So how do I pay CRA anyway?

Well, you have quite a few options.  The most common are:

  • Visiting your financial institution
  • Online banking
  • Sending a cheque to CRA in the mail

There are other alternatives, but these are the most common.

 

What’s the easiest way?

The easiest way seems to be using online banking.  It is the first method listed on CRA’s ‘Make a Payment’ page, and they have been pushing online methods regularly over the past few years.

In general, you should be able to add CRA as a payee using your bank’s online payment system.  Searching for ‘CRA’ should bring up a few options if you’re an individual, such as:

  • Current year
  • Tax instalment
  • Amount owing

 

If you have a corporate account the options might look like:

  • Corporation Tax Payments
  • GST/HST Payment
  • Payroll Deductions – Regular/Quarterly

 

Your individual financial institution probably has specific instructions or a free program you can enroll in. Here are some links for major institutions:

 

What if I don’t trust online banking?

You can still visit your bank and have them process your payment.  However, banks require a specific remittance to process payments if you have a business number – this will have your business number and a specific barcode.  If you don’t have the specific remittance form, they won’t be able to process your payment.  These are generally mailed to you by CRA.  You can request additional copies by calling 1-800-959-5525.  Your accountant or other authorized representative can also request additional copies online.

 

I still use cheques!  Where can I send one?

That’s a bit tricky.  CRA doesn’t list ‘mail a cheque’ as one of the ways to pay on their payment page, and they would rather you didn’t pay this way.  They have been phasing out sending cheques themselves for several years and are pushing direct deposit as an alternative.

That being said, you can still mail a cheque, though it can take several weeks to process.  For individuals, include a note with your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and the year to which the payment relates to:

Ottawa Technology Centre
875 Heron Road
Ottawa ON  K1A 1A2

 

If you have a business number, you can send a cheque to your Tax Centre.  The list of where your Tax Centre is can be found here.  For Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Fergus, and Orangeville, the Tax Centre is Prince Edward Island, at the address below.  Make sure you include a letter with your business number, the type of payment you are making (HST, Corporate Tax, Payroll etc.), and the year or period you are making a payment for:

Prince Edward Island Tax Centre
275 Pope Road
Summerside PE  C1N 6A2

 

Are there any other ways to pay?

There are some other ways to pay, such as with a credit card (via a third party processor) and wire transfer (for non-residents).  Click here to find a complete list of payment methods the CRA is using.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call an RLB advisor today at 1-866-822-9992 . We can help ensure your payment gets to CRA in the right place at the right time!