Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
In Canada, the income tax department is the Canada Revenue Agency, or CRA. It runs tax, benefit and related programs for the federal government and for most provinces and territories. Quebec is the one big exception, since Revenu Québec handles provincial tax there.
Who runs income tax in Canada?
The CRA. People often say “the tax department”, but the agency you deal with is the CRA. It takes your return, sends your notice of assessment, pays refunds and collects what you owe.
The CRA isn’t the one that writes tax law. Parliament does that. The CRA applies the rules, so if you disagree with a rate, the fix is political. If you disagree with how a rule was applied to you, that’s a matter for the agency.
Live in Quebec? You file two returns, one federal and one with Revenu Québec. For 2025, Revenu Québec says any balance is due by April 30, or the next business day if that falls on a weekend.
Is the CRA the same as Service Canada?
No, and the mix-up is common. Roughly speaking, the CRA collects: income tax, CPP contributions and EI premiums. Service Canada is the office people deal with for things like applying for EI benefits or a Social Insurance Number. If your question is about a tax slip or a balance owing, it’s a CRA question. If it’s about when your EI payments start, it usually isn’t.
Where do you go for what?
Most questions don’t need a phone call. The table shows the usual first stop.
| You need | Start here |
|---|---|
| Notice of assessment, refund status, balance owing | CRA My Account |
| Answer to a question about your own file | CRA online chat inside My Account, or the individual enquiries phone line |
| Check whether a call, letter or message is real | Your My Account messages, or the CRA phone line |
| Quebec provincial return | Revenu Québec |
| Tax instalments | CRA instalment pages, then your calculator |
The CRA’s contact page lists 1-800-959-8281 for individual enquiries and says to sign in to your account for online chat. Hours changed between the pages we read, so check the contact page before you plan a call.
How can you tell it’s really the tax department calling?
Scams using the CRA name are common, and the CRA is blunt about them. It says it will never start a conversation about your taxes or My Account by text message or instant message such as WhatsApp. A real employee gives their name and a number to call back. The CRA keeps its own scams and fraud page with the latest alerts.
Red flags the CRA lists include demands for payment by gift cards, cryptocurrency or Interac e-transfer, threats of arrest, and messages about a refund that ask you to click a link. If you’re not sure, hang up. Then check My Account or call the number on the CRA’s own page, not one the caller gave you.
Picture Dana, who gets a voicemail at supper saying a warrant will be issued unless she pays today. Real agencies don’t work that way. She hangs up, signs in to My Account, sees nothing owing, and the whole thing ends in five minutes. Nobody got her money.
When does the department come to you first?
Mostly through mail and My Account notices. One that catches people out is the instalment reminder. The CRA says you may have to pay instalments if your net tax owing is more than $3,000 (or $1,800 in Quebec) for 2026 and in either 2025 or 2024. It sends the reminders in February and August, and payments are due in March, June, September and December.
Say your tax owing was $4,200 in both of the last two years. You’re probably on the instalment list. Divide by four and you’re looking at $1,050 a payment, if you use the equal-payments option. The tax instalments calculator works this out for you, and the self-employed tax calculator shows why freelancers hit the threshold so often.
Mistakes when dealing with the tax office
Ignoring a letter is the worst one, and it hurts just as much in July as at tax time. A notice has a response date, and a short reply is easier than a fix after the fact. Keep your own copies too, since the CRA can ask you to back up a claim.
Second, paying a stranger to “speed up” your refund. You don’t need one. Your refund estimate is on the tax refund calculator, and the actual status is in My Account. Third, assuming this site speaks for the government. It doesn’t, and we have no link with the CRA or Revenu Québec.
If you want to see what credits you might be missing before you file, the tax credits calculator covers the federal ones.
Where we got these figures
The description of the CRA‘s role comes from its home page, the phone and chat details from its contact page, and the scam warnings from its pages on recognizing and verifying contact. The instalment rules come from the CRA’s instalment pages for individuals. Quebec’s separate return and April 30 date come from Revenu Québec and the CRA’s Quebec tax package page. All were read in September 2026. The $1,050 example is our own arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the income tax department called in Canada?
It's the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). In Quebec, Revenu Québec also handles the provincial return.
How do I contact the CRA about my own tax?
Sign in to My Account and use the online chat, or call the individual enquiries number on the CRA's contact page.
Will the CRA text me about a refund?
No. The CRA says it doesn't start a conversation about your taxes or My Account by text or instant message.
Do I file a separate return in Quebec?
Yes. Quebec residents file a federal return and a separate Quebec return with Revenu Québec.
Who has to pay tax instalments?
The CRA says you may have to if your net tax owing is over $3,000 ($1,800 in Quebec) for 2026 and in 2025 or 2024.
- How Canadian income tax works: brackets and credits
How federal and provincial Canadian income tax stack up, what marginal and average rates mean, and how credits and deductions change your bill