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For a question about your own tax, call the CRA individual enquiries line at 1-800-959-8281, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern. That’s the number the agency lists on its contact page for people calling from anywhere in Canada except Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Before you dial, though, see if your CRA account can answer it, because plenty of simple questions can be settled there in minutes, without a queue, a hold tune or a callback that never comes.
Which CRA service should you use first?
Try your online account. You can sign in through a participating bank or use a CRA user ID and password, and the CRA’s account page offers a registration route if you have neither. Inside, you’ll see your assessment, your refund status and your balance. If the question is “where’s my refund?”, the CRA says to wait 12 weeks after filing before contacting it, and the status check is in the account too.
Phone comes second. It pays off when you need someone to look at your file, or you can’t get into the account.
Phone numbers and hours
These come from the CRA contact information page. Numbers change, so confirm on the page before you save one.
| Line | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Individual tax enquiries | 1-800-959-8281 | Mon to Fri, 8 am to 8 pm ET |
| Individuals in Yukon, NWT, Nunavut | 1-866-426-1527 | Same hours |
| Business enquiries | 1-800-959-5525 | Mon to Fri, 8 am to 8 pm ET |
| Fraud reporting | 1-833-995-2336 | See the CRA page |
| Automated fraud reporting | 1-800-265-2577 | 24 hours a day |
Lines are closed on weekends and public holidays. At busy times a call can be sent to an automated service, so don’t plan a call for ten minutes before you leave for something else.
What should you have in front of you?
The agent has to confirm who you are before anything else. Have your Social Insurance Number (or the business number for a company), your full name, date of birth and address. The CRA also asks for an open account or an assessed tax document, and your latest notice of assessment does the job.
Write down the tax year and the exact line or form you’re asking about. It sounds fussy, but “I have a question about my return” gets you nowhere, and “line 12000 on the 2025 return” does.
How do you tell a real call from a scam?
If a caller claims to be from the CRA and you’re not sure, don’t argue and don’t read out a code. Hang up, then verify a CRA callback number using the CRA’s own page before you call back. The agency runs the fraud lines above for exactly this.
We haven’t checked the CRA’s full list of what it will and won’t ask for by phone. Read its scam pages before you hand over anything.
Can someone else deal with the CRA for you?
Yes. An accountant or another person can act for you once you authorize them, and you choose how much access they get. For a personal account, level 1 is access to information only. Level 2 also lets them make certain account changes. Give the lower level unless there’s a reason not to.
The steps and the wording change, so follow the CRA’s authorization pages when you do it.
Money questions to settle before you call
Many calls are about a balance owing. Work out what you probably owe first. On $75,000 of Ontario employment income with $12,000 withheld, the tax refund calculator estimates a balance of about $705. For the 2025 return that was due April 30, 2026, and we couldn’t find published dates for the 2026 return yet.
If you’re self-employed or have income with no tax withheld, the tax instalments calculator shows what quarterly payments would look like. Questions about the employment insurance side start with the EI calculator. And if the topic is a pension, the CPP calculator gives a rough figure to compare against what you’re told.
Where the numbers come from
Phone numbers, hours and the list of items to have ready come from the Canada Revenue Agency’s contact information page, read in September 2026. Authorization levels come from the agency’s representative pages. This site is not connected to the CRA or any government, so it can’t look at your file.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CRA phone number for individuals?
The CRA lists 1-800-959-8281 for individual tax enquiries from across Canada except Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Those three use 1-866-426-1527.
What are the CRA phone hours?
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern. The lines are closed on weekends and public holidays.
What do I need when I call?
Your Social Insurance Number, full name, date of birth and address. The CRA also wants an open account or an assessed tax document, such as a notice of assessment.
How do I report a scam call?
The CRA lists 1-833-995-2336 for fraud reporting and an automated line at 1-800-265-2577. If you're unsure about a caller, verify a CRA callback number first.
Can my accountant call the CRA for me?
Yes, once you authorize them. You pick the access level, and level 1 is information only.
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Information only. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns or offer tax services, and we have no connection with the CRA, Revenu Québec, any government or any company named on this page. Check the figures that matter with an official source or a qualified professional.