Got a Letter From the CRA?
Don't Face Them Alone.

The first rule: do not ignore it. The CRA sends letters for many reasons — some are routine (a notice confirming your return was processed with no changes), and some require urgent action (a request for supporting documents, a proposal to reassess your return, or a notice that your account has been selected for audit). The envelope looks the same regardless of urgency, so every letter needs to be reviewed.

Contact us as soon as you receive the letter. We read the notice, explain in plain language exactly what the CRA is saying and what is at stake, and tell you precisely what action is required and by when. Most CRA correspondence has a hard response deadline — 30 days for information requests, 90 days to file a formal Notice of Objection after a reassessment — and missing those deadlines dramatically limits your options. The earlier you involve us, the more room we have to respond strategically rather than reactively. Never respond to a CRA notice without professional guidance, even if the letter seems routine.

A CRA audit is a formal review of your tax return and supporting financial records to verify that everything was reported correctly and that you are entitled to the deductions and credits you claimed. Most audits are not random — the CRA uses risk-scoring models to select returns. Common triggers include large or unusual deduction claims, home office expenses, vehicle expenses, cash-based businesses, sharp changes in revenue year over year, and discrepancies between T4 slips and reported income.

Audits take three forms: a desk audit (conducted by mail, asking you to submit specific documents), an office audit (you bring your records to a CRA office), or a field audit (a CRA officer comes to your place of business or your representative's office). We represent you throughout the entire process — gathering and organizing the documents the CRA requests, communicating directly with the auditor, and ensuring you never provide more information than what was specifically asked for. If the audit results in a reassessment you disagree with, we help you file a formal Notice of Objection within the 90-day window to challenge the CRA's findings.

Yes — and the sooner you act, the more options you have. Unfiled returns accumulate late-filing penalties: 5% of the balance owing the day the return was due, plus 1% per additional month the return remains outstanding, up to 12 months. If you received a demand to file from the CRA and still did not file, those penalties double. Interest compounds daily on any unpaid balance from the original due date.

The CRA's Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP) allows eligible taxpayers to proactively correct unfiled returns or unreported income in exchange for penalty relief and partial interest relief. Timing is everything: VDP protection is only available before the CRA contacts you about the issue. We assess whether VDP applies to your situation, help you prepare and submit all overdue returns, and work with the CRA to establish a payment arrangement if the full outstanding balance cannot be paid at once. Acting voluntarily before the CRA comes to you is always the better outcome — for your finances, your record, and your peace of mind.

The deadline depends on what type of notice you received. For a routine information request or a request to provide supporting documents, the CRA typically allows 30 days, though you can request an extension in writing before the deadline passes — and the CRA usually grants reasonable extensions when asked proactively. For a proposal letter (where the CRA tells you it intends to reassess your return), you generally have 30 days to respond with your objections before the formal reassessment is issued.

For a Notice of Reassessment itself — where the CRA has already formally changed your tax assessment — you have 90 days from the date on the reassessment to file a formal Notice of Objection. This is a hard deadline: missing it means you lose your right to object through the CRA's internal appeals process and would need to go directly to Tax Court, which is significantly more complex and costly. We track every deadline from the moment we receive your notice and ensure your response is filed with time to spare. Do not wait to call us — even if the letter seems minor, we review it immediately to confirm whether and when action is needed.