🍁 Canadian Government Services

CRA My Account — Your Tax Life, Online, Any Time

What you will learn: What CRA My Account is, why it matters for Canadian seniors, and how to register and use it — step by step, in plain language.

Eleanor's Story

Eleanor, 76, from Hamilton, Ontario. Every year after filing her taxes, Eleanor would wait. And wait. She had no way of knowing whether her return had been processed, or when her refund would arrive — so she would call CRA's 1-800 number and wait on hold, sometimes for two hours, just to hear "your return is being processed."

Then her daughter set her up with CRA My Account. That afternoon, Eleanor logged in and saw, for the first time, that her refund had been processed three weeks ago and the money was sitting in her bank account. She had not checked — she did not know to look.

She also discovered she had RRSP contribution room she had never used, and that her OAS payments were set to deposit to an old bank account she had closed four years earlier. She fixed both in under ten minutes.

"I had no idea I could see all this myself," Eleanor said. "Why did no one tell me sooner?"

The Golden Rule

You cannot break anything in CRA My Account by looking. Browsing your information, checking your refund status, or reading your notice of assessment does not change a single thing. You are just reading your own file. Nothing can be changed without you deliberately choosing to change it.

What Is CRA My Account?

CRA My Account is the Canada Revenue Agency's secure online portal — a private website where you can see the same information CRA has on file for you. Think of it like checking your bank account balance online, but for your tax and benefit information.

It is completely free, run by the Government of Canada, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not need to call CRA or wait on hold to see any of this information.

What You Can See and Do in CRA My Account

Is It Safe?

Reassuring Fact

CRA My Account uses the same encryption technology that protects your online banking. The Canada Revenue Agency has operated this service since 2004 and it has been used by millions of Canadians. Your Social Insurance Number is never visible in full after you log in. You are protected by the same privacy laws that govern all Government of Canada services.

The most important security habit: CRA will never call you and ask for your My Account password. If someone calls claiming to be from CRA and asking for your password or login details, hang up. That is a scam. Log in to your account yourself by typing canada.ca directly into your browser — never from a link in an email or text.

How to Register — Step by Step

Registration takes about 15–20 minutes the first time. You will need your Social Insurance Number (SIN), your date of birth, and information from your most recent tax return.

Option A: Sign In With Your Bank (Easiest)

If you already do online banking, this is the fastest option. Your bank verifies your identity — no new username or password to create.

Registering through your bank:

1 Open your browser and type canada.ca/my-cra-account in the address bar. Press Enter. Do not search for it — type the address directly to make sure you are on the real government site.
2 Click "Sign in with a Sign-In Partner." A list of Canadian banks appears — RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Desjardins, and others. Click your bank's name.
3 You will be taken to your bank's login page. Sign in to your online banking as you normally would — with your bank username and password. This does not give CRA access to your bank accounts. It only confirms who you are.
4 After your bank confirms your identity, you are returned to the CRA website. Enter your Social Insurance Number and your date of birth when prompted.
5 CRA will ask you to confirm a piece of information from your most recent tax return — for example, your postal code or net income. This is the final identity check. Enter the information and click Continue.
6 You are now inside CRA My Account. Take a moment to look around — you cannot break anything by exploring.

Option B: Create a GCKey

A GCKey is a username and password you create specifically for Government of Canada websites. Choose this option if you do not do online banking or prefer not to use your bank login.

Creating a GCKey:

1 Go to canada.ca/my-cra-account and click "Continue to GCKey."
2 Click "Sign Up" and create a username (something memorable but not your name or SIN) and a strong password. Write both down and store them somewhere safe at home.
3 Set up a recovery question — something only you would know — in case you ever forget your password.
4 Once your GCKey is created, continue to CRA My Account and enter your SIN, date of birth, and information from your most recent tax return to verify your identity (same as Option A, Step 4–5 above).
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You are registered. Your CRA My Account is ready. Everything from here is optional exploring — there is no wrong click.

Bookmark the page for next time: canada.ca/my-cra-account

The Three Most Important Things to Do First

1. Set up direct deposit for your refunds and benefits

1 From the main menu, click "Direct deposit."
2 Confirm your bank account details are correct. If you have recently changed banks, update them here. Your refunds, GST/HST credit, and other CRA payments go to this account.
3 Click Save. Done. Your money will arrive faster than a cheque — usually within 3–5 business days of CRA processing your return.

2. Check your tax refund status

1 From the main menu, click "Tax returns" and then click on your most recent year.
2 You will see your Notice of Assessment — the official CRA summary. It shows whether you have a refund, owe a balance, or are at zero.
3 If there is a refund, scroll down to see the date it was issued and whether it was sent by cheque or direct deposit.

3. Check your benefit payment dates

1 From the main menu, click "Benefits and credits."
2 You will see a list of benefits you receive — GST/HST credit, Canada Child Benefit (if applicable), and the amount and date of each upcoming payment.
3 Note: CPP and OAS payments are managed by Service Canada, not CRA — those are in a separate portal called My Service Canada Account (mysca.service.canada.ca).

Getting Help

Need assistance with CRA My Account?

The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) runs free tax clinics across Canada. Volunteers help low-income Canadians file their taxes and can help you set up CRA My Account.

CRA General Inquiries — 1-800-959-8281 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm ET)

Service Canada — 1-800-622-6232 (for CPP and OAS questions)

To find a free tax clinic near you: canada.ca — Find a Free Tax Clinic

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You now have access to your complete tax and benefit picture — the same information CRA sees — any time you want it, from home.

No more waiting on hold. No more wondering if your refund has been processed. Your file is right there, whenever you need it.

Also Worth Reading

Module 6 Banking & Transactions Safe online banking, e-Transfer, and managing your accounts — the skills that support your CRA direct deposit. Resource Provincial Programs Ontario Trillium Benefit, OHIP, and other provincial programmes available to Ontario seniors.

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