CRA My Account and filing: what it can and cannot do
CRA My Account cannot be used to submit a tax return. It is a monitoring and account management service. To file electronically, you use NETFILE-certified tax software. If you have a My Account and file with that software, you can use Auto-fill my return.
Can you file with CRA My Account?
What My Account is used for
My Account is the Canada Revenue Agency’s online portal for managing your own file between tax seasons and during filing. According to the CRA, it lets you:
- Check benefit and credit payments
- View your information slips
- Update your direct deposit details
- Update your mailing address
These are account-level tasks. None of them transmits a return.
Why My Account cannot submit a return
Electronic filing runs through a separate channel. The CRA’s NETFILE system accepts returns only from NETFILE-certified software, so the return is prepared and sent from that software. My Account is the account side of the relationship with the CRA, and it has no submit function.
How Auto-fill my return works with My Account
Auto-fill my return is a feature of the NETFILE software, not of My Account. The condition is specific: you must have a My Account and use NETFILE-certified software. If you meet both conditions, the software can offer Auto-fill my return. If you have a My Account but use software that is not NETFILE-certified, the feature is not available through that route.
My Account service hours
My Account is available from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. Eastern time (ET), seven days a week. Plan account changes, such as updating your direct deposit or address, within that window. The service is not available outside those hours.
What do you need before you file online?
Registering for My Account requires four items: your Social Insurance Number (SIN), your date of birth, two amounts from your current or previous year’s return, and one of those amounts from line 15000. After you submit the registration, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) mails a security code, which usually arrives within 10 business days. Source: Canada Revenue Agency, 2026.
| Item | What it is | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| SIN | Your Social Insurance Number | Required for registration |
| Date of birth | Your date of birth | Required for registration |
| Two return amounts | Two amounts from your current or previous year’s return | Both required |
| Line 15000 | The amount on line 15000 of the same return | One of the two amounts must come from this line |
| Mailed security code | The code the CRA sends by mail | Usually arrives within 10 business days |
The return amounts can come from either the current year’s return or the previous year’s return. Use the figures exactly as they appear on the return you select, and keep that return at hand while you complete the registration form.
Because the mailed code takes time to arrive, plan the registration before your filing date. If you need to file within a short window, start the registration first so the code has time to reach you.
Before you file, the CRA recommends registering for a CRA account, adding a backup multi-factor authentication method, and keeping your personal information up to date. A locked or restricted account should be resolved before you file, so check its status ahead of your filing date.
Which software can you use to file?
To file electronically with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you must use NETFILE-certified software.
Before you choose a program, confirm that it is NETFILE-certified. Certification is the standard the CRA uses to accept electronic returns, so any program that lacks it cannot send your return electronically. The product information from the software vendor should state its NETFILE certification. If it does not, treat that as a reason to look elsewhere and do not rely on the program until the certification is confirmed.
Both open on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET and close on Friday, January 29, 2027. NETFILE is unavailable every day from 3 to 6 a.m. ET, so plan submissions outside that period.
ReFILE is the channel listed alongside NETFILE for changing a return that has already been filed. The data available for this section does not describe ReFILE’s steps or which software supports it, so check the CRA’s ReFILE pages for those details before you make changes. Do not assume that the program you used for your original return also supports ReFILE.
Keep a record of the certification status of the program you choose, including the version you used, so you can show which tool produced the filed return if questions arise later.
| Item | What to check |
|---|---|
| Electronic window | Feb 23, 2026, 6:00 a.m. ET to Jan 29, 2027 |
| Daily downtime | 3 to 6 a.m. ET (NETFILE unavailable) |
How do you send your return with NETFILE?
You send your return from NETFILE-certified tax software. Once your return is complete in the software, use its transmit or send option to submit it electronically through NETFILE.
Transmitting from certified software
- Review the return for errors and omissions before sending, since transmission is the final step.
- Select the transmit option and wait for the software to finish sending.
Confirmation message and receipt code
After you send the return with NETFILE, the software displays a confirmation message containing a code. That code is your proof that the CRA received the return.
| Element | What it confirms |
|---|---|
| Confirmation message | The return was sent through NETFILE |
| Receipt code | The CRA received the return |
Record the receipt code and the date you filed, and store them with your tax records. Without the code, you have no confirmation from the software that the CRA received the return.
Print and mail fallback
If you cannot use NETFILE, you can print the return and mail it to the CRA. Print the completed return from your software, sign it where required, and send it to the mailing address the CRA specifies for your situation. Check the CRA’s current instructions for that address before mailing, because it is not listed in the reference data for this article.
