I have a client that is a new corporation and he does not have access to his CRA My Account and does not want to get access. My question is how do any of you handle this in order to get Rep a Client for the corporate account?
In Odd exceptions, CRA will allow it… but they Need to know why he is refusing, I am unclear if the old “ they are not computer literate will still work”
When client is in your office and they have all the relevant information to confirm their identity, you call CRA ,it will need to escalate up the chain but you can push it… But to be clear, both you and your client will enjoy the day together or at least a big part of it.
Let us know how you make out on this matter.
Thank you for your input.
The CRA is becoming more and more strict with the insistence of corporations setting up My Business Account. In fact this past year all new incorporation could only complete the represent a client tax authorization for my firm by logging into their My Business Account and validating the request we submitted through tax software.
The My Business Account set up is a very convoluted and intimidating process for the average business owner. Instead of looking for ways to make the process easier and more streamlined, the CRA continues to find ways to add layer upon layer of steps and after you go through the 45 minutes of set up on the computer, the final step cannot be completed until the CRA sends the owner a security code in the mail, which adds another 5-10 business days!
Totally agree… Unfortunately, not all business owners need to be computer literate contrary to the belief of persons who live in large cities.
There are persons in the Amish Community ( for example… there are many others.). who do not use computers.
On my end, I have many clients in small restaurant, trucking, woods related, Engine repair, farming, etc… that just don’t use or trust computers… thankfully they have been in business prior to this nonsense.
I now insist that the client set up their own CRA login, and authorize my firm as needed. If a client wants my help setting up their CRA login, I sit with them and go through the initial steps on the website (which takes about 5 minutes), then tell them to come back when they receive their security code in the mail (a week or two later). If the client is capable of authorizing my firm on their own, I send them step-by-step instructions in email (which applies to the steps AFTER they are logged in to their MyBusinessAccount).
If the client absolutely does not want to do that, I tell them it will cost them more for my services because I will have only OFFLINE access; then I get them to sign the AuthRep form (printed from TaxCycle T2, then filed electronically through TaxCycle). Then, as always, I track my time and charge them accordingly.
Same here. I just got off the phone with a new client. I’ll show them how to authorize me. My gut feeling is that if they don’t want to give me access, they most likely won’t be a good client anyway.
For new clients, we share them a PDF file detailing instructions on how to register for a CRA My Business Account and how they authorize our firm as their representative.
However, we did encounter an issue with one of our newer clients who was facing difficulty because the CRA has locked their access to the CRA My Business Account. Despite reaching out to several agents, we didn’t receive much support. Nevertheless, we’re still able to proceed with filing their T4s, T5s, and GST/HST returns. However, to do so, the client will need to provide us with their online access code.
We also use have used form AUT-01 (Authorize a Representative for Offline Access) so that we can communicate to the CRA via mail and phone. Overall, apart from this challenge, we haven’t encountered many difficulties.