CRA Business Correspondence Online Mail

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is transitioning away from sending paper mail to business clients with a CRA Business Number. This change does not pertain to Personal Tax clients who do not have a CRA business number.

Effective May 12, 2025, CRA began delivering most correspondence electronically to newly registered businesses and program accounts via the My Business Account portal. Subsequently, starting June 16, 2025, this digital delivery became the default for existing businesses registered with My Business Account or those with authorized representatives using the Represent a Client portal. If you have a CRA Business Number and you have not yet already created a CRA My Business Account, we would strongly encourage you to do so.

Who this change applies to

This change applies to all of the following businesses:

• New business number and CRA program account registrations
• Existing businesses already registered for My Business Account
• Existing businesses who have given online access to an authorized representative, who can view or modify information on their behalf in Represent a Client

Source: Canada Revenue Agency 

Exceptions

Existing businesses that do not have access to My Business Account

The transition to online mail does not apply to existing businesses if both of the following conditions are met:

• The business does not have access to My Business Account through a business owner, and
• The business does not have an authorized representative (with online access to the account using Represent a Client) 

In these cases, the CRA will continue to send business correspondence by paper mail.

Charities

Charities continue to receive CRA correspondence by paper mail unless they request to receive it through online mail.

Non-resident businesses

The transition to online mail does not apply to non-resident businesses if both of the following conditions are met:

• The business has no owner or director who is a Canadian resident with access to My Business Account, and
• The business does not have an authorized representative with online access to the account using Represent a Client

In these cases, the CRA will continue to send business correspondence by paper mail.

However, if the owner or director of a non-resident business has access to My Business Account, or the business has an authorized representative with online access using Represent a Client, the default mail delivery method is online mail.

Your Options for Receiving CRA Business Correspondence

1. Check Your CRA Accounts Regularly

CRA Accounts is your secure online hub for receiving and managing all official CRA business correspondence.

• Log in here: CRA Account. If you do not have a CRA Account to manage your business or personal profile, visit our How to Create a CRA Account resource page.
• All notices and letters will be posted under “Mail” in your account.
• You must check it frequently to ensure nothing is missed.

2. Enable CRA Email Notifications

If you don’t want to log in daily to check for messages, the CRA offers email notifications to alert you when new correspondence is available.

How to sign up:

• Go to your CRA My Business Account
• Under “Profile”, select “Notification preferences”
• Choose “Email notifications”
• Confirm your email address and save your settings

Note: CRA will not send the contents of the correspondence via email — only an alert to let you know new information is available in your account.

3. Paper Correspondence – By Request Only

If electronic access is not feasible for your business or you do not currently have a CRA My Business Account, CRA now offers a way to request continued paper mail.

You must complete and submit:

RC681 – Request for Paper Correspondence

This form allows businesses to formally opt out of digital communication and receive physical mail going forward.

Key notes:

• This option is available only under specific conditions (e.g., technological barriers or accessibility challenges)
• CRA may limit approval if they determine electronic options are reasonably available
• The completed form must be mailed to the address indicated on the form, which corresponds to the CRA processing centre for your region

Please note if we are your authorized CRA representative, we will have access to the same correspondence through the CRA’s Represent a Client portal.

However, please note:

• CRA does not notify us when new mail is posted.
• This means we may only see new correspondence after logging in ourselves.

To avoid delays or missed items, you (the business owner) must monitor your account or set up email notifications.

Our Recommendation

The CRA’s digital system is designed for faster, safer communication — and it reduces the risk of missed notices due to postal delays or delivery issues. We highly recommend choosing CRA My Business Account + email alerts as the most effective solution.

However, if online access is not viable for your business, Form RC681 is your alternative.

If you need assistance navigating your CRA My Business Account, setting up notifications, or completing the form reach out to Stark & Marsh for support.