Key dates for NETFILE and ReFILE
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) opened NETFILE and ReFILE on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET), for the current filing season (2025 returns). The closing date is Friday, January 29, 2027. The window therefore spans the turn of the calendar year, and it is open as of the date of this article. Returns sent after the closing date are outside this filing period.
| Item | Date or time |
|---|---|
| Opening | Monday, February 23, 2026, 6:00 a.m. ET |
| Closing | Friday, January 29, 2027 (no closing time is stated) |
| NETFILE daily unavailability | Every day, 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. ET |
The daily downtime is recurring, so it does not shorten the filing window. It applies to NETFILE throughout the season. The CRA’s guidance for this period states the downtime only for NETFILE, so the source does not confirm the same hours for ReFILE.
All times are in Eastern Time. If you file from another time zone, convert the 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. ET window to your local time before choosing when to submit.
What changes in 2027 with CRA sign-in?
From February 22, 2027, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) adds an optional identity verification step to online filing. When you file online, you can sign in to your CRA account so the CRA verifies your identity. The step is optional for 2026 returns, which are the returns filed during the 2027 season, so filing without it remains possible for those returns.
The step affects filers as follows:
| Filer situation | Effect of the 2027 verification step |
|---|---|
| Filer with a CRA account, filing a 2026 return | Optional sign-in to verify identity when filing online |
| First-time filer with no CRA account | Can still file through NETFILE without signing in to a CRA account |
Only NETFILE-certified tax software can be used for electronic filing, so the verification step is added within that filing route. It does not change how you prepare the return.
The step is optional, so it does not block online filing for 2026 returns.
What happens after you file?
After you file, the CRA processes your return and issues a notice of assessment. This document usually arrives within 2 weeks of filing. It shows how the CRA assessed your return, so check it when it arrives, especially if a benefit or credit calculation depends on the income you reported.
You don’t have to wait for the mailed notice to follow progress. Sign in to My Account to check your return’s status and to view the notice of assessment. The same account also gives you access to your information slips. If the notice hasn’t appeared after about two weeks, check the return status in My Account first.
Use the table below to find each item after filing.
| What you want to check | Where in My Account | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Return status | Return status | Where your return stands with the CRA |
| Notice of assessment | View notice of assessment | The CRA’s assessment of your return |
| Information slips | View information slips | Slips linked to your return |
| Benefit and credit payments | Check benefit and credit payments | Payments you have received |
| Direct deposit and address | Update direct deposit or address | Where your payments and mail are sent |
Benefit and credit payments are tracked in the same account. After filing, review the payment entries to confirm they match what you expect. If your bank account has changed, update your direct deposit details in My Account instead of waiting for a payment to go to the old account. Keep your address current as well, so the CRA can reach you.
Protecting your account from scams
Your CRA account gives access to your return, your notice of assessment, and your direct deposit and address details. Someone who gets your sign-in can change where your payments go. Protection rests on three habits: keeping your sign-in codes private, confirming you are on the official CRA website before entering anything, and reporting contact attempts that do not look legitimate.
Never share your security codes or sign-in credentials
The CRA will not call and ask for your one-time passcode or passcode grid. A caller, email, or text that asks for either one is a fraud attempt, even if it includes your name, SIN, or a figure from your return. These codes prove that the person signing in is you, so giving one to someone else hands them that proof.
- Enter a passcode only on a sign-in page you reached yourself, never in a reply to a message.
- Do not read a passcode aloud to anyone, including someone who says they work for the CRA.
- Keep your password private.
Verify the official CRA website before entering details
Fake pages copy the look of the real service and ask for your SIN, date of birth, or sign-in details. Before you enter any of them:
- Type the address yourself or open a bookmark you saved from the official CRA website. Do not click a link in a message.
- Confirm the address in the browser is the one you typed.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Caller asks for a one-time passcode or passcode grid | Refuse and end the call. The CRA does not request these by phone. |
| Message contains a sign-in link | Do not click it. Type the official address yourself. |
| Message asks you to change direct deposit or address details | Do not follow the link. Make any change only after signing in from the official site. |
Report suspicious calls, emails, and text messages
Do not reply, click links, or call back a number given in the message. Record the date, the sender’s name or number, and what was requested. Then report it through the official CRA contact channels. Keeping this record helps if you need to show what happened later.
