CRA asked for backup — answering a request for information

A CRA letter asking for documents is not an audit or an accusation; it checks that a number on a return is supported. Most close once you send what was asked, by the date asked, with the reference number on top. Owners get hurt when they ignore it.

What a CRA request for information is asking for

These letters are narrow. The CRA names a line, credit or deduction and asks for the records behind it: receipts or invoices, proof of payment, bank statements or cancelled cheques, contracts, and mileage or usage logs where a claim depends on a business-use percentage.

The CRA may ask for documents other than official receipts. Cancelled cheques and bank statements are explicitly acceptable as proof of a deduction or credit, which matters when the original receipt is long gone but the payment is still traceable.

The three things every letter contains

• A reference number in the upper right corner. Quote it on everything you send. Without it, your package can sit unmatched to your file.
• A reply deadline. Reply within the time frame stated, to the address given in the letter.
• A phone number at the bottom. That number reaches the program that sent the letter, and it is who you call if you need more time.

How to send the documents

Upload scans through My Account (individuals), My Business Account (corporations) or Represent a Client (authorized representatives). Online is faster and records receipt. Our guide to CRA My Business Account covers setup; do it before you need it.

If you cannot find the documents

Missing paperwork is not automatically fatal. If documents are unavailable, the CRA asks for a written explanation or a call to the number on the letter. Silence reads as no support, and the claim is removed. An explanation with secondary evidence — a bank record, supplier statement or contract — gives the reviewer something to work with.

If you need more time

Call the number on the letter before the deadline passes and ask. Extensions are handled by the same program that issued the request, and asking in advance is treated very differently from going quiet and responding weeks late.

What happens after you reply

One of three things: the claim is accepted; it is adjusted, with a notice of reassessment (see reading a notice of assessment); or the reviewer asks a follow-up. If the claim was changed and you later find documents, the CRA will look again. Otherwise the formal route is a notice of objection. Other letters ask for different things on different deadlines; see the full list, decoded.

How to make the next one easy

Whether a letter is stressful or routine comes down to record-keeping. Any claim on a return should trace to a document without a search: receipts filed against transactions, records kept for the required period (see how long to keep records), and reconciling books monthly so return figures come from somewhere real. Clean, reconciled bookkeeping makes these letters a ten-minute job.

The bottom line

Read the letter for the item, gather exactly that, quote the reference number and send it by the date given. Explain gaps in writing; if the deadline is tight, call. Handled that way, it is administration, not a crisis.

General information for Canadian business owners, current as of July 2026. It is not tax, legal or accounting advice and creates no client relationship. Rules change and every situation differs, so speak with a CPA before acting.