It’s never too early to prep for the arrival of tax season, but there’s no need for mounds of paperwork or the accompanying sense of dread they bring. Filing your business taxes online is easy with the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) online tools. Your information will be handled securely and conveniently, cutting out needless paperwork along the way.
Here is all the information you need to get your business set up online with the CRA.
Q: What are the benefits of switching to online services?
A: The Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) online services make it faster and easier to handle your business taxes while ensuring your information is safe. You, your employee, or your representative can file, pay, and access detailed information about your tax accounts – all online, all at your fingertips.
The CRA offers many online services:
- For businesses – file a return, make an electronic payment, register a business, get information, make an online request, calculate payroll deductions, download or order forms and publications, sign-up to receive and manage online and more.
- For tax preparers – file a return or make a payment for an individual or business client, submit business authorization requests, get information, subscribe to an electronic mailing list, download or order forms and publications, sign-up to receive and manage online mail, and more.
- For charities and donors – search for a registered charitable donation tax credit; change a charity’s address, and more.
The CRA is constantly enhancing its digital services to make doing business as easy as possible.
Q: Which taxes can I pay using e-services?
A: You can pay most of your taxes using e-services. Making and transferring your tax payments electronically is secure, easy, and fast. You can make a payment using your financial institution’s online banking services, or you can use the CRA’s My Payment.
Examples of some of the taxes that can be paid using e-services are:
- GST/HST (RT)
- Payment on filing
- Interim
- Amount owing
- Balance due
- Payroll source deductions (RP)
- Regular remittance
- Quarterly remittance
- Accelerated threshold 1 remittance
- Accelerated threshold 2 remittance
- Balance owing remittance
- Arrears/ penalty/interest remittance
- Pensionable and insurable earnings review (PIER)
- Corporation income tax (T2) (RC)
- Payment on filing
- Interim
- Amount owing
- Balance due
- Individuals (T1)
- Taxes owing by sole proprietors
For more information on payment methods, go to www.cra.gc.ca/payments
Q: Are there tools specifically for small business owners?
A: My Business Account is a secure online portal that allows businesses of all sizes to interact electronically with the CRA on various business accounts including GST/HST, payroll, corporation income taxes, excise taxes, excise duties, and more. For more information go to www.cra.gc.ca/mybusinessaccount
The CRA Business Tax Reminders App is a tool recommended for small and medium-sized businesses with annual revenue of $20 million or less and fewer than 500 employees. The app was created based on consultations with small and medium-sized businesses, and allows business users to create custom reminders and alerts for key due dates related to instalment payments, tax returns, and remittances.
The Business Tax Reminder app can be used to enter important dates and send you pop-up and/or calendar reminders for your CRA business tax due dates for the following:
- instalments:
- individual income tax
- corporation income tax
- goods and services tax / harmonized sales tax (GST/HST)
- returns:
- GST/HST return
- T2 corporation income tax return
- T4 information return
- T5013 partnership information return
- income tax and benefit return
- remittances:
- payroll
- GST/HST
The CRA BizApp is a mobile web application provided by the CRA for small businesses. The application provides quick, easy, and secure access to frequently used information.
With CRA BizApp, you can access the following accounts:
- corporation income tax
- payroll
- excise duty
- goods and services tax / harmonized sales tax (GST/HST), but not accounts administered by Revenu Québec
You can view and pay your outstanding balances, view account transactions, see your expected GST/HST returns, and view the status of filed GST/HST returns and corporation income tax returns.
Q: Will these tools make filing taxes easier?
A: Yes, filing online offers the following advantages:
- Convenience – file from the office or from home – the Corporation Internet Filing service is available 21 hours a day, Monday to Saturday, and 20 hours on Sunday. For more information, see Hours of service.
- Traditional delivery expenses and delays are eliminated with online filing.
- Immediate acknowledgement of filing – no more guessing as to whether your return has been received.
- Sustainable development – reduces paper consumption and storage requirements.
Q: Will online services decrease the amount of paperwork you need to fill out?
A: There are many benefits to registering with My Business Account (MyBA) or Represent a Client (RAC) that should result in decreasing the amount of paperwork required of most small and medium businesses. For example, online services provide an immediate record of transaction reducing the need to create and retain paper files. Documents can be sent to the CRA electronically, eliminating the need to print and mail forms to support the business’ filed returns. Once businesses and their representatives register to access the suite of electronic service offerings in the portals, they will find many convenient and user-friendly services that will reduce the paper burden of complying with tax obligations.
Q: Will online services be faster?
A: Filing online eliminates mailing time and postage costs. Online services are convenient as you can file from the office or from home – the Corporation Internet Filing service is available 21 hours a day, Monday to Saturday, and 20 hours on Sunday.
The CRA’s goal is to issue a notice of assessment within six weeks of receiving the digital corporation income tax return and within sixteen weeks of receiving the paper corporation income tax return. Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 95% of the time.
GST/HST: The goal is to issue a notice of assessment, if applicable, within four weeks of receiving the digital GST/HST return, and within eight weeks of receiving the paper GST/HST return. Target: The CRA aims to meet this standard 95% of the time.
A notice of assessment will not be sent if there is no balance or credit owing.
Q: Can a representative file your taxes using e-services?
A: Yes, Represent a Client is a portal that allows representatives to interact securely online with the CRA on behalf of their individual and business clients. Representatives login through Represent a Client to access services available for individuals (within My Account) and businesses (within My Business Account). The list of services that representatives can access online on behalf of a business varies depending on the level of authorizations that the business has approved. A representative interacting on behalf of a business who has a level 3 authorization can: file a return, manage direct deposit, manage online mail, and much more.
Q: What are you able to do online?
A: The CRA offers many online services – Business owners (including partners, directors, and officers) can access their GST/HST, payroll, corporation income taxes, excise taxes, excise duties and other levies accounts online. Businesses can also file a return, make a payment, register a business, get information, make an online request, calculate payroll deductions, make an electronic payment, download or order forms and publications, sign-up to receive and manage online mail, and more. For more information go to www.cra.gc.ca/mybusinessaccount.
Additional online services planned for future releases include expanding the MyBA Submit Documents service to include payment search requests, whereby businesses can scan and submit documentation through MyBA to demonstrate that payment was made when it is in dispute.
Beginning in May 2018, changes will be made to the RC59 to allow representatives who use T2 EFILE software the ability to also transmit their business authorization requests to the CRA without having to submit any supporting documentation, unless it is requested.
The CRA’s target is to process these requests within 24 hours of having received them from certified T2 efilers, 99% of the time.
Q: Can you still call the Canada Revenue Agency?
A: Yes, you can call 1-800-959-5525 and speak with a CRA agent, or you can also call the Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS) at 1-800-267-6999.
Q: Can you still file your taxes using paper forms?
A: Yes, however, the CRA’s online services make it faster and easier to handle your company’s tax matters. You, your employee, or your representative can file, pay, and access detailed information about your tax accounts – all online, all at your fingertips. Save time – go online!
To find out more about new service enhancements and how the CRA is committed to serving you better, go to canada.ca/cra-serving-you-better.
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