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Tax help from an accountant works best when you hand over the right papers and stay involved. The steps are short: gather your slips, give the accountant access to your CRA account, review the return before it’s sent, and keep your copies for six years. Here’s how each one goes.
What does a tax assist accountant actually do?
Depending on the job, an accountant prepares your return, files it electronically for you, answers questions about a slip, or deals with the CRA on your behalf. Those are four different jobs, and the price and the effort differ. Say which one you want at the start, because “can you do my taxes” can mean any of them.
We can’t tell you what any of them costs, since fees aren’t something we could confirm from a source worth trusting. Ask for the figure in writing before you hand anything over.
How do you give an accountant access to your CRA account?
The CRA says preparers now request authorization through Represent a Client, and since July 15, 2025 they can no longer do it for individuals through EFILE. You confirm the request in your CRA account. Or you can add the person yourself: sign in, open Profile and look for the authorized representatives section. If you can’t log in, there’s another route. You give your preparer details from a notice of assessment issued at least six months ago, and they use that to request access. The CRA explains each option on its page on how to give authorization.
Do this before the meeting, not during it. And remember that giving access is a real permission, so ask what the accountant plans to look at. Never email your CRA password to anyone. A proper authorization means you don’t have to.
Which papers should you bring?
The CRA’s list is plain: your tax slips, receipts related to credits and deductions, and other documents that support the return. In practice, that usually means the following.
- T4, T5 and other slips, including ones that arrive late
- Receipts for donations, medical costs and child care
- RRSP contribution slips
- Last year’s notice of assessment
- Notes on anything that changed, such as a move or a new job
Sam in Calgary, say, changed jobs in June and picked up a bit of side income. His accountant needs both T4s plus the T4A, and a one-line note about the job change. Without that note, a missing slip is easy to overlook.
What should you check before it’s sent?
Ask for the return and the information on Form T183, read them, then sign Part F to authorize filing. The CRA asks you to review both. It takes twenty minutes and it’s where most errors get caught. Compare the totals with your own estimate as well. If you earn $85,000 in Ontario, for instance, the income tax calculator gives $15,551 of federal and Ontario tax for 2026, so a return showing $22,000 needs an explanation.
Wondering about the refund? The tax refund calculator gives a rough figure to test against. And if some credits confuse you, try the tax credits calculator, which covers federal credits only.
Is a reply from the CRA sitting unopened in your mail? Take it to the meeting. A letter about a past return is the kind of thing an accountant can read in a minute, and you can’t.
What are the dates?
| Item (2025 tax year) | Date |
|---|---|
| Balance owing | April 30, 2026 |
| Filing, self-employed | June 15, 2026 |
| Record keeping | At least 6 years |
The CRA hasn’t published the dates for the 2026 tax year yet. Look for them in early 2027 before you line anyone up. Busy preparers tend to fill up as the deadline nears, so an early call usually beats one in the last week of April.
What goes wrong?
People arrive late in the season with half the slips. They sign without reading. Or they share their CRA password by email when a proper authorization request would do the job. If you need to prepay tax during the year, our tax instalments calculator is a good thing to bring along.
What should you do afterwards?
Ask for a full copy of the filed return and keep it with the signed T183, your slips and the receipts. When the notice of assessment arrives, read it and compare it with the return. A mismatch is far easier to sort out in May than two years later. And if the accountant told you to expect a refund and nothing shows up, ask them to check your CRA account with you.
What this page is based on
The access steps, Form T183 and the six-year record rule come from Canada Revenue Agency pages on tax preparers and representative authorization, read in September 2026. The $15,551 figure is from this site’s income tax calculator using published 2026 rates. This site has no link with any government agency.
Frequently asked questions
How does an accountant get access to my CRA account?
Through Represent a Client. You confirm their request, or you give them details from a notice of assessment that is at least six months old.
Can preparers still request access through EFILE?
Not for individuals. The CRA says that since July 15, 2025 those requests go through Represent a Client.
What should I check before the return is filed?
The return itself and the information on Form T183. You then sign Part F to authorize filing.
How long do I keep the papers?
At least six years, including slips, receipts and the completed T183.
What are the dates for the 2026 tax year?
We couldn't find them published yet. For the 2025 year, balances were due April 30, 2026 and the self-employed filing date was June 15, 2026.
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