CRA is now “pushing” this online mail service and it carries both costs and benefits. The benefits: paperless communication to you, paperless storage, faster delivery than paper and less reliance on Canada Post. The costs: increased risk of confusion resulting in potential for identity theft or fraud, requires a two-step process to read CRA notices, increased risk of statutory deadlines being missed because email notices are easier to ignore than paper.
Should you register for this service? We have mixed feelings about this given the risks and rewards described above. Ultimately, the fraud risk and the deadline risks are significant issues which you will have to balance against convenience.
If you choose to register, further information is available at the following website: Click here for Online Mail Link .
We would also encourage you to review the CRA website discussing fraud: Click here for Fraud Link.
Finally, if you do decide to register, you should note three critical things:
1. CRA will NEVER send you any information by email and they will NEVER send you a link. All they will send by email is a notification that you have a notice in your online CRA mail account. You will ALWAYS be required to go to the CRA website and log into your account independently to read their communications.
2. You should always use the additional security question. Imagine what an identify thief could do with your full name, address, Social Insurance Number and all of your tax information.
3. If you get a Notice of Assessment or Notice of Reassessment which CRA sends to your online CRA mail account it is your responsibility to check it. If for any reason you want or need to dispute it, you generally have 90 days to do so. It is your responsibility to either file a Notice of Objection or to make arrangements for us to do so, on your behalf. If you miss that 90 day deadline (extended in some cases) you cannot correct, adjust or appeal the taxes charged to you on that notice.
Another service called CRA My Account is something which provides you with online access to your account information and we DO recommend that you sign up for this service.
More information about this service is available at this web page: Click Here for CRA My Account.
