End of Life Tax Journey Project: Closed consultation

Between November 2020 and April 2021, the CRA consulted with tax professionals and past executors to improve the process of settling a deceased person’s tax obligations. Settling a loved one’s tax affairs can be complex and emotional for individuals; many are grieving the loss of their loved ones and feel overwhelmed when taking on the role of being an executor. The End of Life Tax Journey Project aims to understand the challenges executors and tax professionals experience as they navigate this process.

The CRA wants to improve its programs and services by better understanding clients’ needs and expectations when interacting with us. The Agency continues its efforts to be a trusted, fair, and helpful organization that puts people first.

Who we spoke to

The CRA engaged with the following:

• Canadians (past executors)
• Tax professionals (CPA Canada)

What we heard

Through telephone interviews, virtual journey-mapping workshops, and collaborative design discussions with past executors and tax professionals, the CRA has gained a better understanding of the experience executors go through in the current process, including their challenges, needs and expectations. Here are a few sentiments expressed by past executors and tax professionals during those conversations:

1. Many executors are grieving and do not have the capacity to take on the large amount of new and complex information that comes with settling a deceased person’s tax affairs.
2. The process is overly complex, and requirements for filing are not clear.
3. Executors simply want to feel supported by the various services the CRA offers throughout their experience.
4. The requirements for submitting the same documents, often by mail, multiple times throughout the executor journey is confusing, time consuming, and cumbersome for executors.

The findings from the research activities helped inform the focus of the design jams. The goal of these design jams were to test potential solutions with past executors that could improve parts of the process of settling a deceased person’s tax obligations. Five design jam sessions were held with Canadians across the country to test the following three concepts aimed at improving the executor experience:

1. Self-service guide: a self-serve resource that provides access to step-by-step guidance for executors.
2. Interactive Decision Tree: a decision tree tool intended to help executors determine if they need to complete certain steps of the executor process.
3. Confirmation of document receipt: a way to notify executors that their submitted documents have been received by the CRA and to inform of standard processing timelines.

Why we consulted

During the Serving Canadians Better consultations, Canadians told the CRA that changes need to be made to the way services are offered to taxpayers. In line with that feedback, the End of Life Tax Journey Project aims to help the CRA better understand the current state of this process. This includes understanding challenges, needs, wants, and expectations of taxpayers, as well as developing ideas on how to improve this experience in future.

How we consulted

• Telephone interviews and virtual workshops were held with tax professionals and first time executors in November and December 2020 in both official languages. Participants included:
  • 17 Chartered Professionals Accountants from across the country were engaged,
  • 16 past executors who received a Clearance Certificate in the 2019 calendar year and lived in the National Capital Region.
• Based on research findings with tax professionals and past executors, the CRA held 5 virtual design jams with 18 Canadians across the country who have served as executors.

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