On this page…

• What if you need help?
• T.I.P.S.
• Internet access
• Access codes for electronic services
• Publications
• Before you contact us
• Contacting us
• Getting personal tax information
• Representatives
• Community Volunteer Income Tax Program

What if you need help?

In this guide, we use plain language to explain the most common tax situations. If you need more help after reading this guide, you can contact us (see later on this page) or use our other services.

T.I.P.S.

For personal and general tax information by telephone, you can use T.I.P.S. (see "T.I.P.S. (Tax Information Phone Service)").

Internet access

Visit our Web site at www.ccra.gc.ca . The content is better organized, the ways of finding information are improved, and these new electronic services have been added:

• general information, as well as forms and publications, is now accessible by topic and by client group; and
• our new secure electronic service, My Account ("www.ccra.gc.ca/myaccount"), allows you to view some of your personalized information, such as your identification, your refund or balance owing, your instalment account, your RRSP, your Canada Child Tax Benefit, and your GST/HST credit.

Access codes for electronic services

Your four-digit access code that may allow you to NETFILE or TELEFILE (see "Filing electronically") your 2003 return is printed on the label sheet in the tax package you received in the mail. You can get an access code online, for our NETFILE service, at www.netfile.gc.ca. A different code of eight characters, which appears on your Notice of Assessment, allows you to use other electronic secured services such as My Account and Address Changes Online. For information about these codes, visit www.ccra.gc.ca/access or call 1-800-714-7257.

Publications

Throughout this guide, we mention forms, pamphlets, interpretation bulletins, information circulars, and other guides that give more details on specific tax topics. We will mail you some of them by late February, depending on the information on your return for 2002.

You can get most of our publications, including the General guide and forms book, the return, and any of its schedules by themselves, either from our Web site at www.ccra.gc.ca/forms or by calling 1-800-959-2221 from 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (local time). The General guide and forms book for a particular province or territory are also available from any postal outlet in that province or territory beginning in February.

Before you contact us

We want to provide you with the best service possible. By being prepared in advance, you will help us serve you better. Before contacting us you should do all of the following:

• read the appropriate sections of this guide and other publications we mention in this guide;
• prepare all the details of your situation and question; and
• have on hand the working copy of your return, any related papers or receipts, a pencil, some paper, and your social insurance number (SIN).

Contacting us

Our telephone and fax numbers, and the address of your tax services office, are listed in the government section of your telephone book and on our Web site at www.ccra.gc.ca/tso. For faster service, call before 10:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m.

By phone (individuals) - You can call 1-800-959-8281. Our automated service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Agents are available Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (local time). However, from mid-February to April 30, these hours are extended to 10:00 p.m. weekdays, and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on weekends.

By phone (businesses) - You can call 1-800-959-5525. Our automated service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Agents are available Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 8:15 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (local time).

In person - You can visit us Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. However, from mid-February to April 30, you can visit until 5:00 p.m. In some offices, where there is a continuing demand, these hours apply year-round.

By fax - You can send us correspondence by facsimile. However, because of the nature of facsimile services, we are not responsible for misdirected, incomplete, or illegible documents.

Teletypewriter (TTY) users - If you use a TTY because you have a hearing or speech impairment, an agent at our bilingual enquiry service (1-800-665-0354) can assist you during the hours shown under "By phone (individuals)" earlier on this page.

Getting personal tax information

Your personal information is confidential. However, you can authorize someone (such as your spouse or common-law partner) to represent you to discuss your file. See "Representatives". In certain cases, we give some of your information to other government bodies to administer the law. In all cases, we follow strict procedures before giving your information to anyone.

If you visit us and ask for personal tax information, we will ask you to identify yourself. In addition, we will ask for one of the following:

• one piece of signed identification with your picture;
• two pieces of signed identification;
• your Notice of Assessment, Notice of Reassessment, or other tax documents; or
• information about the contents of your return.

If you call us and ask for personal tax information, we will ask you to identify yourself and give information about the contents of your return. If you call before May 1, use your return for 2002. After April 30, use your return for 2003.

Representatives

You can authorize a representative (such as your spouse or common-law partner, tax preparer, or accountant) to get information on your tax matters. However, we will give information to your representative only after we are satisfied that you have authorized us in writing to do so. Your authorization will stay in effect until you cancel it.

If your representative visits us and asks for your personal tax information, we will give this information only if we have received, from you or your representative, a completed Form T1013, Authorizing or Cancelling a Representative (or a letter containing the same information), that you have signed. After we confirm that we have your written permission, we also will ask your representative for either of the following:

• one piece of signed identification with his or her picture; or
• two pieces of signed identification.

In addition, we will ask for either of the following:

• your Notice of Assessment, Notice of Reassessment, or other tax documents; or
• information about the contents of your return.
• your representative calls us and asks for your personal tax information, we will give this information only if we have received a completed Form T1013 or letter that you have signed. After we confirm that we have your written permission, we also will ask your representative for information about the contents of your return. A representative who calls before May 1 should use your return for 2002. A representative who calls after April 30 should use your return for 2003.

If you are a representative for a deceased person, get guide T4011, Preparing Returns for Deceased Persons , for more information.

Community Volunteer Income Tax Program

If you need help to complete your tax return, your income is low, and your tax situation is simple, our volunteers are specially trained to help you. For more information about this free program, or if you want to become a volunteer, call us at 1-800-959-8281.

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