Important Update From the Canada Revenue Agency: Business Mail Is Going Online
Important update from the Canada Revenue Agency
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will transition to online mail as the default method of delivering most business correspondence, reflecting the CRA's ongoing commitment to enhancing service delivery. This means your business will stop receiving paper mail and will start receiving most notices and other correspondence through the CRA's secure online portal, My Business Account.
This change applies to all:
- new business number and program account registrations
- existing businesses registered for My Business Account
- businesses who have a representative that accesses the CRA's services on their behalf through Represent a Client
Businesses can prepare for this change by signing in to or registering for My Business Account and ensuring the account includes an up-to-date email address. Adding an email address allows the CRA to send notifications when important changes are made to the account, and to alert you when there is new mail to view in My Business Account. You can have up to three email addresses on file for each program account, and can also add your accountant or other authorised individuals.
If you are not ready to make the switch to online mail, you will need to make a request to activate paper mail using form RC681 – Request to Activate Paper Mail for Business to the CRA, or through My Business Account.
What this means in practice
The practical risk is simple: if nobody is watching My Business Account, notices and deadlines can pass entirely unseen. Assessments, requests for information and payment reminders will arrive there rather than in the post, and the clock on responding starts whether or not anyone has logged in.
Two things are worth doing now. Add a real, monitored email address to each program account so the CRA can notify you when something arrives. And decide who is responsible for checking — if that is your accountant, make sure they are authorised through Represent a Client.
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This article is general information for Canadian taxpayers and is not tailored tax advice. Rules, rates and thresholds change, and your own circumstances matter — please confirm anything material before acting on it.