Learn about your taxes
Lesson plan: Using My Account
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Overview
This lesson will help students learn what to expect when using My Account, the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) secure online portal for individuals. The lesson will also explain how students can manage their online income tax account. Students will be able to test their knowledge through quizzes and practical examples.
The core question is:
- How can you access your CRA account information online?
Learning objective: Students will develop an understanding of what My Account is, how they can register for it, and what they can do in this online portal.
Skills to develop
- Explain what My Account is
- Outline the available services
- Identify the different sign-in options
- Describe the security measures in place
Background information
The CRA offers 3 different online portals. The portals allow users to access CRA accounts.
The portals are:
- My Account
- To access your own information
- My Business Account
- To access your business’s information
- Represent a Client
- For authorized access to someone else’s business or individual information
My Account is the portal your students will most likely use. It lets them access their income tax and benefit information online. They can use this portal to quickly, conveniently, and securely manage their CRA account. Students can register for My Account after doing their taxes for the first time.
Learning and activities
Required materials step 1
Warm-up exercises step 2
First exercise
Step 1: Ask students what kind of online accounts they have.
Suggested answers could be:
- online banking
- cell phone
- social media
- educational profiles
- online shopping
Step 2: Have students describe what services they like in an online account.
Suggested answers could be:
- straightforward registration process
- security measures in place
- ability to make changes easily
- simple and appealing layout
Second exercise
Step 1: Explain to students that the CRA is the federal government agency that collects taxes and administers various benefits and credits. In Canada, the CRA manages income tax and benefit accounts for individuals and corporation income tax accounts for businesses.
Step 2: Inform students that the CRA has created online portals for individuals and businesses to access and manage their CRA accounts themselves.
Activity
Ask students to write down what services they would like to see in an online portal from the CRA. Ask them to keep these in mind as they review the lesson pages.
Walk through the lessons step 3
Read through the lesson pages with the additional guidance provided below. Students can review material individually, in groups, or as a class.
Lesson A: Registering for My Account
Before starting the lesson
Advise students that they need to register for My Account to access the available services. This is a 2-step process that ensures their income tax and benefit information is secure.
After finishing the lesson
Talk about the different sign-in options with students. Ask them which one they think is the easiest to use.
Point out that they may want to register for My Account before they need to access the available services. This saves time if they need information quickly, such as a copy of their notice of assessment to apply for a loan.
Remind them that the CRA has a 2-step registration process to validate their identify and protect their information.
Activity
Take another look at the full list of services available in My Account, comparing the services available in Step 1 versus Step 2. Ask students if they think completing the 2-step process is worth it and whether they will register for My Account after they have done their taxes for the first time.
Lesson B: Making the most of My Account
After finishing the lesson
Ask students how the list they wrote in the warm-up exercise compares to the actual list of available services.
Bring it all together step 4
Direct students to complete the quiz to assess their understanding.
Discuss the advantages of registering for My Account and taking their CRA account into their own hands.
Using this online portal will allow them to:
- access their income tax and benefit information in real time
- update personal information, like their address
- simplify doing their taxes in the future
- save time, by avoiding the need to call the CRA or order paper copies of their documents
Reconfirm that students can register for My Account after doing their taxes for the first time. Students only need to register once, and they can keep using the same sign-in information to manage their CRA account.
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