Electronic Filing, Payments and Communication with CRA

All payments/remittances to CRA in excess of $10,000 must be done electronically as of January 1, 2024, unless it is unreasonable to do so. In addition, the default method of correspondence for businesses that use CRA’s My Business Account portal is changed to electronic only as of June 23, 2023. There are also several new requirement to file certain forms and returns electronically to avoid penalties. In addition, CRA has now provided the ability to electronically file special elections and returns.

Electronic payment requirements

CRA indicated that there will be a grace period when the requirement to remit payments over $10,000 electronically becomes effective on January 1, 2024. CRA will focus on educating taxpayers on electronic payment options rather than assessing the $100 penalty for failure to remit electronically.

CRA confirmed that payments made physically at a bank using a remittance voucher are considered electronic payments for this purpose.

CRA is considering their policies in respect of when it is not reasonable to remit electronically and will publicly share these policies once they have been determined.

Business correspondence – digital by default

Although CRA now has legislative authority to make digital communications with businesses using My Business Account the default, they intend to fully communicate this process to taxpayers who are signed up for My Business Account or have an authorized representative with access through Represent a Client. CRA expects the change, now referred to as “Digital by Default,” to be implemented in May 2025.

CRA noted that the opt-out will be permitted only to businesses that maintain current mailing address information.