CRA account help

CRA account help - About CRA user ID and password

When you use a CRA user ID and password, you create credentials that you use with the CRA sign-in services.

On this page

• Who can register with a CRA user ID and password
• Set up your CRA user ID and password
• Problems with your CRA user ID and password
  • Revoked CRA user ID and password
  • Lost or forgotten CRA user ID and password
  • Change your sign-in option
  • Locked account
• Manage your CRA security settings

Who can register with a CRA user ID and password

To register with this option, you must have:

• A social insurance number (SIN)
• Filed your taxes in the last 2 years

Set up your CRA user ID and password

When you register with a CRA user ID and password, you must also choose security questions to validate your identity.

Creating a strong CRA user ID and password

Creating your CRA User ID

Your CRA user ID must contain between 8 and 16 characters with no spaces, and can contain up to 7 numbers. Only certain special characters can be used.

Each CRA user ID must be unique. You will receive a message if the CRA user ID you create has already been used.

Creating your CRA password

Your CRA password must contain between 8 and 64 characters, including:

• At least one upper-case letter
• At least one lower-case letter
• At least one number
• No spaces
• No accented characters

You cannot use more than 4 consecutive, identical characters. Only certain special characters can be used.

Only certain special characters can be used

The only special characters you can use in your CRA user ID and password are:

• Dot (.)
• Dash (-)
• Underscore (_)
• Apostrophe (‘)

Choose your security questions

Remember your answers

Problems with your CRA user ID and password

What to do if your credential has been revoked or lost, if you want to change your sign-in option, or if your account is locked.

Revoked CRA user ID and password

You may have received a notification that your user ID and password have been revoked. If that happens, you can regain access to your CRA account.

Regaining access if your CRA user ID and password have been revoked

You can regain access to your account in the following ways:

Use a different sign-in method

You may still be able to access your account with:

• A different CRA user ID and password, if you already have one
• A Sign-In Partner
• A provincial partner

Register with a new CRA user ID

You may need to contact us to register with a new CRA user ID and password.

Once registered, you will have to re-verify your identity with the document verification service or a CRA security code.

For details: Register for a CRA account

How to regain access to your Candidate profile

If your CRA user ID and password for the Candidate profile service have been revoked, you may complete a Candidate profile recovery. This will allow the new CRA user ID and password you create during the recovery process to be linked to your existing Candidate profile.

Learn more about protecting your personal information: Keep your CRA account secure

Lost or forgotten CRA user ID or password

For more information: Create a strong CRA user ID and password

Change your sign-in option

You must always sign in with the option you registered with.

If you registered with a CRA user ID and password and want to change your sign-in option, you can sign in and revoke your credential so you can register with a Sign-In Partner instead.

You can also contact us to revoke your credential so you can register again.

Locked account

If you enter the wrong CRA user ID or password too many times, your account will become locked. If this happens, you will have to contact us to have your account unlocked.

Manage your CRA security settings

Once you are signed in to your CRA account, you can manage any of the following CRA security settings from the Welcome page:

• CRA sign-in information
  • Change CRA user ID
  • Change CRA password
  • Change CRA security questions and answers
  • Revoke CRA user ID
  • View recent CRA sign-in history
  • View the Terms and conditions of use
• Multi-factor authentication
  • Update your phone number
  • Add or remove the telephone, passcode grid and authenticator app options.
• Personal Identification Number (PIN)
  • Create, edit or delete a PIN

List of Sign-in Partner banks and credit unions