Options to resolve CRA complaints put under the microscope

The Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, François Boileau, is examining the options available to taxpayers to resolve complaints with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Different options are available to taxpayers depending on whether a disagreement is related to a tax dispute — for which one option is filing an objection — or service quality.

A lack of clarity about which option to use as well as a lack of clarity within the various options’ processes “can lead to inefficiencies, varying timelines for resolutions and perceived unfairness, particularly for taxpayers who need urgent action,” a release from the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson said.

The Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson’s examination will include looking into how the complaint options are communicated and used.

The CRA’s complaint and recourse processes should be “efficient, effective, fair and timely,” Boileau said in the release. “This will be top of mind as we conduct this examination.”

As far as timely, the CRA says its processing time between Feb. 21 and April 17 of this year for service complaints was 20 business days — better than the service standard of 30 business days. Last year, the agency was directed by the finance minister to address its service delays, and it continues to focus on service improvements in 2026.

Tax objections are another matter. For example, service standards for low- and medium-complexity cases of income tax objections were met 76% of the time and 71% of the time, respectively, in 2024–25.

In April 2026, low-complexity income tax objections were completed in an average of 127 days, and medium-complexity ones were completed in an average of 356 days.

High complexity income tax objections, which represent 2% to 3% of the CRA’s objections program workload, can take on average more than 690 days to resolve, the CRA says.

Michelle Schriver

Michelle is a senior reporter for Advisor.ca and sister publication Investment Executive. She has worked with the team since 2015 and been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and SABEW for her reporting. Email her at michelle@newcom.ca.