If you are facing an abusive or violent situation, including economic abuse, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is committed to helping you continue to get support.

You will never need to contact an abusive person or organization to provide any information to the CRA or apply for and get your benefits.

On this page:

• Getting your benefit and credit payments
• Updating your personal information
• What to do when the CRA contacts you
• Additional support

Getting your benefit and credit payments

You should apply for benefits and credits that might be available to you. In order to get your benefits and credits, make sure your information is up-to-date.

Apply for benefits and credits

You will never need to contact an abusive person or organization to apply for and get your benefits.

Depending on your situation, you may be eligible for various benefit and credit payments.

For example, if you provide care for a child or children under 18 years of age, and do not currently get child benefits for them, apply for the Canada child benefit (CCB).

Your spouse or common-law partner’s signature is not required on any benefit-related forms.

Apply for the CCB

Check for other benefits and credits that might apply to you

Do your taxes every year

Do your taxes by April 30 of each year to make sure you keep getting your benefit and credit payments.

Even if you have no income or if your income is tax-exempt, the CRA will use information from your tax return to calculate the amount of money you will get for benefit and credit payments.

For example, when you do your taxes, the CRA automatically determines if you are eligible for:

• The GST/HST credit
• Provincial and territorial benefits

If you are eligible for the Canada child benefit (CCB), it's important to do your taxes on time to avoid possible delays or interruptions in your benefit payments.

Find out how to do your taxes, or get help from a volunteer at a free tax clinic.

How to do your taxes

Find a free tax clinic

If your benefit or credit payment has changed or stopped

If you notice a change in your benefit or credit payments, it could be due to a change in your situation, or the CRA may need more information from you.

For example, if your spouse or common-law partner has not done their taxes, your payments may have stopped.

If you have questions about your benefit and credit payments, you can contact us.

Why your payments may have changed or stopped

Updating your personal information

Your personal information must be up-to-date for you to get your benefit and credit payments on time and in the correct amounts.

It is important to protect your personal and financial information. Regularly update your passwords to ensure your accounts stay secure.

1. Protect your CRA My Account

   Review who can access your CRA My Account and remove anyone who should not have access.

   If someone assisted you with your taxes in the past, they may have been granted authorization to access your account.

   Removing a representative online or by phone will immediately cancel their access to your account.

   You can also authorize a trusted person, such as a friend or family member, to be a representative.

   For more information, refer to: Authorize a representative

   Protect your SIN

   Your social insurance number (SIN) is private and it is illegal for another person to use it.

   Learn how to protect your SIN

   If you need to apply for or retrieve your SIN

   Contact Service Canada to apply for or retrieve your SIN information if:

   • you don't have a SIN
   • you don't know your SIN
   • you don't have access to your SIN

   
   

   If Service Canada is unable to give you a permanent or temporary SIN, the CRA may give you a temporary tax number (TTN), which can be used to get benefit and credit payments, file your taxes, and sign up for CRA's My Account.

   Call Service Canada at 1-866-274-6627, or find a Service Canada office.

   
   

   You can cancel or add a representative’s authorization:

   • Online using your CRA My Account
   • By phone or mail

2. Update personal information

   We may need to contact other individuals or organizations to verify details such as your marital status or child custody information.

   Your personal information will never be disclosed to anyone who is not authorized on your account.

   Updating your address

   If you move, update your address with the CRA to keep getting your payments and any mail we may send to you, even if you use direct deposit and your bank account does not change.

   You can give us any temporary address until you have a permanent address available. This could include:

   • A friend's house

   • A shelter

   • A temporary safe place

   If you were using a joint email account, you may need to open a new account in your name.

   You should do this to maximize safety and if you choose to register for the CRA My Account.

   Updating your marital status

   If you separate from your spouse or common-law partner, you must wait 90 days before letting the CRA know.

   You do not need to wait 90 days to update your address or other personal information.

   We will then recalculate your benefits based on your new marital status and adjusted family net income.

   The adjustment will take effect the month after your marital status changed.

   We may need to contact another individual to verify your marital status.

