Appendix E – Service Standards
Client service standards publicly state the level of performance that citizens can reasonably expect from the CRA under normal circumstances. The CRA is committed to developing, monitoring, and reporting on a full suite of service standards in areas of significance to our clients. Service standards support our commitment to Canadians, transparency in government, management accountability, and citizen-centred service. Since 2000, the CRA has been a lead agency in the government-wide Service Improvement Initiative (SII) and, in many cases, our service standards serve as a model for other government departments. As the SII comes to a close, the CRA will continue to provide leadership in the improvement and service transformation agenda but as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to transform service for Canadians.
In accordance with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency’s Guide to Service Standards, new standards, as well as any revisions to existing ones, must receive final approval through the Corporate Business Plan. In 2005-2006, we plan to introduce a new standard for the timely delivery of T1 packages to clients. Except for the proposal to lower the target for counter wait times to 90%, we are not proposing any significant reductions to our targets, even though some parts of the Agency are finding it challenging to meet these targets in times of fiscal restraint.
Exhibit 6: Changes planned for 2005-2006
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Timely delivery of T1 packages to clients
- Will apply to mailing of T1 General packages to clients, delivery of T1 General packages to postal outlets, and availability of T1 General package information on the CRA Web site.
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Improvements and revisions
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Counter service wait times
- Proposed reduction in target from 100% to 90%. Counter service is our most expensive delivery channel. In this period of resource restraint, we are seeking to move clients from this channel to other more efficient modes such as the Web site.
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In the current atmosphere of fiscal restraint, monitoring service standards may play an important role in measuring the impact on service of changes in resource levels. Hence, it is important to carefully evaluate and monitor our performance against our service standards. We need to strike an effective balance between affordable operations and client expectations. We have to weigh our performance against our targets and the full range of consequences of not meeting these targets—including the impact on compliance. In some cases, we may have to accept, on a temporary basis, a level of performance lower than our target due to fiscal constraints, but we should fully assess all implications and risks before doing so.
Although we may be constrained by financial realities, the CRA remains committed to improving service and developing new service standards, as illustrated in our ongoing work listed below. We report our overall performance against service standards in the Annual Report. Service standards are useful management tools for determining the needs and expectations of clients, establishing priorities, and informing the decision-making process. As we develop our Performance Activity Architecture and Management Resources Results Structure where service standards are used as indicators with their targets, we will be able to more closely establish the costs for delivering services at a given level, thereby better linking resources to results.
Exhibit 7: Developments planned for 2005-2006 to 2007-2008
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Responding to correspondence related to General and Business Enquiries
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Processing excise – Other levies returns (follow-up required – based on information in draft Compendium, but not submitted in CBP branch material)
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Charities – Response to written enquiries
- Proposed standard – within 4 months
- Target – 90%
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Charities – Processing of applications for charitable registration
- Proposed standard – within 4 months of receipt of completed application
- Target – 90%
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Responding to enquiries regarding GST/HST rulings – telephone and written enquiries
- Proposed standards are: response within 1 working day for telephone enquiries
and 45 working days for written enquiries
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Change My Return – via “My Account”
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Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) telephone service
- Development in 2005-2006 with implementation planned in 2006-2007
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1 In last year’s Corporate Business Plan, we had indicated that we were developing a service standard to cover the processing of Disability Tax Credit claims. We have now determined that this is not necessary, as this activity is done as part of the normal T1 processing work load.
We report our overall performance against external service standards in the CRA’s Annual Report. More information on our 2003-2004 performance can be found at: www.cra.gc.ca/servicestandards
Exhibit 8: Existing Service Standards for 2004-2005
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1. Counter-service wait time
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20 minutes (except during peak periods)
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20 minutes (except during peak periods)
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2. Processing visitor (GST/HST) rebate applications
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3. Responding to client-requested adjustments (T1)
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4. Problem Resolution Program
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Acknowledged within 48 hrs.
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5. Problem Resolution Program
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Resolution/client contact within 15 days
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6. Processing fairness requests related to accounts receivable and trust accounts programs
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7. Providing Statements of Arrears (SOA) for corporations
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Mailed by the end of the month
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8. Providing Statements of Interim Payments (SIP) to corporations on a monthly basis
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Mailed by the 18 th of the month
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9. Charities – response to telephone enquiries
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10. General Enquiries – Telephone
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Respond to calls in queue within two minutes
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11. Business Enquiries – Telephone
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Respond to calls in queue within two minutes
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12. Advance income tax rulings to taxpayers
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13. Technical interpretations to taxpayers
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14. Applications to register pension plans
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Deemed registration within 60 days
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15. Applications to register pension plans
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Complete review in 180 days
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16. Amendments to registered pension plans
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17. Termination of registered pension plans
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18. Retirement savings plans (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
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19. Retirement income funds (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
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20. Education savings plans (applications to register, amend, or terminate)
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21. Actuarial valuation reports
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22. Deferred income plans – Response to telephone enquiries
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23. Deferred income plans – Response to written enquiries
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24. Deferred Profit Sharing Plans
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25. Deferred Profit Sharing Plans
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Amendments and Terminations
in 270 days (nine months)
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Tax Services – Returns processing
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26. Processing T1 individual income tax returns (paper)
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27. Processing T1 individual income tax returns (EFILE, TELEFILE, NETFILE)
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28. Processing T3 trust returns
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29. Processing GST/HST returns
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30. Processing T2 corporation income tax returns
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Claims – SR&ED tax incentives
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31. Refundable claims – combined target (unaudited and audited)
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32. Non-refundable claims – combined target (unaudited and audited)
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33. Claimant-requested adjustments to refundable claims
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34. Claimant- requested adjustments to non-refundable claims
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Claims – Video and film tax credits
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35. Refundable claims – unaudited
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36. Refundable claims – audited
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37. Processing CCTB applications
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End of second month after month in which application is received
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38. Account maintenance/Responding to written enquiries
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End of second month after month in which enquiry is received
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39. Validation and control. Results of review
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40. Taxpayer Representative Identification System (TRIS)
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Processing of T1013s within five days of receipt during non-peak periods and 20 days during peak periods
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41. 30-day first contact letter for objections, disputes, and appeals
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New or modified service standard
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Existing service standard
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- Date modified:
- 2005-03-24
