CRA My Account is a secure platform created by the Canada Revenue Agency that allows you to securely access your personal and business income tax information. Having the ability to view all of your tax information in one place is more convenient: you can plan and prepare for tax debts and payments and stay on top of your taxes and financial health.
Key Points
- A CRA account lets you view all pertinent tax information online in one place.
- There are two ways to create a CRA account: MY Account for individuals, and with a sign-in partner (ie. your bank).
- You can also use the MyBenefits CRA web app to view your benefits and tax credit details on your mobile device.
How To Create A CRA Account?
There are two ways to open a CRA account:
- Create a “My Account for Individuals” and sign up through the CRA’s website.
- Access sign-in services through a CRA partner, most often a financial institution, like a bank.
How To Create A CRA Account, Method 1 – My Account for Individuals
My Account is a secure portal designed for individuals who wish to view their personal income tax and benefit information online. The My Account option for individuals can be created through the Canada Revenue Agency’s website.
Before you can register, you’ll need to have the following information:
- Social Insurance Number
- Date of Birth
- Current Postal Code
- Income Tax and Benefit Returns
You will need to input the above information when you register for a CRA My Account. On that webpage, you can create a username and password to log in with, as well as security questions and answers to protect your account.
Note: Do not use the same password as you do for banking, loans, utilities, or other websites.
It’s important to make your security questions difficult for anyone other than yourself, as CRA accounts have fallen victim to data breaches in the past. At this stage, you have limited access to your tax information.
Once you finish creating your security questions and log-in info, you’ll be given a CRA security code. Then, you can visit the CRA log-in page and log into the portal with your username and password, and input the security code when prompted. After entering your security code, you will have more access to your tax information.
Learn how to file your taxes as a couple.
How To Create A CRA Account, Method 2 – CRA Login Services With A Sign-In Partner
Similar to creating an account for CRA My Account, the Sign-in Partner option allows you to sign in to your CRA account using information that you’ve already used for a log-in portal with a partner, such as a bank.
The CRA introduced this option to make online tax services more accessible and convenient for users to access. By allowing people to use a bank credential for their tax information, their financial situation can be accessed through one login, resulting in one less username and password to worry about.
It’s also important to note that the CRA does not share your tax information with your financial institution, despite having them as a sign-in partner.
Also, the CRA does not share your tax information with credit bureaus and will not affect your credit score.
CRA Sign-In Partners
The CRA allows the following sign-in partners to be eligible for login:
- Affinity Credit Union
- Alberta Treasury Branches
- BMO Financial Group
- CIBC Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- Conexus Credit Union
- Desjardins Group (Caisse Alliance, Caisses Populaires, UNI)
- National Bank of Canada
- RBC Royal Bank
- Scotiabank
- Servus Credit Union
- Simplii Financial
- Tangerine
- TD Bank Group
- Vancity
Don’t agree with your Notice of Assessment? Consider filing a Notice Of Objection.
Benefits Of Opening A CRA My Account
Opening a CRA My Account gives you greater financial health and knowledge since you are more aware of your tax situation. Here is a more extensive list of benefits.
- View all of your income tax returns, Notices of Assessment, and tax information, including T4, T4A, T4A(P), T4E, T4(OAS), and T5, all at once.
- Track your tax refund and make changes to your tax return
- Set up pre-authorized debit payments
- View all correspondence from the CRA
- Available for use 21 hours per day, 7 days a week
- Information is updated frequently and payments are processed immediately
- Update your personal information as it changes for your CRA profile, including home address, contact information, marital status, and banking information.
- View your RRSP deduction limit, TFSA contribution room, disability tax credit, and the status of Canada Fed Deposit programs like the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and GST/HST Credit.
- Submit financial documents to the CRA online
- Create a payment plan if you have tax debt and owe the CRA money in taxes
- Option to auto-fill forms with your information housed by the portal
- Greater comfort and convenience in having all of your tax information in one place
Find out the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction.
What Happens If I Forget My CRA Log-In Information?
The CRA My Account login page has a link titled “Forgot your User ID?” This webpage allows you to recover your username by providing you with instructions. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can reassess your account by answering the security questions you originally created, after selecting the ”forgot your password” option.
Keep in mind that there are a couple of specific circumstances in which you won’t be able to recover the account and will have to register again, including the following:
- Tax information web service. This includes the following:
- Auto-fill my return
- Express NOA
- T2 Auto-fill
- Canada Digital Adoption Program
- Account Information Retrieval Service
- Identity validation service
- Careers – Candidate profile recovery
Is There A CRA My Account App?
Yes, there is an app for your CRA Account called the MyBenefits CRA web app. This web app allows individuals to view your benefit and credit details, as well as eligibility information. On the app, you’ll be able to:
- View your tax information, including your owed taxes, tax refunds, benefits, and income tax information
- Access resources such as a Benefits calculator, charitable donation tax credit calculator and list of charities, and other support services
- Manage your contact information
Please note that this app is only accessible through a web browser, not a mobile phone.
Final Thoughts About How To Create A CRA Account
Knowing how to create a CRA account will provide you with greater financial awareness. To achieve financial success and sustainability, it’s important to be aware of your financial situation, including debts owed, tax information, and correspondence with the CRA.
