How to Create a CRA Account

What is CRA Account?

CRA Account is a secure online portal offered by the Canada Revenue Agency. It allows individuals to manage taxes, benefits, and credits and it lets business owners, partners, or directors view and manage GST/HST, payroll, and corporate taxes.

I do not have a CRA Account
I already have a CRA Account, and I just need to add my Business

Please note that the step-by-step guide provided below is current as of May 20, 2025. As the CRA website is subject to change, some steps may vary over time. If you encounter any difficulties creating your account or adding a business, please don’t hesitate to contact Stark & Marsh for assistance

Step 1: Ensure You Have What You Need

Before registering, make sure you have:

• Your Business Number (BN) from CRA (e.g., 123456789 RT0001) if applicable
• Your SIN (Social Insurance Number)
• Your postal code or ZIP code
• An amount from one of your recent tax returns (for identity verification)
• One piece of government issued ID with your picture on it such as a driver’s license or passport
• Smart phone to take a picture

Step 2: Go to the CRA My Account Portal

Visit:
🔗 CRA My Account Login and Registration

Click “Register for a CRA Account”  

Step 3: Choose How to Sign In

There are two ways to access your CRA Account:

Option A: Sign-In Partner

Use your online banking credentials from participating financial institutions. This is quick and doesn’t require creating a new CRA ID.

Option B: CRA User ID and Password

If you don’t use Sign-In Partner, create a CRA user ID and password.

Step 4: Provide Business and Personal Information

You’ll need to provide:

• Your Business Number (BN) if applicable
• Your SIN and date of birth
• Your postal code
• Information from your personal tax return (e.g., amount from Line 15000 of your most recent return)

Step 5: Set Up Your CRA User Profile (if applicable)

If you chose the CRA login method, you’ll need to:

• Create a user ID and password
• Set up security questions and answers
• Choose preferred language (English or French)

Step 6: Verify your identity

You will choose an option to verify your identity:

Option 1 – Submit a photo of yourself and your ID document.  Use a mobile device to take a real-time picture of yourself and an accepted identification document:

• Your Canadian Passport
• Your Canadian Driver’s License
• Your provincial or territorial photo ID card

This service verifies your identity immediately.

Option 2 – CRA will mail a security code to your personal address on file (not email). This may take 5–10 business days.

Once you receive it:

1. Return to the CRA login page.
2. Log in with your credentials.
3. Enter the security code when prompted.

Only after this step will you have full access to your CRA Account.

Step 7: Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

To protect your account, CRA requires you to enroll in MFA:

• Choose to receive codes via SMS, email, or an authenticator app
• This is mandatory for login moving forward

Step 8: Add Your Business

If you’re logging in through your CRA account and you simply need to add a business, you can:

• Sign into your CRA Account
• Top right hand corner select your Profile Name and from the drop down select Add Account > Business Account > Add Business Number

In this section, you may add one or multiple businesses, depending on your circumstances. Each business that has been assigned a Business Number (BN) should be included here.

Enable Email Notifications

If you would like to receive an email each time a new item is added to your My Account profile visit Profile, select “Notification preferences” choose “Email notifications” and follow the instructions.

Note: You can customize the email preferences for each CRA profile individually — whether it’s your personal account, a business account, or multiple business accounts associated with your CRA access. Each profile allows you to set a unique email address for notifications, tailored specifically to that account’s correspondence. Follow this step in each profile you would like to edit.

Authorize a Representative

To allow Stark & Marsh to manage to access tax information:

1. Go to “Manage Authorized Representatives”
2. Enter BN number 136749900
3. Choose which services they can access (e.g., GST/HST, payroll)

You’re All Set with your CRA My Account!

You now have access to tools and services including:

• Viewing balances and transactions
• Submitting tax returns
• Adjusting previously filed returns
• Managing direct deposit

Questions? Reach out to Stark & Marsh and we can help.