This is frustrating. I had a client message and say CRA sent him a bill for $11k (this they mailed out). They sent him a review letter on MyAccount last September, which he doesn’t have access set up, but didn’t copy me or send him a physical copy.
I called the number on the letter to let them know I’m gathering what they asked for and to keep the file open. All they have is an answering machine. They’ll call back in a couple days. I’ve called several times now.
Anybody know how to reach these people who never answer a phone? Or a way to ensure they actually copy me on any review they are doing regardless of the department?
take note of the dates, and review CRA’s policy on dates on appeal, objections and see if your client’s file still within those dates, if not, chances are nothing can be done, your client maybe just wasting money, trying to appeal it. If it’s still within the appeal, objections time frame, you just have to document all your dates,
Their SOP is to essentially keep files open, even past the deadline. You can upload information to the client’s account, using the corresponding reference number, even if it’s past the due date for the original review. They will then review the information and do a reassessment if necessary.
I don’t know if there is a date at which they will no longer accept information for a review, but I’ve dealt with similar client situation in which several months have passed since the deadline and the reassessments were reversed within a couple of weeks of uploading the information.
The main reason “these people” are difficult to reach is because they’re understaffed.
I do get the under-staffing problem, and I’m sure it’s a high-pressure job. I feel for them on that level. It’s just frustrating to leave messages that will “receive a response within 48-72 hours” that never comes. I send every return with “contact preparer” for pre and post reviews.
I get this is a specialized department, but shouldn’t post review apply to any type of review? It would certainly be more efficient. If they had just sent the letter to me in September (instead of an inbox the client doesn’t have access to), they would have had what they wanted within a couple days. Instead, it’s come at the busiest possible time.
When you do it online, one thing though, make sure you don’t get assumption that it’s done. The last one I did, I uploaded the documents even it was past the objection deadline, the penalty that was assessed originally, it was removed from the client’s account, so I was so happy, thinking CRA made an exception, and accepted the late submittals, but months after, client received a letter, saying the late submittal was denied as the deadline was past.
Hopefully it wasn’t the same case as mine, coz yeah, normally, CRA takes forever with things. For me, I got happy too early, dates all past, just hoping for the best by uploading the documents, the fines and penalties, all got removed within few days, I talked to client, told him I saved him $15K, charged him for the service. later, received letter said, fines and taxes stayed, past appeal and objection date. And it was months after, like almost 6 months
CRA is basically to destroy the taxpayer. I deposited mail into CRA’s mail in Nov and on Feb, they said they did not get. This week, I went for register mail.
Another case is that was to upload the T2125 lines an receipts. Somewhere along the way it doesn’t allow anymore and errors. I swear they have a button to stop mail. I am trying to prove a business case.
Another case is I uploaded lines and they say it was not. I can see it there.
A business case can be made that it was CRA that destoryed the economy and that Canada fell on spikes created by CRA and broke up into 20 republics because it.
For sure, CRA is part of the problem, but let’s also be honest, the tax payer, also is part of the problem. I have done quite a few, asked if anything was done about tax audit, anything was sent to CRA etc… was told nothing, but later, always found out, clients weren’t being honest. They attempted to deal with the matters with other helps already, but wasn’t successful, and that wasn’t from CRA, or from them direct, I found through the documents when doing their taxes. So most the time, we can’t just listen to the clients
The problem with CRA’s approach, which is probably on purpose, is that they do not talk to taxpayers and their advisors. If you have a submission on a post assessment review, for example, and a small part is missing in your submission, you have not dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s, then they just proceed and reassess, while they could easily clear up the matter by picking up the phone, or sending a followup asking for the specific. But this way they get the low hanging fruit, as many taxpayers will just grumble and pay, not knowign that they can and should push back.
As to the CRA staffing, that is certainly not the issue. CRA employs 52,500 people, 1 per every 760 Canadian, while the IRS has one for every 4.700 American. As I prepare both Canadian and American returns, I can attest that the IRS service is certainly no worse than the CRA.
Do not believe the line the unions feed you. The problem is productivity, and that goes right to how they do and manage things.
You can’t directly compare CRA to the IRS, since CRA also handles customs, which the IRS does not. The IRS is also notoriously understaffed.
CRA also handles provincial filings for most provinces, while in the US each state processes its own state returns. So any direct comparison in staffing will produce misleading results.
All of this is based on my experience with CRA in my 26 years of doing this work. It’s not based on some “lines from the unions.” That’s a tellingly biased phrasing.
Whether it’s the upper management at CRA or the general line workers or their workflows, what Bert has said is quite true. I have been dealing with CRA since the early ‘90’s. While there have been many improvements, I’ve also never seen it worse. I have processing review replies that were uploaded in September (a week after receiving the letter) that are expected to be handled by June 2026. I filed an on-line T1 adjustment in mid June ‘25 which added one long term care medical expense ($30K approx). I was told in September that it was a “complex adjustment” and as such will take up to 50 weeks to process. Based on the lack of movement to date, I expect them to take every day of those 50 weeks, or more.
I had 10 processing review replies in the hands of CRA as of the end of October. One of these was processed by December. There has been absolutely no movement in the other nine since October.
Like Bert, I have had processing reviews where a small item of information was missing. Instead of picking up the phone or sending a quick letter, CRA reassesses the T1 forcing us to restart the time on getting it fixed. CRA is not just in the tax collection business. They are also there to serve the taxpayers and the representatives. Pushing off their work from 2025 to 2026 is not the answer as just as much work will show up after 2026 tax returns have been processed.
Do you actually work for CRA? The experience we have had with CRA in the recent past creates ample room for bitterness or disillusionment. It does not need to be the way it is. CRA, like many larger services businesses, has forgotten what the word “service” implies.
Items that were previously not considered complex such as transferring unused DTC credit to spouse are now complex.
I always respond to Post assessment reviews ASAP and yet wait more than 6 months for confirmation my documentation was sufficient. If it was not, for a minor issue it was reassessed.
The only thing that keeps me going is I am much closer to retiring than starting … lol
I have never replied to the postings before, but today the devil made me do it. I go by the numbers: 2024 - 33,840,000 tax returns assessed divided by 52,500 employees = 644 taxpayers per employee. For a business filing 3,000 personal tax returns, that equates to 4.66 CRA employees allocated to your business to deal with issues you may have regarding their personal and possible corporate returns. Imagine 4.66 employees just waiting for someone in your firm to call them for help every day of the week. Unions saying that CRA is understaffed, poppycock. Returns being pulled for review should be maxed at a 30 day work load, anything after that should just be processed without question.
