CRA calling my clients to confirm they signed Authorized Rep form

Tax Topics
1

I have received multiple calls from clients who have been contacted by the CRA to verify whether they signed the Authorized Representative form. This has created unnecessary confusion and concern among clients, making them worry that there might be an issue with their documents or that something was handled incorrectly by our firm. Many of my clients are not fluent in English, and these unexpected calls from the CRA significantly alarm them.

I understand that the CRA is taking precautionary steps to prevent fraud; however, implementing a clear upfront screening process could mitigate the need for these additional confirmations. Furthermore, the recent announcement requiring individual clients to have a CRA account to approve authorizations starting in July 2025 will only complicate matters further, especially for clients who face language barriers or who are not comfortable managing online accounts.

2

I haven’t heard this from any clients so far but I’ve been the authorized rep for most clients for a long time.

3

I haven’t experienced this yet either, but have taken on a number of new clients, all seniors, with half not having computers or CRA My Account.

4

I’ve had clients tell me they got such phone calls already a few years ago. It has become more frequent lately…probably due to the scams exposed by that CBC investigation (see Fifth Estate episode a couple weeks ago).

1 Like
5

Good to know. Have never had a client receive on AFAIK.

6

I’ve had one client this year who received a phone call verifying that she authorized me as a representative. From memory, I think I had one client last year as well. I’m guessing CRA verifies a random number of these authorizations.

2 Likes