CRA account help – About Represent a Client
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Represent a Client (RAC) is an online portal in your CRA account that gives authorized representatives secure, quick, and easy online access to tax-related information for the individuals, businesses, and trusts they represent.
On this page
- Who can use Represent a Client
- Registration and sign-in options
- RAC identifiers to gain authorization
- Services in Represent a Client
- What's new
- Resources
Who can use Represent a Client
A representative can be anyone who would like to access information and services on behalf of individuals, businesses, and trusts. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- An individual who is involved in the tax affairs of individuals, businesses, or trusts, including:
- A friend or family member
- An executor, power of attorney or legal guardian
- An employee who does payroll/GST/corporate etc. for their employer
- A bookkeeper
- A public trustee
- A lawyer
- A financial planner
- An owner or employee of a business that provides tax or payroll services for clients
- A non-resident representative living in the United States
Responsibilities of authorized representatives
A client is anyone who authorizes you to be their representative, including:
- A family member or friend
- A business
- Your employer
Registration and sign-in options
There are 3 options for registering for and signing in to your CRA account:
RAC identifiers to gain authorization
There are 3 different RAC identifiers you can use to gain authorization and access to someone else's information:
- RepID
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Everyone who registers with Represent a Client will receive a Rep ID.
Share this with your clients, family or friends to authorize you as their representative. You can also give your RepID to your employer to gain access to their clients' information.
If you lose your RepID
If you lose or forget your RepID, you do not need to register for another one. To view your RepID:
- Sign in to your CRA account
- Select your representative account on the Welcome page to access Represent a Client
- Select Review and update
- Select View and update my registration information
- Business number (BN)
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Register your business with Represent a Client to manage the access of employees to your client's information. Clients can authorize a business as an authorized representative, and only the employees associated to the business can access client information.
For help with setting up your business to use Represent a Client and associating employees to your business, go to: Manage how your business uses Represent a Client
- GroupID
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Any representative can sign in to Represent a Client and create a group that will be identified by a unique GroupID. Any representative associated to the GroupID will have online access to the tax information of taxpayers who have authorized the GroupID.
For more information, go to: Create and manage a GroupID in Represent a Client
Learn more about how to request authorization.
Services in Represent a Client
The services in Represent a Client that are available to a representative are different depending on whether you are representing an individual, a business, or a trust.
You can access client information from the main menu, by entering your client's SIN, business number or trust number in the appropriate field.
Individuals: Services for representatives
Businesses: Services for representatives
Trusts: Services for representatives
For details about our hours of service and browser requirements, go to Sign-in services availability.
What's new
Document verification service
The document verification service is an alternative identity validation option that allows you to register for and access your CRA account in real-time. When you choose this option, you don’t need to wait up to 10 business days to receive a CRA security code by paper mail. The process requires a mobile device to take a picture of your government-issued photo identification and of yourself to verify your identity. To use this service, you must:
- Be 16 years of age or older
- Have an accepted government-issued photo identification
- Have a mobile device with a working camera
The following original government-issued documents are accepted:
- Canadian passport
- Canadian driver's license
- Provincial or territorial photo ID card
Removal of the sign-in security questions
Due to account security improvements, you no longer need to answer a security question when signing in to your CRA account.
Re-registration with a new social insurance number (SIN)
If you had a temporary SIN registered with a CRA account, and now have a new SIN, you can self-serve and re-register without having to call the CRA.
Simplified sign-in process
The CRA has introduced a simplified sign-in process to make it easier to access the My Account, My Business Account, and Represent a Client portals with a single sign-in. If you previously registered for one of these portals, use your existing credentials and select a sign-in option to access your CRA account.
Resources
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