Did you receive a File my Return invitation letter from the CRA?
CRA SOURCE ARTICLE
Every year, we send letters to eligible Canadians inviting them to auto-file their income tax and benefit returns over the telephone with the CRA's File my Return service.
Did you receive an invitation letter from us? If you did, you may be able to auto-file your return through a dedicated phone line. And the File my Return service is free!
About File my Return
This service allows you to file your tax return and receive benefits and credits you may be eligible for without the need to complete any calculations or forms. File my Return uses the information the CRA already has on file, and answers you provide, to auto-file and process your tax return.
As part of filing your 2021 income tax and benefit return, we will ask you to answer a series of short questions and provide some personal information. You will find the information you need to use the service in the invitation letter.
If you are eligible to use this service, you should have received an invitation letter by now. The letter would have arrived in the mail with your paper tax package, in a separate envelope, or by email notification to view in My Account.
This year, at the end of the call, you may receive an estimate of your net income, taxable income, and any refund that you may be eligible for. To receive this information, you will need to provide your personal identification number (PIN) when prompted. For information on how to create a PIN, visit our Use a PIN when you call us web page. You can still auto-file your tax return without a PIN.
The File my Return service opened on Monday, February 21, 2022, at 12 pm, Eastern Time and is available 21 hours a day, from 6 am to 3 am, Eastern Time, 7 days a week.
Learn more about the File my Return service at canada.ca/file-my-return.
Other ways you can file your tax return
Canadians can file their income tax and benefit return using other methods, such as:
with the help of a free tax preparation clinic offered through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (or the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program in Quebec)
online with NETFILE-certified tax software
on paper
through a tax preparer
Protecting you from scams and fraud
We are doing our best to protect Canadians. We want to ensure you receive the benefits you are entitled to. Being a victim of scams, fraud, or identity theft can have significant financial and emotional effects.
As a fraud prevention measure, you can sign up for email notifications from the CRA. You'll then receive notifications when you have new mail to view in My Account. There is no personal information in the email. Instead, the notification will simply say you have new mail to view in your My Account.
We will also tell you when important personal information, such as your address or direct deposit information, changes in our records.
You can register to receive email notifications in My Account or in the MyCRA or MyBenefits CRA web apps. Effective February 2022, to improve the security of your account, it is mandatory to provide an email address to access My Account. This will allow the CRA to inform you in real time of changes made to your account.
Know when and how the CRA might contact you. The Slam the scam web page provides information on the ways the CRA may contact you. For example, find out why the CRA may contact you by phone, email, or mail. You'll also find more information on how the CRA will never contact you by text message or instant messaging like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
You can learn more about tax filing by visiting the links above or by scheduling a free consultation with us.