How To Open A CRA My Account In 2021

Written by Chrissy Kapralos
Fact-checked by Caitlin Wood

How to Open a CRA My Account in 2021

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CRA My Account is a secure platform created by the Canada Revenue Agency that allows you to access your personal and business income tax information in a safe manner. Having the ability to view all of your tax information in one place is more convenient, as it allows you to plan and prepare for tax debts and payments and can help you stay on top of your taxes and financial health.

How to Open a CRA My Account?

There are two ways to open a CRA My Account. First, you can create a “My Account for Individuals, and sign up through the CRA’s website. The second option is to access sign-in services through a CRA partner, most often a financial institution, like a bank.

Method 1 – My Account for Individuals

A secure portal, My Account is for individuals that wish to view their personal income tax and benefit information. My Account allows you to handle your tax tasks completely 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. 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 inputting your security code, you will have greater access to your tax information.

Learn how to file your taxes as a couple.

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, usually a bank or other financial institution. 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

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

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, child benefits, GST/HST credit, and disability tax credit.
Submit financial documents to the CRA online
Create a payment plan if you 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.

Additional Reading

CRA My Account FAQs

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.

How do I get my CRA security code?

After completing the registration process for My Account, the CRA will send you a security code by email or through Canada Post. The security code has an expiry date. Before this date, you’ll need to follow the provided instructions. If you fail to input the code before the expiration date, you will need to contact the CRA to obtain a new code.

Can I see if I have uncashed cheques through my CRA My account?

Yes, CRA My Account allows you to view and track your tax refunds.

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. There are a couple of specific circumstances in which you won’t be able to recover the account and will have to register again. 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.

Final Thoughts

Creating a CRA account is a step towards 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.