Canada Revenue

Canada Revenue Customer Phone Numbers

How do I get through the phone menu to a live person?

Let us call and talk to Canada Revenue for you

We can get a live person on the line for you

Please have your tax documents ready to validate your identity. If you need help registering for my account, press one.
If you already have a CRA my account and have if you tried to enter your authentication information more than five times and you were not successful, or if you try to enter your CRA security code more than three times and you were not successful, you will not be able to try again and will need to call back to speak to an agent."

For online services, including unlocking my account, press one.
For forms or publications, press two."

"For registered plans or the tax free savings account, press three.
If you need help registering for my account, press one."

For your account balance, how to make a payment, or about misallocated payments, press one.
For your income tax refund, press two."

What are the hours and when should I call?

Call when they- and you- are open

The least busy time to call

The shortest wait on hold

The best time to call Canada Revenue

Calling this Canada Revenue Customer Number

By Jeff Whelpley

Aug 26, 2024

Why Customers Call Canada Revenue

More Canada Revenue Customer Service Contacts

Canada Revenue Customer Phone Numbers

Business Accounts

We're here Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm EST. For Business Services, press * at each prompt. Free tools: Talk for me, Skip the wait, Schedule my call.

French Customer Service

Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST. Once the automated voice starts, press 1 then *. Free tools: Talk for me, Skip the wait, Schedule my call.

GST/HST Credit

For questions on GST/HST Credits, call this number Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm EST. Just wait; don't press anything, even if asked for a "valid response". Free tools are available: Talk for me, Skip the wait, Schedule my call.

Summerside Tax Center

Available Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm EST. To speak with someone, simply don't enter your SS number when prompted (twice). We also have free tools: Talk for me, Skip the wait, Schedule my call.

eServices Helpdesk

Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST. You'll press 1, then * at each prompt. Free tools include: Talk for me, Skip the wait, Schedule my call.

How do I get through the phone menu to a live person?

We have a free service that'll call and talk to customer service for you, then send a report. Or, there's our other free service that waits on hold and tells you when a human rep's on the line. If those don't appeal, our team has also documented the Canada Revenue phone menu below.

Let us call and talk to Canada Revenue for you

Let us call and talk to Canada Revenue on your behalf! Our AI-powered phone can dial, navigate the phone menu, wait on hold, and even speak to customer service for you – all for free. You won't have to learn about any complicated phone options. Discover how we can make those calls for you.

We can get a live person on the line for you

We can get a live person on the line for you. Our free CallHelpdesk Phone can call, navigate menus, and wait on hold for you, but you're welcome to do all the talking. We'll notify you when a rep's on the line and ready, so you won't need to worry about menu options or navigating the maze. This helps you skip the hold time! And don't worry, we totally get it if you'd rather do all the dialing, waiting, and talking yourself. Remember, all these free tools are completely optional. Our CallHelpdesk researchers regularly call this Canada Revenue phone number to keep tabs on their phone system. Here's our most recent tip for navigating their phone menu to reach a real person as quickly as possible: just press 1 then * at every prompt. Below, you'll find some clips we've gathered from Canada Revenue's phone menus, along with tips that'll give you a good idea of what to expect when you make the call. We've also highlighted why each of them is important.

Heard when the phone system first answers

Thanks for calling the Canada Revenue Agency's individual tax inquiry service. Our options have changed, so please listen carefully to the menu before you make a selection. You'll choose one of the following five options. For online services, including unlocking my account, press one. For forms or publications, press two.

They may ask you to enter information with the dial pad

Thanks for calling the Canada Revenue Agency's individual tax inquiry service. Please choose one of the following five options. For online services, including unlocking my account, press one. If you're getting an error message when trying to log in or register for a CRA online service, please try using a different web browser. You could also update your current web browser to its most recent version, or clear your web browser's cache and history. You can find more answers about accessing a CRA account and other commonly asked questions on our contact us page at canada dot c a slash c r a help. If you're still locked out or haven't been able to recover your username or password, you'll need to speak with an agent. Please have your tax documents ready so we can validate your identity. If you need help registering for my account, press one. If you already have a CRA my account and you've tried to enter your authentication information more than five times unsuccessfully, or if you've tried to enter your CRA security code more than three times unsuccessfully, you won't be able to try again and will need to call back to speak with an agent.

