CRA My Account Setup — Complete Guide for 2026

CRA My Account is the official portal where Canadians track refunds, check benefit payments, view tax slips, and update direct deposit. Setting it up takes 10 minutes online + a 5–10 day wait for the security code by mail. Need to track your refund right now? Use our refund tracker →

Option 1 — Register with CRA directly

1. Go to canada.ca/cra-login and click "CRA register".
2. Enter your SIN, date of birth, and current postal code.
3. Enter the amount from line 15000 (Total Income) of your last filed tax return.
4. Create a CRA user ID, password, and 5 security questions.
5. Set up multi-factor authentication (mandatory) — text, voice, or authenticator app.
6. CRA mails a security code to the address on file in 5–10 business days.
7. Enter the code on first sign-in to activate full access.

Option 2 — Sign in with your bank (faster)

1. Go to the same canada.ca/cra-login page.
2. Click "Sign-In Partner" — pick your bank from the list.
3. Sign in with your normal online banking credentials.
4. You're inside CRA — no security code wait. Set up MFA on first session.

What to do once you're inside

Common Issues

• "Information doesn't match" on registration — usually wrong line 15000 amount. Use your most recent T1 (or NOA), not your T4. CRA only accepts the precise dollar amount.
• Security code never arrived — switch to Sign-In Partner (bank login) instead. No wait, no code needed.
• Locked out after wrong password — wait 1 hour, then call 1-800-959-8281 (8am–8pm local time).
• "Account not found" — you've never filed a Canadian tax return. Newcomers must file at least once before CRA can create an account.

Frequently Asked Questions