For most personal tax questions, start with your CRA My Account, then call 1-800-959-8281 if the answer isn’t there. The line is open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern, and closed on weekends and public holidays, according to the CRA’s contact page on canada.ca. Ontario residents who need to write can send mail to the Sudbury Tax Centre.
Start with My Account
Many answers are already inside your account: return status, refund amount, balance owing, TFSA and RRSP room, and benefit payment dates. The CRA lists these as automated services, available around the clock except for a maintenance window between 3 am and 6 am Eastern. If you haven’t registered yet, or you’re locked out, read our CRA My Account sign-in and tracking guide before you try the phone.
The contact page also says online chat is offered for select enquiries during business hours through your CRA account. It doesn’t say which topics qualify, so treat chat as something you may or may not see when you sign in. We couldn’t confirm the exact wording of secure messaging on a current official page, so check the “contact us” options inside your account rather than relying on this article.
Phone numbers and hours
The individual tax enquiries line is 1-800-959-8281. That’s the number for most of Canada, Ontario included. People in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut use 1-866-426-1527. From outside Canada and the United States the listed collect number is 1-613-940-8495.
Hours are the same for the domestic lines: 8 am to 8 pm Eastern, Monday to Friday. Businesses have a separate number, 1-800-959-5525, so don’t use it for your own return.
Callback instead of waiting on hold
The CRA describes an automated callback service that lets you ask for a call back instead of staying on hold. It runs only at certain times of day and only when wait times reach a certain length, so you can’t count on it. It covers the individual tax, benefits and business enquiry lines.
What to have ready before you call
The agent has to confirm who you are before discussing your file. Have these in front of you:
- Your Social Insurance Number
- Your full name, date of birth and complete address
- Your latest notice of assessment or reassessment, or another tax document, if your personal account isn’t open
The CRA also lets you create a PIN in My Account to identify yourself by phone, and an agent can set one up during a call. Since February 23, 2026, the automated phone system supports multi-factor authentication too, so you can be verified before you reach a person. Write down the date, the agent’s name or ID and what they told you. That note helps if a later letter says something different.
Writing a letter
Mail is slow, so use it when a form or document must be sent on paper, or when a notice asks you to reply that way. Follow the address printed on your letter first. If you have nothing to go on, canada.ca lists the Sudbury Tax Centre as the office for Ontario. Income tax and benefit returns go to 1050 Notre Dame Avenue, Sudbury ON P3A 5C2. Other correspondence goes to Post Office Box 20000, Station A, Sudbury ON P3A 5C1.
Toronto, Ottawa and Kitchener appear in the CRA’s address finder, but the page we opened directed correspondence to Sudbury. Addresses can change, so use the CRA address page to confirm before you post anything. Put your SIN and a return address on every page, and keep copies.
Check processing times before you contact anyone
Calling too early is the most common waste of time. The CRA’s 2026-27 service standards aim to issue a notice of assessment within two weeks for an on-time digital return, met 95% of the time, and within 12 weeks for an on-time paper return, met 85% of the time. Those standards exclude returns filed for several years at once, and cases where the CRA has to ask for more information.
The CRA’s “Check CRA processing times” tool covers T1 returns, adjustment requests, child benefits, objections and taxpayer relief requests. You enter the date you submitted, and it shows a target date. It’s an estimate only, and the page says it’s updated monthly. If your target date hasn’t passed, waiting is usually the answer. If you’re worried about a penalty, our late filing penalty relief guide explains your options.
Spotting a scam
The CRA says it may contact you by phone, automated message, letter or email, for example to ask for missing documents or tell you about a review. It also says it will never send refunds or payments by e-transfer or text message, accept cryptocurrency, demand immediate payment by gift card or prepaid card, or threaten arrest, deportation or prison. It only sends text messages for multi-factor authentication if you signed up for it.
Emails from the CRA won’t ask you to reply with personal details or to click a link to enter them. Fake websites often use extra words or odd endings in the address. Never send your SIN or return details by email.
If someone phones claiming to be the CRA, don’t rely on the caller ID. Take their name, office and callback number, hang up, then check the number with the CRA’s verification tool. If the tool says the number may not be valid, call 1-800-959-8281 yourself. Suspected scams and identity theft can be reported through the CRA’s scam reporting page. For letters you’re unsure about, see our CRA notices and unfiled returns guide.
Which route fits which problem
Want to know if your return is assessed or where your refund is? My Account or the automated phone service. Need a form or a document mailed to you? Order it online. Disagree with an assessment? That usually needs a written notice of objection, normally within 90 days, so a phone call alone won’t protect your deadline. Can’t pay in full? Phone lines are the direct route, and the CRA has a dedicated page for people in that situation.
To see what your return might produce before you file, try the income tax calculator. For your own numbers, try the Marginal Tax Rate & Tax Brackets calculator, or browse the tax calculators.
Sources
- Contact the Canada Revenue Agency
- Tax services offices and tax centres
- Recognize a scam
- Verify a CRA call
- Check CRA processing times
- Service standards 2026-2027
Common questions
What is the CRA phone number for personal taxes?
Does the CRA offer online chat?
Where do I mail my tax return in Ontario?
How long should I wait before calling about my return?
Last reviewed: . Figures come from the official sources listed above. How we check the numbers and our editorial policy.