online version in My Account includes information about registered retirement savings plans, the Home Buyers’ Plan, and the Lifelong Learning Plan in collapsible tabs. Links to additional information are provided at the bottom of the page.
• The online version does not include a remittance form, a cheque, or payment information. Instead, you can use the Request a remittance voucher service in My Account to get a personalized paper remittance form, you can arrange a pre-authorized debit agreement in My Account, you can use the My Payment service through the CRA website to make an online payment, or you can view your refund status within My Account.
• The online version does not include the general information printed on the back page of the paper version. Instead, general information is offered on the CRA website, and services like Change my address, Change my return, and Register my formal dispute are available in My Account. If you choose to print the PDF version available within the Mail service, general information will be printed on the last page.

What to do if you need a paper copy of a notice

If your bank or anyone else needs a paper copy of a notice of assessment, all you need to do is sign in to your CRA account and print or download a copy. You can access and print copies of past notices of assessment (issued after February 9, 2015) anytime in My Account. Any notices issued to you after this date will be available as a print friendly PDF version within the Mail service.

Other email notifications you can receive about your account

You might receive an email notification from the CRA for other reasons, even if you are not registered for email notifications.

• Audit enquiries – If you included an email address on your original audit enquiry submission form, we will email you when our response is available for you to view in My Account.