How to Change CRA Direct Deposit: Step-by-Step Guide

Changing your Canada Revenue Agency direct deposit information ensures that future tax refunds and CRA-administered benefit payments are deposited into the correct Canadian bank account.

Individuals can update their banking information through their CRA account, through a participating Canadian bank or credit union or, when online methods are unavailable, by mailing a federal direct deposit enrolment form.

What Is CRA Direct Deposit?

CRA direct deposit sends eligible tax refunds and benefit payments electronically to a Canadian bank or credit union account.

Instead of receiving and depositing a paper cheque, the payment is transferred directly into the account registered with the CRA.

Direct deposit can help:

• Deliver payments more quickly than regular mail.
• Reduce the risk of a cheque being lost, stolen or damaged.
• Maintain access to payments during postal interruptions.
• Avoid trips to a financial institution to deposit a cheque.
• Provide a traceable record of government deposits.

When Should You Change Your CRA Direct Deposit?

Update your direct deposit information when:

• You open a new bank account.
• You move your banking to a different financial institution.
• Your account, institution or transit number changes.
• A joint account is closed or replaced.
• Your previous bank account will soon be closed.
• You notice that the banking information in your CRA account is incorrect.
• You suspect that an unauthorized person changed your information.

Complete the change before your next expected tax refund or benefit payment whenever possible.

Ways to Change CRA Direct Deposit

What Banking Information Do You Need?

Before beginning, obtain the banking information for the account where you want your CRA payments deposited.

You will generally need:

• A three-digit financial institution number.
• A five-digit branch or transit number.
• Your bank account number.
• The name or identifying information associated with the account.

You can find these numbers on a paper cheque, a void cheque or an electronic direct deposit form downloaded through online banking.

The cheque or direct deposit form must correspond to the account where you want the payments deposited.

How to Find Your Institution, Transit and Account Numbers

Canadian cheques normally display three important sets of banking numbers.

Do not use the number printed on a debit or credit card. A card number is not the same as the bank account number required for direct deposit.

Contact your financial institution if you cannot identify the correct numbers.

How to Change Direct Deposit Through Your CRA Account

Changing the information through CRA My Account is normally the fastest and most direct option.

1. Open the official CRA sign-in page through Canada.ca.
2. Sign in using your CRA user ID, Sign-In Partner or eligible provincial partner.
3. Complete multi-factor authentication.
4. Select your individual account to open My Account.
5. Select Profile.
6. Scroll to the Direct deposit section.
7. Select Edit.
8. Enter the new institution, transit and account numbers.
9. Review every number carefully.
10. Provide the required consent and submit the change.
11. Save or record the confirmation for your files.

The CRA states that banking information submitted through your account is normally updated by the next business day after you provide consent.

How to Change Direct Deposit Through Your Bank

Many Canadian banks, credit unions and trust companies allow customers to register or change CRA direct deposit through online banking.

The exact menu name differs between financial institutions. It may appear under:

• CRA direct deposit.
• Government direct deposit.
• Government payments.
• Account services.
• Manage direct deposits.

The general process is:

1. Sign in to your financial institution’s official online banking service.
2. Find the CRA or government direct deposit option.
3. Select the bank account that should receive CRA payments.
4. Review the terms and consent information.
5. Confirm your identity if requested.
6. Authorize the financial institution to send the enrolment or change to the CRA.
7. Save the confirmation.

After consent is provided through a participating institution, the CRA normally updates the information by the next business day.

Before using this method, make sure you have already filed an income tax return. Your bank does not receive access to your tax information or determine whether you qualify for a CRA payment.

Can You Change CRA Direct Deposit by Telephone?

No. Individuals can no longer register for or change CRA direct deposit by telephone.

Telephone and EFILE direct deposit changes stopped being accepted on March 24, 2025, as part of additional security measures intended to protect taxpayer accounts.

A CRA agent may help explain the available options, but the agent cannot complete the banking change during the call.

Can Your Accountant Change Direct Deposit?

A tax preparer cannot submit a CRA direct deposit registration or change through EFILE when filing your return.

