From time to time you may need to pay an amount to the Canada Revenue Agency. Whether it is for income taxes, the goods and services tax, or one of the benefits programs administered by the CRA, you have several payment options available to you.
Payment Options
- Cheque, money order, or wire transfer (non-residents)
- Online
- Debit Card
- Pre-Authorized Debit using My Account
- Some third-party services can process payment to the CRA using your credit card
Traditional Methods of Payment
The CRA accepts traditional forms of payment, such as cheques or money orders. These should be made out to the Receiver General for Canada and mailed to the address on the back of your remittance voucher, or, if you do not have this voucher, mail your check, with your Social Insurance Number or Business Number written in the memo field of your cheque to:
Canada Revenue Agency
PO Box 3800 STN A
Sudbury ON P3A 0C3
Most financial institutions also offer the possibility of wire transfers to the CRA. This option is particularly useful if you are living outside of Canada when you need to make a payment.
Online Payment Options
Online payments are also accepted by the CRA. The CRA has agreements with almost all of the major financial institutions in Canada. Your CRA payment can be set up just like any other payment to a supplier. Once you have signed into your regular bank account, look for the CRA under the add a payee function.
The CRA will most likely appear as one of the following:
- CRA (revenue)-tax owing
- CRA (revenue)-past tax owed
- CRA (revenue)-tax instalments
Use your social insurance number as your account number. This will ensure that you get credit for the payment. Note that you do not need a remittance voucher when making your payment electronically.
Paying with Debit and Credit Cards
The CRA accepts payments made with Interac debit cards through the My Payment platform. You can set up a My Payment account online through the CRA’s website. My Payment can be used with debit cards from many Canadian financial institutions. Visa debit cardholders cannot use My Payment, but may be able to pay through the services of a third-party service provider.
Here is a complete list of these third-party service providers.
Credit card payments are not accepted by the CRA. However, some third-party service providers may be able to process credit card payments and forward them to the CRA.
Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) Using My Account
Another payment option is the Pre-Authorized Debit. PAD is an online, self-service form of payment that is managed using the My Account online tool. Using this option, you can authorize the CRA to withdraw a predetermined payment on a predetermined date, directly from your bank account to pay whatever you owe. You can also set up several recurring payments if you need to make periodical remittances.
You can set up a PAD online by logging into My Account and clicking on the Accounts and Payments tab. On the following page, there is a link called Pre-Authorized Debit. If you follow that link, you will be given the option to create new agreements, manage active agreements and view inactive agreements.
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