The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is in the middle of a 100-day service improvement plan, and the latest digital improvements reduce the need for taxpayers to pick up the phone to call the agency — a key aim of the plan.
Beginning Monday, some taxpayers will be able to regain access to their CRA accounts without the need to call, using a new option called “register again.”
The option is available to existing taxpayers who lost access or were locked out of their accounts because they forgot their sign-in information, a release said on Monday.
“I’m pleased to see that the CRA is making some meaningful progress along its 100-day journey to fix taxpayers’ customer service experience,” said Jamie Golombek, managing director and head of tax and estate planning with CIBC Private Wealth in Toronto, in an email. “Being able to register again online for My Account will redirect some of the call volume to a self-service portal, allowing taxpayers to efficiently and quickly regain access to the many useful services available online.”
On Monday, the agency also launched the “manage balance” service in My Account, which allows taxpayers with tax debts of $1,000 or more to set up payment arrangements independently, as well as make payments, connect with a collections officer or request a callback.
Another self-service improvement is an expanded callback pilot for the disability tax credit. The pilot received 786 requests between Sept. 15 and Oct. 3, with responses provided within two business days, Monday’s release said.
The agency also updated the information on its website regarding TFSAs in an effort to provide easier access to details on contribution limits, withdrawals and resolving overcontributions.
“TFSA overcontributions are a continuous source of taxpayer frustration and the penalty tax and interest can be costly,” Golombek said in his email. “The updated CRA TFSA website clearly demonstrates the dangers of relying purely on the CRA TFSA contribution information [in a taxpayer’s CRA account], which can be out-of-date. Hopefully, this will help taxpayers to avoid future overcontributions.”
In Monday’s release, the agency said it will “continue to reduce processing backlogs, and improve overall usability of web content.”
In September, the federal finance minister set a 100-day timeline for the CRA to fix call centre delays, putting the deadline at Dec. 11. In an update on Friday, the agency reported significant improvement as it focused on automation and system enhancements. Call centres answered 77% of incoming calls between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 — up from 35% between June 30 and July 4.