Do not give your personal CRA sign-in credentials, online banking password or multi-factor authentication code to a tax preparer.

An authorized representative may have permission to access certain tax information, but that does not mean they should sign in using your personal credentials.

How to Change CRA Direct Deposit by Mail

If you cannot use your CRA account or a participating financial institution, you can mail the Canada Direct Deposit Enrolment Form.

1. Download the official Canada Direct Deposit Enrolment Form.
2. Enter your identification information.
3. Select the government payments to which the banking change should apply.
4. Enter the new institution, transit and account numbers.
5. Attach or provide any banking verification requested by the form.
6. Sign and date the form.
7. Review the mailing instructions for the selected payment.
8. Send the completed form to the appropriate government department.

Mail processing can take up to three months or longer. Online registration through your CRA account or financial institution is considerably faster.

Do not use the direct deposit form to report a change of address. Address and banking information must be updated separately.

How Long Does a CRA Direct Deposit Change Take?

The processing time depends on the method used.

• CRA account: normally updated the next business day after consent.
• Participating bank or credit union: normally updated the next business day after consent.
• Mail-in form: up to three months or longer.

An update being processed does not guarantee that a payment already prepared for release will be redirected to the new account.

This is why the CRA instructs individuals not to close the previous bank account until the first payment has been successfully deposited into the new one.

Should You Close Your Old Bank Account?

Do not close the old account immediately after submitting the change.

Keep it open until:

• The CRA displays the new banking information.
• The change has had enough time to process.
• Your first CRA payment reaches the new account.
• You confirm that no pending payment was sent to the old account.

A payment may already be in production when you submit the update. Closing the previous account too early could cause the deposit to be rejected and returned to the government.

Which Payments Are Covered by CRA Direct Deposit?

CRA direct deposit may be used for eligible payments administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, including:

• Income tax refunds.
• Canada Child Benefit payments.
• GST/HST-related credit payments.
• Canada Workers Benefit advance payments, when applicable.
• Canada Disability Benefit payments.
• Eligible provincial and territorial payments administered by the CRA.
• Certain other federal benefit or credit payments issued through the CRA.

The payments available depend on eligibility and the government programs active at the time.

Does One CRA Change Update Every Government Payment?

Not necessarily. The federal government uses different departments to administer different programs.

If you receive payments from more than one department, you may need to update your banking information separately with each organization.

CRA Direct Deposit vs Service Canada Direct Deposit

CRA My Account and My Service Canada Account are separate government services.

Changing CRA banking information does not necessarily update direct deposit for Employment Insurance, the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security or the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Check both accounts if you receive payments administered by both the CRA and Service Canada.

Can You Use a Joint Bank Account?

Government payments can generally be deposited into a joint account when the recipient is named on that account.

Confirm with your financial institution that:

• Your name is associated with the account.
• The account can accept electronic deposits.
• The institution, transit and account numbers are correct.
• The account is open and not restricted.

Do not direct payments to an account that you do not own or have authorized access to.

Can CRA Payments Go Into Someone Else’s Account?

Using another person’s account can create privacy, access and ownership problems.

The safest approach is to use an account held in your name. If you need to manage payments for another person, formal legal authority may be required.

A legal representative changing direct deposit information for someone else must use the appropriate representative process, including Represent a Client when required.

How to Change Direct Deposit for a Child

CRA payments for a child, such as the Canada Child Benefit, are generally issued to the eligible parent or person primarily responsible for the child’s care.

The recipient should update their own CRA direct deposit information. The child does not normally need a separate CRA banking registration for a benefit paid to the eligible caregiver.

A change in custody or the person responsible for the child may require more than a banking update. The CRA may also need current marital status, address and custody information.

How to Confirm the Change Was Completed

After submitting the update through your CRA account:

1. Allow the stated processing time to pass.
2. Sign back in through Canada.ca.
3. Open your individual account.
4. Select Profile.
5. Review the direct deposit section.
6. Confirm that the displayed banking details correspond to the new account.
7. Monitor both the old and new accounts around the next payment date.