   Your personal information will never be disclosed to anyone who is not authorized on your account.

   Updating your custody information

   To make sure you get your benefit and credit payments on time and in the correct amounts, the CRA needs to know if:

   • a child starts to live with you
   • a child is no longer in your care
   • a shared custody arrangement has changed

   
   

   We may need to contact other individuals or organizations to verify your child custody information.

   Your personal information will never be disclosed to anyone who is not authorized on your account.

   If you are the primary caregiver for a child or children in your home but are not receiving the Canada child benefit (CCB), consider applying now.

   Apply for the CCB

   Updating your direct deposit information

   For direct deposit payments, make sure the CRA has the correct financial account information on file.

   If you were using a joint account, you may need to open a new account in your name. It’s important to provide this new account information to us as soon as possible.

   Update your direct deposit information at least 4 weeks before your next benefit payment is issued to make sure it is deposited into your new account on time.

   Do not close your old account until your first payment has been deposited to your new account.

   Let us know if your benefit payments were deposited into a financial account under another person's name that you can no longer access. It may be possible to have the payment reissued to a new account or by cheque.

   Sign up or cancel direct deposit

   Canada child benefit (CCB) payment dates

   
   

   You can update your personal information:

   • Online using your CRA My Account
   • By phone or mail

Use your CRA My Account

You can use your CRA My Account to update your personal information including your:

• mailing address
• phone number
• direct deposit information
• marital status
• custody information
• account authorization
• email address

Contact by phone or mail

You can contact the CRA to update your personal information, or if you have questions.

By phone

You can update your:

• mailing address
• phone number
• direct deposit information
• marital status
• custody information
• account authorization
• email address
• first or last name

Before you call

To confirm your identity, you’ll need your:

• social insurance number (SIN)
• full name and date of birth
• complete address
• assessed tax return, or notice of assessment or reassessment

Telephone number

1-800-387-1193 (opens up phone application)1-800-387-1193

• 
  
  Wait time: Wait times are not available --
  Updated: Wait times are not available -- ET

TTY number

If you use a teletypewriter:
1-800-665-0354 (opens up tty application)1-800-665-0354

Hours

General enquiries for businesses hours

Date	Hours
Monday to Friday	6:30 am to 11:00 pm (ET)
Saturday	7:30 am to 8:00 pm (ET)
Sunday	Closed

Closed on public holidays

By mail

Change your address or phone number

• Complete Form RC325, Address Change Request
• Mail the completed form to the address on the form

Change your marital status

• Complete Form RC65, Marital Status Change
• Mail the completed form to the address on the form

Change your custody information

• Complete Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application
• Mail the completed form to the address on the form

Cancel a representative

• Complete Form AUT-01X, Cancel Authorization for a Representative
• Mail the completed form to the appropriate CRA tax centre listed on the form within 6 months of the date it is signed

Change your first name, last name or both

You must provide documentation if you have already changed your name.

Write a letter with the following:

• original or certified true copy of one of the following documents:
  • a name change certificate from a provincial/territorial vital statistics department
  • a court order issued under an act on change of name
• your old and new names
• your social insurance number
• your signature

Send your letter by mail to your tax centre:

• Find your tax centre

What to do when the CRA contacts you

You may get a letter from us asking you to confirm your personal information or provide supporting documentation.

Send any supporting information back to the address listed on the letter or through your CRA My Account.

If your situation prevents you from getting the requested documents or information, you can send any of the following explaining your situation:

• A letter from a trusted third party such as:
  • a band council
  • a shelter
  • a resettlement office
  • a member of the clergy
• A copy of a restraining order or an order of protection
• A copy of a police report

If you have questions about the documents requested, or about benefit and credit payments, you can contact us.

You can also register for email notifications from the CRA. If you do, we may send you notifications about your account by email.

Provide supporting documentation

Register for email notifications

Additional support

• Find family violence resources and services in your area
• Support services for those affected by gender-based violence
• Getting help – Ending Violence Canada
• Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment
• What is economic abuse?

Social insurance number (SIN)