🧾 Confirm My Representative – CRA Authorization Requests

The Confirm my Representative service from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) allows taxpayers to securely approve or reject requests from individuals or organizations that want permission to access their tax information.

This two-step verification process protects sensitive data and ensures you stay in control of who can represent you in dealings with the CRA.

🔐 What Is a CRA Representative?

A representative is someone you authorize to communicate with the CRA or manage tax matters on your behalf. This may include:

  • Accountants or tax preparers
  • Family members
  • Lawyers or financial advisors
  • Businesses providing tax services

Representatives submit authorization requests through the CRA’s Represent a Client portal. Once submitted, you must confirm the request before access is granted.

⚡ Important Rule: 10-Day Confirmation Window

⚠ Action Required:
If you receive an authorization request, you must confirm or deny it within 10 business days. If no action is taken, the request will automatically expire and your representative will need to submit a new request.

👤 How Individuals Confirm a Representative

  1. Sign in to your CRA My Account.
  2. Open your Individual account dashboard.
  3. Select Profile in the navigation menu.
  4. Locate the section Authorized representative(s).
  5. Click Confirm pending authorizations.
  6. Review the representative’s information.
  7. Select Confirm or Deny.

If there are no requests pending, the page will show a message confirming that no representatives are waiting for approval.

🏢 Confirming for Business Owners

Business owners can confirm requests in their CRA My Business Account. Representatives may submit requests through:

  • Represent a Client portal
  • Certified tax software (EFILE)

To confirm the request:

  1. Sign in to your CRA account.
  2. Select My Business Account.
  3. Open Profile.
  4. Choose Manage authorized representatives.
  5. Review the pending request and confirm or deny it.

Business owners can also assign a delegated authority (for example a financial officer) to manage representative authorizations.

🏛 Other Accounts That Use This Service

The confirmation process also applies to additional CRA account types:

  • Trust accounts (My Trust Account)
  • Registered plan administrator accounts
  • Non-resident withholding tax accounts

In each case, the authorization must be confirmed through the relevant CRA account interface before access is granted.

📄 Alternative Authorization Method

If you cannot access your CRA account online, you may still authorize a representative using documentation such as:

  • Information from a previous Notice of Assessment
  • A signed certification page generated by your representative

The representative submits the signed certification electronically through the CRA system instead of mailing or faxing documents.

🔎 Tips for Security

  • Only approve representatives you fully trust.
  • Review their RepID, GroupID, or Business Number carefully.
  • Enable CRA email notifications for authorization requests.
  • Regularly review the Authorized representatives section in your account.

📚 Related CRA Resources

💡 Tip: Always log in through official CRA portals when confirming a representative. The CRA does not ask for sensitive information by email.