The first phone menu

Thanks for calling the Canada Revenue Agency's individual tax inquiry service. You can also visit us at canada dot c a slash g s t dash h s t dash break. Please choose one of the following five options. For estates and trusts, updating your personal information, or all other inquiries, press five. To hear this message again, just press star. For online services, including unlocking my account, press one. If you need forms or publications, press two.

After you press 1

If you're calling about registered plans or the tax free savings account, press three. Need help registering for my account? Press one.

After you press 4

For estates and trusts, to update your personal info or if you can't meet your tax due to the 2024 wildfires in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Northwest Territories, you can request taxpayer relief by phone to cancel penalty and interest. To hear this message again, press star. Or, to go back to the main menu, press pound. To find out your account balance, how to make a payment, or if you have questions about misallocated payments, press one. For information about your income tax refund, press two.

What are the hours and when should I call?

You can reach Canada Revenue's call center at 800-959-8281; they're open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm ET. So, the quick tip is to call on a Thursday. We've based this, and the next section, on analyzing 315 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).

Call when they- and you- are open

When you use our free AI phone, it can call, talk, wait on hold, or navigate phone menus for you. You can even schedule your Canada Revenue call for a time that works best for you, as long as they're open. We'll just quickly confirm you're ready before we connect the call, just in case. That means you can essentially 'set it and forget it' beforehand. Let's clarify something important: there's a difference between busy times, hold times, and what we mean by the 'best time to call'. When we talk about 'busy' or 'less busy' times, we're really just referring to the volume of calls. The busiest times are simply when the most people are calling this Canada Revenue phone number (and, naturally, fewer people are calling during the least busy times). However, a high call volume doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a long hold time when you call. Companies like Canada Revenue staff their call centers differently depending on the time of day and day of the week. So, you might actually experience a shorter wait on hold even during the busiest times. So, when we talk about the 'best time to call,' we're referring to that sweet spot – the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.

The least busy time to call

If you need to call Canada Revenue, Thursday's usually the quietest day. Monday, however, is the busiest, seeing 45% more calls on average. We've learned this from a sample of 315 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone over the last 90 days. Remember: Monday's busiest, Thursday's quietest.

The shortest wait on hold

We've found that Monday usually has the shortest hold times. The longest average wait in the queue, however, occurs on Tuesday. But honestly, if you use our free call and talk for me or wait on hold for me service, you don't really need to worry about average wait times. Just use call and talk for me or wait on hold for me.

The best time to call Canada Revenue

So, Thursday is actually the best day to call Canada Revenue. It's not the day with the absolute shortest wait on hold in their phone system, but we still recommend it because it offers a great mix of low call volume and short hold times. We also think Canada Revenue staffs their call center really well on Thursdays.

Calling this Canada Revenue Customer Number

By Jeff Whelpley Frankly, I wouldn't recommend even trying to call this number right now. Canada's Revenue Service is so swamped that you can't even get through at all. The automated system wastes no time in letting you know this, either. It doesn't even give you a chance to enter your personal information before telling you that, because of high call volumes, all representatives are currently busy assisting other customers. They don't even give you the option to wait on hold or make an appointment to speak to a real person; instead, it just directs you to call back another time or visit Canada Revenue's website. However, if you do decide to stick around on the line, you'll eventually get a chance to interact with Canada Revenue's automated system. Just don't expect to actually reach a live person through it, though; it's strictly designed for getting answers to frequently asked questions. I actually used the automated system to get a detailed explanation on how to file a tax return in Canada. It even told me when I'd need to file and how long I should expect things to take. Once it finished providing its explanation, the system offered me several other options if I wanted to continue requesting information. At no point was I asked to request a call or set up a time to talk to someone, confirming that this cannot be used in that manner. So, based on this, I'd probably only use this number to get information on basic questions if I couldn't find them online. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother, since you can't actually use it to speak to someone. I do appreciate that this number exists, though; it offers a decent way for anyone to get some of their questions answered. But for deeper help, you're definitely going to need an internet connection. Jeff truly believes that all customers deserve good service. He's been building tools, inventing phone tree hacks, and helping customers even before his time at CallHelpdesk. He's also a Google GDE and quite active in the Angular community.

Why Customers Call Canada Revenue

Got a moment to read before calling Canada Revenue? We'd recommend checking out our problem-specific articles. What is Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)?

What is Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is the federal body that handles all things tax-related, like managing tax laws, collecting taxes, and making sure everyone follows tax rules. It's an independent organization, but it still operates under the federal government. The CRA runs lots of different tax programs and projects, including collecting income tax, goods and services tax (GST), and other fees. They also manage benefits and credits, like the Canada Child Benefit and the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) credit. To make sure individuals and businesses stick to tax laws, the CRA audits tax returns and does investigations whenever needed. Plus, the CRA offers helpful resources, information, and online services to help taxpayers understand and meet their tax obligations. Top Canada Revenue customer service problems

Top Canada Revenue customer service problems

Just click the link above, and you'll find answers to pretty much any Canada Revenue customer service question you have, even step-by-step guides for the trickiest issues. You can also explain a new problem you're facing and get instant answers. Take a look below at some recent calls to Canada Revenue and what they were about. Do any of these sound like why you're trying to call? Here's one about rental income: "What I wanna know is when I claim my insurance that I got received for it, that comes under rental income?" - That call lasted 46m 41s on Jan 22, 2025 at 4:29 PM. Or an account access inquiry: "I'm calling to see so, basically, my account got locked out, and I'm just trying to get access to it again." - This one was 11m 29s long on Jan 9, 2025 at 6:43 PM. We get this information about why people call Canada Revenue from issues customers have reported to CallHelpdesk. These are Canada Revenue issues reported to CallHelpdesk.

More Canada Revenue Customer Service Contacts

Calling isn't the only way to contact Canada Revenue customer service. Below, we've listed the best options for each medium.

Canada Revenue Customer Help Desk / Web Support

Online customer service support for Canada Revenue is available via cra-arc.gc.ca, but it's often a last resort, or sometimes your only choice. You'll likely dig through help articles just to find a form and 'be allowed' to submit a problem, rarely getting a real-time conversation. That's why CallHelpdesk doesn't recommend it unless absolutely necessary.

Conclusion and closing notes

Looking for Canada Revenue's best phone number? You've found it! This page also gives you real-time updates on current hold times and handy tools to help you skip the phone lines and get straight to an agent. We know it's their best number because 29,532 customers, just like you, have used this contact info over the past 18 months and shared their feedback with us. People usually call 800-959-8281 for things like tracking a refund, requesting a statement, setting up a payment arrangement, account access, asking for tax help, and other customer service issues. According to customers, the Canada Revenue call center you'll reach has employees in Canada and operates Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm ET. Canada Revenue actually has 6 phone numbers in total. Since it's not always clear how to best reach their representatives, we started gathering this information based on suggestions from our customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue improving this free resource for everyone. Just to be clear, CallHelpdesk doesn't provide call center services or customer support for Canada Revenue. The two organizations aren't related at all. CallHelpdesk simply builds free tools and shares information to help customers of companies like Canada Revenue. For big companies, this includes tools like our CallHelpdesk Phone, which lets you call a company and skip waiting on hold for a live human representative. We're always working on these tools to help customers like you (and us!) navigate those confusing phone menus, long hold times, and overall customer service headaches. And as long as you keep sharing it with your friends and loved ones, we'll keep making them.