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A tax professional can prepare and file your return, but only the CRA’s own rules tell you whether one is worth hiring. If you pay someone to file your return electronically, check that they’re in the CRA’s directory of certified EFILE preparers. You can search it by postal code, and it takes two minutes.
What can a tax professional do for you?
The CRA’s page describes three things: prepare the return, send it in electronically, and, if you allow it, deal with the CRA for you afterwards. That last part is separate from filing. The CRA calls it authorizing a representative.
The fastest way is online. Sign in to your CRA account, go to your profile and add an authorized representative. If your professional has a RepID, they can send a request through Represent a Client and you confirm it in your account. The slow route is a paper form, AUT-01, which gives access by phone, mail, fax and in person. Mail it to the CRA within six months of signing it.
Should you hire one at all?
For a plain T4 return, probably not. Free software or a volunteer at a free tax clinic can handle that, and the CRA points to both. We won’t list clinic income limits, because they differ between CRA pages. Check the CRA page for the current ones.
Someone to hire makes sense when the return has parts you can’t judge yourself. Rental income. A business. Selling shares. A move out of the country. In those cases a mistake costs real money, and someone else’s knowledge is cheaper than a reassessment.
| Your situation | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Employee, few slips | Free clinic or certified software |
| Self-employed or rental income | A preparer who files business returns and will explain each claim |
| Leaving Canada | Someone who has handled Forms NR73 and T1161 |
| Corporation | A preparer who files the T2 with certified software |
What should you check before signing?
Ask to review the return before it goes in. The CRA says you should read it against Form T183, the information return you sign to authorize filing, and make sure the two match. Keep the slips, receipts and the completed T183 for at least six years.
One warning from the CRA is about discounters. They work out your expected refund and give you one payment up front before filing. You get less than the actual refund. Whether that trade is worth it is your call, but know the deal.
We couldn’t confirm what professionals charge, and we won’t guess. Ask for the price for your own return, in writing, before anything is filed.
How can you tell if the advice is any good?
Use a number. Take someone in Ontario earning $60,000. The income tax calculator gives $8,320 of federal and Ontario tax. With a $5,000 deduction, it’s $7,104. So a deduction of that size is worth about $1,217.
If your preparer says a claim of that size will save you far more, ask how, and ask for the line on the return where it shows up. The marginal tax rate calculator shows what an extra dollar of income or deduction is worth at your level, and the tax credits calculator shows federal credits. Neither replaces a preparer. They let you ask better questions.
This one’s dull but true. A refund can’t be promised before anyone knows your income and claims. The CRA says your notice of assessment and any refund are usually processed within two weeks of electronic filing. That’s your proof the return went in.
Where the numbers come from
Preparer and authorization rules come from the Canada Revenue Agency pages on using a tax preparer and on authorizing a representative, read in September 2026. The tax examples use 2026 federal and Ontario rates in our calculators. This site isn’t connected to the CRA.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check a tax professional is certified?
Search the CRA's tax preparer directory by postal code. The CRA says the preparers listed there are certified to file returns through its EFILE service.
How do I let a tax professional talk to the CRA for me?
Add them as an authorized representative in your CRA account, or confirm their request made through Represent a Client. Form AUT-01 by mail gives offline access only.
What does a tax professional cost?
We couldn't confirm typical fees on an official page. Ask for the price in writing for your own return.
What should I keep after filing?
The CRA says to keep your slips, receipts and completed Form T183 for at least 6 years.
Can I use a free clinic instead?
For a simple return, often yes. The CRA points to free tax clinic volunteers, but income limits differ between CRA pages, so check the current page.
- How to choose a tax preparer in Canada
How to decide if you need a tax preparer, what a preparer does, the questions to ask before you hire one and where to find free help in Canada
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.