Check your refund status on the CRA My Account portal
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tracks your refund in real time through My Account, a secure online portal where you can see exactly where your money is in the process. Log in with your Social Insurance Number, date of birth, and password. Once inside, select "Tax returns" and then "Refunds" to see the current status of any refund tied to your filed return.
The status will show one of three things: the CRA is still processing your return, your refund has been approved and is on its way, or your refund has been deposited. If it shows a deposit date, that is the date the CRA sent the money to your bank—not necessarily the date it will appear in your account, which depends on your bank's processing speed.
My Account updates every business day, so if you checked yesterday and saw "processing," check again today. The portal is free and available 24 hours a day. You do not need to call or visit an office if you can access the internet.
Key Takeaways
- My Account on the CRA website shows your refund status in real time and updates every business day.
- Most refunds arrive within two to eight weeks of filing, but processing time varies depending on whether your return is complete and whether the CRA needs to verify information.
- If your refund does not arrive by the date shown in My Account, contact your bank first—delays on their end are common and separate from CRA processing.
- The CRA will hold your refund if you owe money to the government, have an outstanding student loan, or have child support arrears.
- If you filed by mail or paper, processing takes longer than online filing, and you cannot track status until the CRA has received and entered your return.
How long Canadian tax refunds typically take
The CRA aims to process most returns within two weeks if you file online and your return is straightforward. However, "straightforward" means no errors, no missing information, and no flags that trigger a manual review. If any of those conditions are not met, processing stretches to four, six, or eight weeks.
Paper returns take significantly longer. The CRA must receive your envelope, open it, scan it, and enter the data by hand before processing begins. Expect four to twelve weeks for a paper return, depending on mail delivery time and CRA workload. If you filed by mail, your status will not appear in My Account until the CRA has physically received and logged your return.
The CRA publishes processing times on its website, and they vary by season. Tax season (February through May) moves slower than summer months. If you filed in April, your refund may take longer than if you filed in July.
What to do if your refund is delayed past the expected date
First, log back into My Account and confirm the status has not changed. If My Account still shows your refund was deposited on a certain date but the money has not arrived in your bank account, contact your bank's customer service line. Banks sometimes hold deposits for fraud review, especially if the amount is large or the account is new. Your bank can tell you whether the deposit arrived on their end and why it has not posted to your balance yet.
If My Account shows your refund is still being processed and the date has passed, the CRA may be reviewing your return. This happens when information does not match CRA records, you claimed a large deduction, or your return was flagged for random verification. You can call the CRA at 1-800-959-5525 to ask whether your return is under review and what information they need from you.
Have your Social Insurance Number, the tax year you are asking about, and your Notice of Assessment (the letter the CRA sent after your last return) ready when you call. Wait times are long during tax season, so call early in the morning or later in the afternoon for shorter holds.
Reasons the CRA may hold or reduce your refund
The CRA will not send your refund if you owe money to the federal government from a previous year's taxes. They will apply your refund to that debt first. The same rule applies if you owe provincial taxes—the province may intercept your federal refund to cover what you owe them. My Account will show a note if this is happening, but you may not see it until after the CRA has already held the money.
Student loans in default also trigger a hold. If you have an outstanding Canada Student Loan or a provincial student loan in arrears, the loan servicer can ask the CRA to intercept your refund. Child support arrears work the same way—if you owe child support, the province can direct the CRA to send your refund to the recipient instead of to you.
If any of these situations apply to you, My Account will eventually show a message explaining why your refund was reduced or redirected. You can also call the CRA to confirm which debt was paid from your refund.
How refunds are delivered to your account
The CRA deposits most refunds directly to the bank account you listed on your tax return. This is the fastest method—once the CRA approves your refund, the money typically arrives within three to five business days. Direct deposit works even if your account is at a credit union or online bank.
If you did not provide banking information on your return, or if the CRA could not process a direct deposit for technical reasons, they will mail you a cheque. Cheques take seven to ten business days to arrive by mail, depending on where you live. Rural addresses take longer than urban ones. Once the cheque arrives, you still need to deposit it at your bank, which adds another one to three business days.
You cannot change your delivery method after you file. If you want your next refund by direct deposit instead of cheque, update your banking information in My Account before you file next year's return.
Updating your banking information for future refunds
Log into My Account and go to "Personal information" and then "Direct deposit information." Enter your bank's routing number, your account number, and your account type (chequing or savings). The CRA will use this information for your next refund. Changes take effect immediately, but they only apply to refunds processed after you make the update.
If you are not sure of your routing number, call your bank or check a cheque from your account—the routing number is printed on the bottom left. Do not guess; an incorrect routing number will cause your refund to be rejected, and the CRA will mail you a cheque instead, adding weeks to the wait.
What to do if you never received a refund the CRA says was sent
If My Account shows your refund was deposited but you never saw the money, start by contacting your bank. Provide them with the deposit date from My Account and ask them to search their records for an incoming deposit from the CRA in that amount. Banks can trace deposits that arrived but were rejected, held, or applied to an overdraft without your knowledge.
If your bank confirms they never received a deposit, call the CRA at 1-800-959-5525 with your Social Insurance Number and the tax year in question. The CRA can investigate whether the deposit was actually sent and to which account. If the CRA sent it to an old account you no longer use, they can reissue the refund by cheque or to your current account.
If a cheque was mailed and you never received it, the CRA can issue a replacement. This process takes two to four weeks. You will need to sign a statutory declaration confirming you did not receive the original cheque.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I track my refund if I filed by mail?
Not until the CRA has received and logged your return. Once they enter your information into their system, your status will appear in My Account. Before that point, there is no way to track it. Mail delivery to the CRA can take one to three weeks depending on where you mailed it from, so check My Account after that window has passed.
Why does My Account say my refund was deposited but my bank says they did not receive it?
The CRA's deposit date is when they sent the money, not when your bank received it. Banks can take one to five business days to process incoming deposits, especially if they arrive on a weekend or holiday. If more than five business days have passed, contact your bank to ask them to trace the deposit.
What if I moved and the CRA mailed my cheque to my old address?
Update your address in My Account as soon as possible so future refunds go to the right place. For a cheque already mailed to an old address, contact the CRA at 1-800-959-5525 and ask them to issue a replacement cheque to your current address. Bring ID and be ready to provide your new address.
Does the CRA charge a fee to check my refund status?
No. My Account is free, and calling the CRA's automated line or speaking to an agent costs nothing. Be cautious of third-party websites or services that charge you to check your refund status—you do not need them.
Can I get my refund faster if I pay someone to help me?
No. The CRA processes refunds in the order they are received, and paying a tax preparer or accountant does not speed up the timeline. The only way to reduce processing time is to file online instead of by mail, and to make sure your return is complete and accurate before you submit it.