How your tax correspondence is getting clearer

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 27, 2017) -

Did you know?

Every year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sends out more than 130 million pieces of correspondence to Canadians. If you received a notice or letter in 2016, you may have noticed that it has a new look. That's because the CRA has been improving the way it communicates with Canadians by making its correspondence easier to read and understand.

Everything just got clearer

Following an extensive evaluation completed in the fall of 2014, the CRA began redesigning its correspondence, focusing on how they are structured, designed, formatted, and written. The result is simple and clear notices and letters that outline key information you need to know. Now, it's easier than ever for you to understand your taxes.

With nearly 75% of correspondence already revised, improvements to more complex notices and letters are underway. Whether you're a business, family, or individual, you can expect to see more improvements to your correspondence in the coming months.

What's new for 2017?

Starting in February 2017, the CRA will begin sending out enhanced Notices of Assessment to more than 29 million Canadians. The revised notice builds on improvements made in 2016. This included putting the most important information on the first page, making it easier to read and understand. This year, the notice has been further improved to include an account summary with an explanation of how you were assessed and what that means for you. It also includes a security feature where part of your Social Insurance Number is hidden, helping to better protect your information and prevent fraud.

More changes to correspondence are being made this year, so keep an eye out for them in the coming months! Go to cra.gc.ca/noticesandletters for more information regarding these changes.

For a more convenient way to access your CRA correspondence, including your new Notice of Assessment, go to My Account and register for online mail.

Stay connected

To receive updates on what is new at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you can:

- Follow the CRA on Twitter - @CanRevAgency.

- Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list.

- Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader.

- You can also watch our tax-related videos on YouTube.