{"id":75,"date":"2025-08-27T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T00:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/?p=75"},"modified":"2026-08-25T08:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:04:33","slug":"when-is-the-best-time-to-call-cra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/when-is-the-best-time-to-call-cra\/","title":{"rendered":"When Is the Best Time to Call CRA: Service Guide for Taxpayers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowing when is the best time to call CRA can save you hours during tax season. With millions of Canadians contacting the Canada Revenue Agency every year, call volumes often spike to <strong>75,000\u201390,000<\/strong> calls a day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By planning your call wisely and using online tools before picking up the phone, you can reduce wait times and get faster assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best Times to Call CRA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CRA enquiries contact centres operate during the following hours:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monday to Friday<\/strong>: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Saturday<\/strong>: 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sunday<\/strong>: Closed<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lowest wait times are usually early in the morning, later in the evening, or on Saturdays. You should always check CRA\u2019s <strong>telephone wait time tool<\/strong> on the official website before calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alternatives Before Calling CRA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many common tasks can be managed online, often faster than speaking with an agent. CRA encourages taxpayers to use digital services first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Register or Sign In to CRA Account<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use the <strong>Document Verification Service<\/strong> for instant access without waiting for a mailed security code.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accepted IDs: Canadian passport, driver\u2019s license, or provincial\/territorial photo ID.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide your SIN, date of birth, and details from your latest tax return.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Update Personal or Banking Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through <strong>My Account<\/strong>, you can update:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Address<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Direct deposit details<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marital status<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phone number and email<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multi-factor authentication<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Use CRA Online Support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Check Canada.ca<\/strong> for tax filing, benefit payment dates, and frequently asked questions.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Online Chat in My Account<\/strong> with a live CRA agent (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET).<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/does-cra-debt-affect-credit-score\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/does-cra-debt-affect-credit-score\/\">CRA <\/a>Chatbot<\/strong> for quick answers.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check CRA Processing Times<\/strong> for return and request updates.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to Prepare Before You Call CRA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you still need to call, have these ready:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Social Insurance Number<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Full name, date of birth, and address<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recent tax return, Notice of Assessment, or reassessment<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Signing into your CRA account before calling makes it easier to have documents available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. What is the best time of day to call CRA?<br><\/strong>The best times are early morning or late evening on weekdays, or Saturdays when call volumes are lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. What are CRA phone hours?<br><\/strong>CRA is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET, and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Does CRA answer calls on Sunday?<br><\/strong>No. CRA call centres are closed on Sundays and statutory holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. How do I check CRA wait times before calling?<br><\/strong>You can view estimated wait times on the official CRA \u201cContact Us\u201d page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Can I avoid calling CRA by using online services?<br><\/strong>Yes. Services such as updating banking details, checking benefit dates, and reviewing processing times are available online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>6. Why are CRA phone lines so busy during tax season?<br><\/strong>Millions of Canadians contact CRA at the same time, with daily calls reaching over 75,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>7. Can I chat with CRA online instead of calling?<br><\/strong>Yes. Secure live chat is available in My Account for registered users during business hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/corporate\/contact-information.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canada Revenue Agency \u2013 Contact Information<br><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/e-services\/e-services-individuals\/account-individuals.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/e-services\/e-services-individuals\/account-individuals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canada Revenue Agency \u2013 My Account<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Knowing when is the best time to call CRA can save you hours during tax season. With millions of Canadians contacting the Canada Revenue Agency every year, call volumes often spike to 75,000\u201390,000 calls a day. By planning your call wisely and using online tools before picking up the phone, you can reduce wait times [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":81,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cra"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/CRA-1.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions\/93"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}