Pay through the mail – Payments to the CRA

You can make a payment to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) with a cheque from your Canadian bank account.

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What you can and can't pay

Payments you can pay by cheque through the mail
Individuals
  • Income tax (T1) 2023 tax return
  • Income tax (T1) amount owing
  • Income tax (T1) instalment payments
  • Benefits and credit repayments:
    • Advanced Canada Workers Benefit
    • Alberta credits
    • Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR)
    • Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
    • Canada Dental Benefit
    • Climate Action Incentive (CAI)
    • COVID-19 benefits (CERB, CESB, CRB, etc.)
    • GST/HST credit (GSTC)
    • Nunavut Carbon Credit
    • One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit
    • Ontario credits
    • Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB)
  • Part XIII non-resident withholding tax
  • Section 216 tax return (T1159)
  • Tax-free savings account (TFSA) amount owing
  • Underused Housing Tax (UHT)
Businesses
  • Corporation income tax (T2)
  • Corporation income tax (T2) interim (instalment) payments
  • Air Travellers Security Charge (ATSC))
  • COVID-19 business subsidies (wage or hiring subsidy, rent subsidy) repayment
  • Excise duties
  • Excise tax
  • Excise tax on insurance premiums
  • Fuel charge
  • Garnishment on behalf of an employee
  • GST/HST remittances
  • Information returns penalty
  • Luxury tax
  • Nova Scotia Workers' Compensation Board payments
  • Part XIII non-resident withholding tax
  • Payroll source deductions
  • Softwood lumber products export charge
  • Underused Housing Tax (UHT)
Trusts
  • Trust income tax (T3)
Charities
  • Charity re-registration or penalty payment
Payments you cannot make by cheque through the mail
Businesses
  • Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (Ontario) payments

If you can't use this method or want to pay in another way, find options for your situation by answering a few questions about what you are paying.

How to pay the amount you owe

Make a payment for yourself, on behalf of someone else, or for a business by mailing the CRA a cheque.

Include payment details

Include the remittance voucher in your envelope to apply your payment as you intend.

If you do not have one, you can either:

Addressing a cheque

Complete your cheque with the following information:

Made out to
Receiver General for Canada
Memo field
  • Your relevant tax number
    • Individuals: SIN, ITN, or TTN
    • Corporations: business number and program account
    • Non-residents: withholding tax account number
  • Details on where the payment should be applied

Send the CRA your cheque

Paying customs debt, student loans, or amounts to other government areas

The CRA may contact you about a debt you owe to another government area. We do not accept payments directly for these types of debt.

To find out how to pay customs debt or make other payments to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), visit: How to pay the CBSA.

To find out how to pay Canada Student Loans or Canada Apprentice Loans or make other payments to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), visit: Payment instructions for ESDC.

Processing time

  • Considered as paid: when delivered to the CRA, which depends on the mail delivery time
  • Updated in your CRA account up to 10 business days after the payment is received

You can confirm if we received a payment.

If your payment is still not showing after 10 business days, you can resolve a payment issue.

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