Why does canada revenue agency call

In a statement to CTVNews. The agency said the COVID pandemic presented additional challenges for their call centres, with nearly all agents working from home, but the department took pre-emptive steps to reduce wait times. The most common reason Canadians reached out to the call centre over the past year was to enquire about COVID benefits available to individuals and businesses, assistance with accessing online services, and help with business registration.

According to documents tabled in the House of Commons responding to an order paper question posed by Conservative MP Dan Mazier, the volume of calls in the tax season averaged just over four million a month, while the wait time averaged just below 23 minutes. The federal government said they were prioritizing speed over scrutiny when dishing out the funds, but there was confusion early on among applicants who were eligible for employment insurance but also applied to the CERB, unintentionally double-dipping in federal supports.

Federal infrastructure bank can't meet funding plans without spending spree, PBO says. Accountants, politicians call on Canada Revenue Agency to delay income tax deadline. Produce industry warns of potential shortages as supply chain issues mount. The scam is a common one: a phone call claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency demanding an immediate payment.

If you think it might really be the government calling you about your taxes, you should verify it is before you do anything, experts say. Cherolle Prince, a financial crimes expert at KPMG, says you want to trust, but verify you really are dealing with the CRA before you give out any information. If it sounds suspicious, it probably is. When in doubt, ask yourself:. In addition to phone calls, watch out for scam emails and text messages.

The CRA might reach out to you by email, but only to let you know when you have new messages on a secure CRA portal like My Account or to send you a link to a CRA webpage, form, or publication that you asked for during a call with a verified agent. Remember to never click on links or give out personal and financial information through emails or text messages pretending to be from the CRA.

Find an office near you to book an appointment today. Another red flag, Murphy says, is if the caller tells you not to talk to anyone such as a family member or your accountant about the matter. In most cases, the agency says, it is a routine check. Depending on the circumstances, if you filed your tax return electronically, the agency may be seeking things like RRSP or charitable contribution receipts that would have been filed if you had filed a paper tax return.

There are some instances in which the agency may ask for personal information on an outgoing call. Your time is valuable.