Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
To call Revenue Canada about your personal taxes, dial 1-800-959-8281. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern, and closed on weekends and public holidays. Businesses call 1-800-959-5525. People still search for the old name, but it is the Canada Revenue Agency now, and the same numbers apply.
Which number do you dial?
That comes down to whose account you’re asking about. Individuals and trusts have one line, businesses have another. Business enquiries cover payroll, GST/HST and corporation tax. If you’re in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, the numbers are different, and there’s a collect number for callers outside Canada and the United States.
| Who is asking | Number |
|---|---|
| Individuals, most of Canada | 1-800-959-8281 |
| Individuals in Yukon, NWT, Nunavut | 1-866-426-1527 |
| Individuals outside Canada and the U.S. (collect) | 1-613-940-8495 |
| Businesses, most of Canada | 1-800-959-5525 |
| Businesses in Yukon, NWT, Nunavut | 1-866-841-1876 |
| Businesses outside Canada and the U.S. (collect) | 1-613-940-8497 |
Hours for both lines are 8 am to 8 pm Eastern on weekdays. How long will you wait? The CRA’s contact page says that when volumes are high it may send your call to an automated line, and that it is trying to keep the average wait to about 30 minutes. That’s an average, so a Monday in late April can feel a lot longer. If you’re on the west coast, remember the hours are Eastern: 8 am there means 5 am for you.
Which line fits which kind of question?
The quickest way to avoid a transfer is to pick the line by who owns the account. A question about your own return, refund or notice goes to the individual line, 1-800-959-8281. A question about payroll deductions, GST/HST or corporation tax goes to the business line, 1-800-959-5525. A sole proprietor can have both kinds of questions, so match the topic to the number rather than the person.
The clock matters too. The hours are 8 am to 8 pm Eastern on weekdays, which is 9 am to 9 pm in Atlantic time, 7 am to 7 pm in Central, 6 am to 6 pm in Mountain and 5 am to 5 pm in Pacific. With an average wait of about 30 minutes, dialling in the last half hour of the window is a risky plan, and the call could be sent to an automated service at busy times. Start earlier in the day, with the notice and your notes in front of you.
Can you skip the phone call?
Often, yes. A lot of what people ring about, such as their own tax details and payment questions, sits behind the sign-in to your CRA account, and looking there costs you no time on hold, no matter how busy the lines are in the last week of April. There’s also an online chat, but the CRA says it covers only some questions, mainly account access and updates to your personal information.
The CRA also runs an automated phone service for simple things like a refund status or an account balance. It’s worth trying first if that’s all you need.
One rule of thumb: if you only want a number, look before you call. Work out roughly what you should be owed first. Say you earned $60,000 in Ontario and had $9,000 withheld. The tax refund calculator shows $8,320.50 of tax and a refund of $679.50. If the CRA’s notice says something far off, you have a specific question to ask, and that call goes faster.
What should you have in front of you?
Your social insurance number, your last notice of assessment and the letter or reference you’re calling about. Have a pen too, because an agent won’t wait while you hunt for one. Write down the agent’s name and the date, because if it turns into a dispute you’ll want a record.
Calling about instalments? Have last year’s tax and this year’s income estimate ready, then check the tax instalments calculator so you know what you expect to hear. Calling about a return you haven’t finished? The income tax calculator gives a quick figure to compare.
Think of Priya in Halifax, holding a letter about a missing T4 amount. She jots down the letter’s date, the amount in question and her three questions before dialling. Fifteen minutes later she’s done, and the agent’s name is in her notes.
How do you tell a real CRA call from a scam?
This is the part people get wrong, and scammers count on it. A real CRA agent gives you a name and a callback number. Don’t trust the number your caller ID shows. Never give personal information on the call. Instead, hang up, then check the callback number with the CRA’s phone number verification tool.
