Statement from the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson about the launch of the 2025 tax season

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 26, 2025 /CNW/ - It's that time of year again! The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officially launched tax-filing season on February 24. From now until April 30, most taxpayers will be getting their paperwork in order to file their 2024 income tax and benefit returns.

The CRA has been encouraging taxpayers to file using its digital services, and I am pleased to report that it has expanded ways for Canadians to validate their identities for its online accounts, including My Account, following a recommendation in our Office's 2021–2022 annual report. Previously, the only way to register for a CRA account was with a security code sent by regular mail, which would usually arrive within 10 business days. However, we heard from many taxpayers that it could take weeks to receive this code or that they never received it.

In April 2024, the CRA announced that it was making it easier for Canadians to access its digital services with its new identity validation option. With the document verification service, taxpayers can now gain full and immediate access to their CRA account. Canadians can now take a picture of their government-issued photo identification and themselves to validate their identity and gain access to their CRA account on the same day.

With this improvement, the CRA is making it easier for many taxpayers to file a return and unlock benefit and credit payments, which can be crucial for vulnerable and hard–to–reach populations to be able to make ends meet. Many people who fall into this group experience barriers to filing. Because taxpayers need to file a return to receive benefit payments, these barriers can prevent them from receiving them in the first place. Unfortunately, those who need these benefits the most are often those who have the most challenges with filing.

Those with a modest income and a simple tax situation may be able to get help at a free tax clinic through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) (or the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program in Quebec). This program, a collaboration between the CRA and community organizations, helps taxpayers by having volunteers complete their returns. Even if someone has been putting off filing for several years, some tax clinics can even help them get caught up so that they can receive their benefit payments retroactively, up to ten years.

Our Office underscored the importance of this program in our 2023–2024 annual report. In our recommendations, we asked the CRA to expand the program to allow self-employed individuals with a modest income and simple expenses to access it. We also recommended that it make the grant program permanent and continue to provide a supplemental grant to community organizations serving Indigenous, northern, rural and remote communities. We encourage the CRA to continue to prioritize this crucial program.

Even with supports like the CVITP, the CRA's processing times for documents can affect benefit payments. On this subject, in March 2024we launched a systemic examination into delays in Canada child benefit payments for temporary residents. For this examination, we have been looking into CRA procedures as well as information sharing between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the CRA. We expect to publish the report on this examination in March.

We have been working on another systemic examination at the same time. We heard concerns from taxpayers, representatives, and members of Parliament regarding the CRA's administration of the 2023 filing requirements for bare trusts when it announced, days before the filing deadline, that it was waiving the filing requirement for bare trusts. After hearing these concerns, we launched a systemic examination in July 2024. We are planning on publishing the results of this examination in early March as well.

Taxpayers have the right to fair treatment from the CRA. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights describes the treatment they are entitled to when dealing with it. As well, if someone is experiencing a service issue with the CRA, our Office is here to help! Taxpayers can submit a complaint online, by mail, or by fax. For help completing the complaint form, we can be reached at 1-866-586-3839 or 613-221-3109 (outside of Canada and the United States).

Mr. François Boileau
Taxpayers' Ombudsperson

Background information

The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson works independently from the CRA. Canadians can submit complaints to the Office if they feel they are not receiving the appropriate service from the CRA. Our main objective is to improve the service the CRA provides to taxpayers and benefit recipients by reviewing individual service complaints and service issues that affect more than one person or a segment of the population.

The Taxpayers' Ombudsperson assists, advises and informs the Minister of National Revenue about matters relating to services provided by the CRA. The Ombudsperson ensures, in particular, that the CRA respects the eight service rights outlined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

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SOURCE Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson