Starting on October 18, 2021, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) introduced a new way to confirm authorized representatives using My Account or My Business Account. Whether you’re an individual or a business, the new two-step digital process was created to protect tax information and make authorizing new representatives more secure. Although the CRA assumes that the new process will make the authorizing new representative more efficient, what we are seeing in the client perspective is the opposite and the reason is simple: many people dislike or have difficulty dealing with technology.
Alternatively, personal clients are allowed to complete the process using the telephone, but it is still not an easy alternative because when calling the CRA you will need to be prepared for a long waiting time in the line to speak with an agent, be prepared to provide some personal information, and more importantly, have the last Tax Return or Notice of Assessment in your hand to inform the amount reported for asked lines.