2023 TurboTax® Canada Tips

The Definitive Guide to Using CRA My Account

TurboTax Canada
July 4, 2023 | 6 Min Read
Updated for tax year 2023

CRA My Account is a secure, online portal where you can view and manage your personal or business tax information via the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) website. 

Opening a CRA My Account is an easy process and comes in handy when you file your annual tax return. You can quickly access your T4 slips, benefit payments, retirement contributions, carry-forward amounts, and account balances. It also allows you to make adjustments to past returns and submit documents directly online.

Key Takeaways
  1. Registering for CRA My Account is quick, easy, and simplifies the tax-filing process.
  2. You can set up to receive email notifications when the CRA sends you important electronic documents.
  3. Sign up for direct deposit to get your refund faster.

Benefits of CRA My Account

If you haven’t already signed up, you should consider registering for CRA My Account to take advantage of what the service has to offer. Having a CRA My Account can be:  

  • Convenient: Available 21 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Fast: You can access many services right away online instead of having to call the CRA and wait to speak to a representative.
  • Accurate: Info is always up to date and transactions are processed immediately.
  • Secure: Your account is protected with unique security questions and multi-factor authentication.

How to register for CRA My Account

Make sure you have the following personal information available before registering:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • Your two most recent tax returns or notice of assessments 

Set up your CRA My Account in just a few steps:

  1. Visit the CRA My Account registration page and click CRA Register.
  2. Enter your SIN and the other required fields (Postal Code, Date of Birth, and Tax Information from the previous year’s return) to verify your identity.
  3. Choose a user ID you will remember or set up your account using a Sign-In Partner.
  4. Create your security questions and answers. 

Now you’re all set! Your CRA My Account is created. You’ll have limited access to CRA My Account at first, but the CRA will mail you a security code within 1–2 weeks to give you full access to all of its services.

Things you can do with CRA My Account

Once you get full access to your account, you’ll have a wide range of online services at your fingertips. Here’s a full list of all CRA My Account services.

  1. View CRA mail
  2. View the detailed status of a tax return
  3. View detailed notice of assessment or reassessment
  4. View account balance and statement of account
  5. Change my return
  6. Submit documents
  7. Address and telephone numbers (view, update)
  8. View and update children in my care
  9. Change my marital status
  10. View authorized representative
  11. Authorize my representative
  12. View tax information slips: T4, T4A, T4A(P), T4A(OAS), T4E, T4RSP, T4RIF, T5007, T3, T5, T5008, RRSP Contribution Receipt, T1204, T5013, RC210, RC62, Rent Assist, and tax-free savings account (TFSA)
  13. View proof of income statement (option ‘C’ print)
  14. View detailed RRSP deduction limit and TFSA contribution room
  15. View Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) and Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP)
  16. View carryover amounts
  17. View instalments
  18. Arrange my direct deposit (start, update, stop)
  19. Pay by pre-authorized debit (create new agreement, manage active agreements, view inactive agreements)
  20. Benefits and credits overview
  21. Apply for the new Canada Dental Benefits (CDB)
  22. Apply for child benefits
  23. View Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and related provincial and territorial programs payments, account balance, and statement of account
  24. View GST/HST credit and related provincial programs payments, account balance, and statement of account
  25. View Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) advance payments
  26. View disability tax credit
  27. Canada Workers Benefit advance payments
  28. Personal Identification Number (PIN)
  29. Notification and online preferences
  30. File a GST/HST rebate
  31. Request a CPP/EI ruling
  32. Claim uncashed cheques
  33. Request relief of penalties and interest
  34. Register my formal dispute
  35. Audit enquiries
  36. Open a non-resident account
  37. Request a remittance voucher
  38. Trust account registration

Tracking RRSPs and other benefits

When it comes to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), contributions can be difficult to stay on top of—they are limited to a certain amount every year and unused contributions can be carried over to future years.

