My Business Account: where the CRA actually talks to you

Registering, without the frustration

Access is personal — you register as yourself, then the portal connects you to businesses where you are an owner or director. The identity step can involve information from your personal tax filings and a mailed security code, which is the part people start too late: register before you need it, because “the CRA is mailing me a code” is a bad place to stand on a response deadline.

What each part is for, in owner terms

• Mail — the letters. If the corporation is on online mail, this is the only place they arrive; a review letter sitting unread here is still running its clock.
• Balances per program account — corporate tax, GST/HST, payroll, each with its own ledger. The question “do we owe anything?” has a live answer here, not a remembered one.
• Filed returns and assessments — what the CRA actually received and what it concluded, which settles most “did that go through?” anxieties in seconds.

Authorizing your accountant, properly

Authorization is done from the CRA’s side, not by sharing your login — never share credentials, and be suspicious of anyone who asks. An authorized representative can see the accounts, correspond, and file, which is what makes engagements like handling a review letter something we do rather than something we coach you through. When you engage us, this authorization is step one of onboarding, and revoking it later is equally simple — the owner always holds the keys.

Fastest first step: email what you’re facing to info@everstonecpa.com — reply within one business day, and we book the consult from there.

General information, not tax advice. The document in your hand and its own dates govern.