Before you start, make sure you have completed Set Up Your CRA Account. Authorization is given through that account, not separately.
Information we will give you
At the start of the engagement we will send you:
- Our firm’s Business Number (BN)
- The level of access we are asking for (typically Level 2)
- Whether the authorization is for your personal account, business account, or both
If you do not have those details yet, contact us at (403) 203-2263 or info@versatileaccounting.ca and we will send them.
Step 1. Sign in to your CRA account
Go to CRA My Account and sign in.
If you cannot sign in, two CRA help lines:
- Individual account: 1-800-959-8281
- Business account: 1-800-959-5525
Step 2. Open Profile
From the left menu inside CRA My Account, select Profile. Scroll down to Authorized Representatives.
Step 3. Add a new representative
Click + Add. Then click Start and follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 4. Enter our details
- Business Number: enter the Versatile BN we sent you.
- Level of access: choose Level 2. Level 2 lets us view your information and request changes on your behalf, which is what we need for tax work.
- Online access: choose Yesso we can use CRA’s representative portal.
- Expiry: choose Does not expire. You can remove the authorization at any time. Setting an expiry just creates a future re-do.
Step 5. Confirm
Confirm that you would like to add this authorized representative. That submits the request to CRA.
What happens next
Authorization typically activates within minutes. We can usually verify it on our side the same business day. You can confirm it appears in your Authorized Representatives list at any time.
Both personal and business?
If we are working on both your personal taxes and your corporation’s taxes, you have to authorize us separately on each account. The mechanics are the same. The corporate authorization is added through your CRA Business Account using the same five steps.
Removing authorization
You can remove our authorization at any time from the same Authorized Representatives screen. There is no penalty for adding and removing as needed. If you change accountants in the future, removing the prior authorization is part of the clean transition.