Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
“My Canada Revenue” is what most people type when they want the CRA’s online account, which is officially called My Account. It’s free, it belongs to the Canada Revenue Agency, and you sign in through canada.ca. To register you need your Social Insurance Number, your date of birth and figures from a tax return the CRA has already assessed.
What can you do in My Canada Revenue?
Quite a lot, and most of it saves a phone call. The CRA says you can manage your personal and tax information, check the status of a refund or benefit payment, make payments, change your address or banking details, and get a notice of assessment or proof of income.
That last one matters more than it sounds. Lenders and landlords often ask for proof of income, and you can pull it from the account yourself instead of waiting on a letter.
One thing it won’t do is open a deceased person’s file. An executor has to use the Represent a Client service instead. The same goes for helping a friend or relative: you use Represent a Client, not their login.
How do you register for a CRA account?
The CRA lists three ways to sign in. You can make a CRA user ID and password, use a Sign-In Partner (your online banking login), or use a provincial partner, which today means a BC Services Card or an Alberta.ca Account.
| What you need | Detail from the CRA |
|---|---|
| Identity numbers | Social Insurance Number and date of birth |
| Tax return figures | Amounts from an assessed return within the last 2 years |
| Fast access | Document verification with a mobile device and accepted photo ID |
| Standard access | Security code by mail, within 10 business days |
| Session limit | Registration expires after 18 minutes without activity, and progress isn’t saved |
Have your last return open before you start. The 18-minute timer catches people who go looking for a notice of assessment halfway through.
Why can’t you see everything right away?
If you choose the mailed code, the CRA gives you limited access first. Full access arrives once you enter the code, or immediately if you verify your documents or register through a provincial partner. The CRA also now asks you to add a backup multi-factor method, either a passcode grid or an authenticator app. You can skip it at first, but we’d do it now instead of getting locked out on the day you need a slip.
Haven’t filed a return in years? Then the tax-return question will trip you up. In Alberta and British Columbia a provincial partner gets around it. Elsewhere, you’ll want an assessed return first.
What does it show about your money?
Your account is where the numbers behind your return live, so use it to test what you expect. If you’re due a refund, try the tax refund calculator. With a $75,000 salary in Ontario and $14,000 already withheld, it shows about $1,295.35 back. Cut the tax withheld to $11,000 and the same person owes $1,704.65 instead.
Those are estimates, and your notice of assessment is the final word. Still, a gap of a few hundred dollars between the two is a reason to check your slips.
The account also tracks benefits. Families can estimate the Canada Child Benefit before the payment arrives. For a household with one child under 6, one under 18 and $70,000 of family net income, our calculator gives $10,752 a year, or $896.00 a month. Lower incomes can also test the GST/HST credit calculator, and the tax instalments calculator helps if you owe tax during the year.
Mistakes that lock people out
Typing a search into a browser and clicking the first ad is how people end up on copycat sites. Go to canada.ca and follow the sign-in link from there. Never share your codes with a caller, whoever they claim to be.
The other common problem is an old address. The security code goes by mail to the address the CRA has on file, so if you’ve moved and never updated it, the letter goes to your old place. Fix your address first, by phone if you must.
Where the numbers come from
Registration rules, sign-in options and account features come from the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Account and registration pages, read in September 2026. The refund and benefit figures come from this site’s calculators, which use 2026 rates. This site has no link with the CRA or any government.
Frequently asked questions
Is My Canada Revenue the same as CRA My Account?
People use the name for the CRA's online account, officially called My Account. You reach it through canada.ca.
What do I need to register?
A Social Insurance Number, your date of birth and amounts from a tax return the CRA assessed in the last 2 years.
How long does the mailed security code take?
The CRA says within 10 business days. Document verification or a provincial partner can give you access sooner.
Can I use my bank login?
Yes, through a Sign-In Partner. A CRA user ID and password or a provincial partner login also work.
Can I see a deceased person's account?
No. An authorized representative such as an executor uses the Represent a Client service.
- 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
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.