But if you have a CRA My Account, knowing where your personal maximum contributions stand is a snap. You can see your cumulative RRSP ceiling by clicking on the RRSP and Savings Plans tab. This way, you can be confident that you are claiming the correct amount.

Closely related to RRSPs are the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) and the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP). These benefits allow you to withdraw a tax-free amount from your RRSP. But you have to repay that amount over time. The calculation to determine your repayment each year can be complex. Good thing the My Account portal has that information already calculated for you. Now you won’t skip a beat when filing your taxes.

Use CRA My Account to track carry-forward amounts

Since many tax credits and deductions can be applied from previous years to future years, it can be tedious work to track these amounts manually. My Account contains a section called Carryover Amounts that shows you a detailed history of each amount in your file, such as when it was created, how much you used, and how much is left.

The amounts that can be tracked are:

You can also see if there are any credits available that you might have forgotten about and claim them to reduce your current taxes.

How to set up direct deposit on CRA My Account

CRA My Account allows you to set up or change direct deposit banking information for the following payments:

  • Income tax refund
  • GST/HST credit 
  • Canada child benefit
  • Canada workers benefit
  • Deemed overpayment of tax

This means you can get your payments faster and directly deposited into your bank account, so you don’t have to wait a couple of business days for a cheque in the mail. 

How to set up direct deposit

  1. Log in to your CRA My Account and click Arrange My Direct Deposit (under Quick Links).
  2. Click Start or Update and enter your banking information.

What documents does the CRA send electronically?

With CRA My Account, you can sign up to receive electronic documents rather than waiting for the physical mail. These docs include:

  • Notices of assessment or reassessment
  • Benefit notices
  • T1 adjustment notices
  • Instalment reminders
  • Letters asking for information and documentation

Three ways to register for CRA email notifications

  1. Enter your email address directly on your tax return.
  2. Call 1-800-959-8281 to register by telephone.
  3. Log in to My Account and click on your Personal profile, scroll down to Notification preferences, and click Manage to add your email address.

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

How to update your personal information on CRA My Account

If there have been changes to your personal info (e.g. address, phone number, marital status), you can inform the CRA and update your details online. Here’s how:

  1. In the Related Services section, click on “Change my address and phone number(s)” or “Change my marital status.”
  2. Enter your new information.

Connect your CRA My Account to a NETFILE-certified tax software

When you file your return online you can connect your CRA My Account to a NETFILE-certified tax software such as TurboTax, which can make tax filing faster in these ways:

  • You get immediate confirmation when the CRA receives your return.
  • You don’t have to send receipts unless the CRA asks for them.
  • If you have a direct deposit, you may get your refund as early as 2 weeks.

Protecting your CRA My Account

If you access your CRA My Account from a shared device, follow these tips to make sure your account is secure and your information is safe:

  • Use a strong password 
  • Create security questions that are easy for you to remember and hard for others to guess
  • Change your password periodically
  • Make sure your personal information is accurate and up to date
  • Sign up for email notifications to receive alerts of activity on your account
  • Monitor your account for suspicious activity
  • Create a PIN to help confirm your identity on call with the CRA
More help with taxes, more confidence to file.

Frequently Asked Questions

To retrieve your password, on the main CRA Login Services page:

  • Click on “CRA Login” 
  • On the login page, click on “Forgot your password?” under the password field
  • Enter your user ID
  • Answer the question correctly and you can reset your password.

If you have forgotten your User ID, you cannot retrieve it online. You will need to re-register your CRA My Account to access your file.

If someone helps you manage your finances, you can give them access to your My Account. 

  • In the Related Services section, click on “Authorize My Representative”
  • Fill in the needed information

You can instantly change the level of authorization granted, choose a different representative, or revoke authorization completely at any time.

To change your email address, on the main CRA My Account page:

  • Click on “Manage Online Mail” in the Quick Links section
  • Click on “Update Email Address”