Quick answer: CRA My Business Account is the online portal for managing your corporation's tax accounts — GST/HST, payroll, corporate income tax, and information returns — instead of relying on mail or phone calls. You register using your business number and a CRA sign-in credential, then can authorize your accountant as a representative so they can view filings and respond to CRA on your behalf. Setting it up early means you see notices as they're issued rather than finding out about a deadline after a letter has already sat in a mailbox for weeks.
Key takeaways
- My Business Account is CRA's online portal for managing GST/HST, payroll, corporate tax, and information returns.
- Registration requires your business number and a CRA sign-in credential.
- Program accounts like RT, RP, RC, and RZ each cover a different type of tax obligation.
- You can authorize your accountant as a representative to access and manage the account for you.
- Relying on mail-only correspondence with CRA is riskier than using the online portal.
Every incorporated business in Canada has a relationship with CRA that goes well beyond filing an annual T2. GST/HST remittances, payroll deductions, and correspondence about any of it all flow through CRA's systems continuously, and for a long time the only way to track it was to wait for mail or call and wait on hold. CRA My Business Account changes that, and setting it up properly — including giving your accountant access — is one of the more useful administrative steps an incorporated owner can take.
What CRA My Business Account actually is
My Business Account is the online portal CRA provides for businesses to view balances, submit certain filings, see notices and assessments, and manage account details, all tied to the business's CRA business number. It's the business-side counterpart to the "My Account" portal individuals use for personal taxes, and the two are separate — being registered for one doesn't automatically register you for the other.
How to register
Gather your business number, GST/HST number if you're registered, and your own identification details before starting. You'll need a CRA sign-in credential — either a CRA user ID and password created directly with CRA, or a supported sign-in partner — to establish your identity. From there, you complete the My Business Account enrolment, linking your credential to the business number, and CRA will typically ask some verification questions tied to the business's filing history to confirm you're authorized to access it.
The program accounts you'll see
Once you're in, your business number is typically associated with one or more program accounts, each representing a different obligation:
- RT — GST/HST. Covers GST/HST registration, returns, and remittances. Our GST/HST registration guide covers when this account becomes mandatory.
- RP — Payroll. Covers payroll deductions and remittances for any employees on your payroll, discussed further in our guide to payroll remittances.
- RC — Corporate income tax. Covers your T2 corporate return, instalments, and related correspondence.
- RZ — Information returns. Covers certain information slips a business may need to file, depending on its activities.
Not every business has all four; which ones apply depends on what your corporation does and whether it has employees or subcontractor reporting obligations.
Every business's CRA footprint looks different. Book a free 30-minute consult with a CPA and get a straight answer — plus a fixed quote before any work starts.
Authorizing your accountant as a representative
Once your own access is set up, you can authorize a representative — typically your accountant — to view and, depending on the access level you choose, manage some of your account on your behalf. This is usually done by adding the representative's identifier directly in My Business Account, or by confirming an authorization request your accountant submits from their own professional access. Either way, this step is what allows your accountant to see the same notices, balances, and filing history you do, and to respond to CRA directly on routine matters instead of relaying everything through you first.
Why mail-only correspondence is risky
CRA still sends a great deal of correspondence by mail, and mail can be delayed, sent to an outdated address, or simply missed among other business mail. Deadlines tied to a notice generally don't pause because the letter arrived late or was overlooked. A business that relies solely on physical mail — especially one with a representative who isn't also seeing the same notices online — is more exposed to missing a response deadline than one where both the owner and their accountant can see account activity through My Business Account as it happens.
The bottom line
My Business Account isn't optional infrastructure for an incorporated business — it's the most reliable way to see what CRA sees about your GST/HST, payroll, and corporate tax accounts, and it's what makes it possible for your accountant to represent you efficiently. If you haven't registered yet, or haven't formally authorized your accountant within the portal, it's worth doing both before the next filing deadline rather than after a notice gets missed.
This article is general information for Canadian business owners and is current as of July 2026. It is not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it does not create a client relationship. Tax rules change and your situation is unique — please speak with a CPA before acting on anything here.
Founder of EverStone CPA, an Abbotsford CPA firm, and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC). Sunny works with incorporated contractors and small business owners across Canada on tax, bookkeeping and advisory. More about Sunny →
Frequently asked questions
What is CRA My Business Account?+
What are RT, RP, RC, and RZ program accounts?+
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Why is relying on mail-only CRA correspondence risky?+
Do I need a separate login for each program account?+
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