30 Jun Business Correspondence Moving Online
As noted in a previous article, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has made digital delivery the default for most business correspondence. This includes audit letters, notices of assessment, statements, and more, which are now delivered through the My Business Account portal.
Who Is Affected
- Newly registered businesses with a Business Number issued after May 12
- Existing businesses that are already registered for My Business Account
- Authorized representatives using CRA’s Represent a Client service
Not Impacted
- Businesses not registered for My Business Account
- Non-resident businesses without Canadian access
- Charities, unless they opt in
- Individuals
Potential Challenges
CRA considers correspondence delivered on the date it is posted online. If you miss an email notification, such as an audit letter or a Notice of Reassessment, you may also miss important response or objection deadlines. This could result in unexpected tax amounts being owed, and by the time you are contacted by CRA Collections, your right to appeal may have already expired.
Please note that Clearline does not receive notifications from CRA when correspondence is posted to your My Business Account.
How to Prepare
- Register or sign in to your CRA My Business Account.
- Update your email addresses to make sure CRA has the correct contact information. You can register up to three addresses.
- Monitor your inbox regularly. New CRA correspondence is considered delivered once it is posted. For security, CRA emails will never contain a direct link to your inbox. You must log in to your My Business Account to view it.
- Still want paper correspondence?
- Submit Form RC681 or make the request through your My Business Account to continue receiving paper mail.
- This request must be renewed every two years.
- Only the owner, director, or corporate officer can make this request.
- Clearline, like all representatives, is not permitted to submit this on your behalf.
If you have questions or need assistance with CRA compliance, contact Clearline CPA today.
