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TAX TIP Confirm My Representative is Now Available for Business Owners

Saturday, 18 March 2023 10:15.AM

The protection of taxpayer information is of the utmost importance for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This is why the CRA has stringent and ongoing measures to analyze, identify and mitigate potential threats to sensitive taxpayer information.

As a response to the need for added security measures, the CRA implemented the Confirm my representative service in October 2021. It is a two-step verification process that allows business owners to easily and securely control who has access and what level of access their representative has to their personal and business tax information.

What's new this year?

As of October 2022, all new authorization requests submitted by representatives using certified tax software (EFILE) will require business owners or their delegated authority to confirm or deny the request using My Business Account. There will be 10 business days to confirm or deny the request. If no action is taken by the business owner or their delegated authority within this period, the request will be cancelled. This process is typically a one-time action on the part of the business owners and it helps them play an active role in protecting and controlling who can access their information.

Alternative process for sole proprietors

Sole proprietors who meet certain conditions and have the same representative for their business and personal taxes may not need to register for My Business Account and use the Confirm my Representative service. When certain conditions are met, new authorization requests submitted electronically by their representative will be approved automatically. To learn more about this process, please go to Confirm my representative's authorization reques.

What can representatives do?

Representatives should advise their clients to register for My Business Account for approving authorization requests in time for the upcoming tax season.

With My Business Account access, business owners can then enable e-mail notifications and review who has access to their account. Over time, roles can change within a business and it is important to review and remove representatives that may no longer be involved with their business.

To learn more about how representatives can help their clients protect their tax information and verify and authorize new authorization requests, go to Confirm my representative's authorization reques.

SOURCE: Canada Revenue Agency

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