The CRA says its agents don’t threaten arrest, deportation or police action. They don’t demand immediate payment by e-transfer, cryptocurrency, prepaid cards or gift cards. And they don’t ask for a credit card, health card or passport number. Text messages are used only for multi-factor sign-in codes, if you chose that option.
Not sure? Hang up and call 1-800-959-8281 yourself (1-800-959-5525 for a business). They can tell you whether anyone from the CRA tried to reach you. Also, never email your SIN or return details to anyone, since the CRA says not to.
What should you write down during the call?
A page of notes turns a vague memory into a record. Put the date and time at the top, then the agent's name and the number you dialled. Write the tax year and the exact line or form you asked about, such as line 12000 on the 2025 return, or on the 2026 return once you are filing it. Add your question in one sentence and the answer you were given in another, in the agent's words as closely as you can manage.
If the agent promises something, like a review or a callback, write down what and by when. It also helps to note the amount in your own estimate next to the amount the CRA quoted. On the $60,000 Ontario example above, the calculator showed a $679.50 refund. If the CRA's number is far from yours, the notes show exactly where the two paths split. Keep the page with your tax papers, since you may want it if you end up writing to the CRA later.
What if the call doesn’t get you anywhere?
Then call back if you have to, and keep your notes from the first call so you can say what you were told and when. If the answer still looks wrong, the next step is to put your point in writing or file a formal objection, and for that the deadline printed on your notice is the one to watch. We didn’t check the objection rules for this page, so read that notice closely.
What dates should you know before you call in late 2026?
The filing and payment deadline for the 2025 return was April 30, 2026, or June 15, 2026 for people who or whose spouse or common-law partner are self-employed, and the CRA says any balance was still due April 30. The CRA has not published dates for the 2026 return yet, so a caller asking about them will hear the usual pattern at best. If you pay instalments, the CRA's schedule for 2026 includes December 15, 2026.
That is worth a call or a look at your account now, not in April, because the phone lines are busiest around the deadline. For the money side of what you might hear, the page on checking your notice of assessment and changing a return explains the next step, and the guide to dealing with the CRA covers letters and objections.
Where do you report a suspicious call?
The CRA contact page gives 1-833-995-2336 for fraud or suspicious activity on individual accounts, open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, and an automated fraud line at 1-800-265-2577. For business accounts the fraud line is the business number, 1-800-959-5525. TTY users have 1-800-665-0354 for general use and the CRA says the same hours apply as the main lines.
Where we got these figures
Phone numbers, hours and the fraud lines come from the CRA contact page, and the filing dates from the CRA page on due dates. The scam guidance comes from the CRA scams pages. All were checked in November 2026. Numbers can change, so use the CRA contact page if a call does not connect. This is an independent guide, separate from any government body.
Frequently asked questions
What number do businesses call?
Businesses call 1-800-959-5525 for payroll, GST/HST and corporation accounts. In Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut the business number is 1-866-841-1876. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern, and the CRA says the lines are closed on weekends and public holidays.
When are the CRA phone lines open?
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern, and closed on weekends and public holidays, according to the CRA contact page. That means 5 am to 5 pm in Pacific time. The CRA also says calls may be sent to an automated service when wait times are high.
How do I know a caller is really the CRA?
Ask for a name and a callback number, hang up, and check the number with the CRA verification tool. Do not give personal details during the call. The CRA says its agents do not threaten arrest, demand payment by gift card or cryptocurrency, or ask for a credit card number.
Can I get answers without calling?
Often yes. Much of what people ring about, such as account balances and refund status, sits behind the sign-in to your CRA account, and there is an automated phone service too. The online chat covers only some questions, mainly account access and changes to personal information, so check what it handles first.
Is there a different number from outside Canada?
Yes. The CRA lists a collect number for individuals calling from outside Canada and the United States, 1-613-940-8495, and 1-613-940-8497 for businesses. Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have their own toll-free numbers, 1-866-426-1527 for individuals. Hours match the regular lines.
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