The CRA may hide part of the account number for security. Compare the visible information carefully with your records.

What Happens to a Payment Already Being Processed?

A payment already prepared before the banking update may still be sent to the previous account.

Possible outcomes include:

• The payment reaches the old account if it remains open.
• The financial institution rejects the payment because the account is closed.
• The payment is returned to the government.
• The CRA must investigate or reissue the payment.

Do not assume that submitting a change immediately redirects every pending payment.

What If the Old Bank Account Is Already Closed?

If a payment was sent to a closed account, the financial institution will normally reject and return it.

The return and reissue process can take time. Check your CRA account for payment information and contact the CRA if the expected payment has not arrived after the applicable waiting period.

Be prepared to confirm:

• Your identity.
• The payment type.
• The expected payment date and amount.
• The date the bank account was closed.
• The new direct deposit information already registered.

What If You Enter the Wrong Bank Account Number?

Correct the information immediately through your CRA account or participating financial institution.

If the incorrect account belongs to someone else and a payment has already been deposited, recovery may be more complicated. Contact the CRA and your financial institution as soon as possible.

Never intentionally enter another person’s banking information to bypass an account problem.

What If a CRA Payment Does Not Arrive?

First confirm:

• The official payment date.
• Your eligibility for the payment.
• The bank account registered with the CRA.
• Whether the payment was applied against a government debt.
• Whether your tax return or benefit information is under review.
• Whether a spouse or common-law partner received the family payment.
• Whether the deposit appears under a government payment description in your transaction history.

Wait until the official period for reporting a missing payment has passed before requesting a trace unless you have evidence of account fraud or an unauthorized banking change.

Can the CRA Apply a Payment to Debt Instead?

Direct deposit does not guarantee that every benefit or refund will reach your bank account.

The government may apply some refunds or payments against an outstanding debt when permitted. If this happens, your CRA account or official correspondence may explain how the amount was allocated.

A missing deposit is therefore not always caused by incorrect banking information.

What If You Cannot Access Your CRA Account?

Try another enrolled multi-factor authentication method if your telephone number has changed or you cannot receive a passcode.

Depending on your account setup, available options may include:

• A third-party authentication application.
• A CRA passcode grid.
• Another telephone number already registered.
• The CRA account recovery or registration process.

If you cannot regain access, use direct deposit registration through a participating financial institution or mail the official form.

The inability to access My Account does not make telephone direct deposit changes available.

Common CRA Direct Deposit Mistakes

• Entering the debit card number instead of the account number.
• Reversing the transit and institution numbers.
• Leaving out digits from the account number.
• Using banking information from an old account.
• Closing the previous account before the first new deposit arrives.
• Assuming the change immediately redirects a payment already being processed.
• Expecting a CRA update to change all Service Canada payments.
• Trying to make the change by telephone.
• Expecting a tax preparer to submit the change through EFILE.
• Using an unofficial website that imitates the CRA.
• Providing banking information in response to an unsolicited message.
• Failing to check the confirmation after submitting the request.

How to Protect Your Banking Information

• Access CRA services only through Canada.ca.
• Use your financial institution’s official website or application.
• Never disclose your CRA password.
• Never share a multi-factor authentication code.
• Do not send banking information through regular email or text message.
• Avoid using public or shared computers.
• Sign out when finished.
• Review CRA correspondence and banking transactions regularly.
• Keep your contact and authentication information current.
• Contact the CRA immediately if you notice an unauthorized change.

How to Recognize a CRA Direct Deposit Scam

Fraudulent messages may claim that you must provide banking information to receive a refund, benefit or special government payment.

Be cautious if a message:

• Promises an unexpected refund or benefit.
• Creates an urgent deadline to update direct deposit.
• Requests your complete SIN by text or email.
• Asks for your online banking password.
• Requests a one-time CRA authentication code.
• Directs you to a non-government login page.
• Requires a fee to release a payment.
• Asks you to install remote access software.

Do not use the link in a suspicious message. Open a new browser window, enter Canada.ca yourself and access your account from the official page.

What to Do After an Unauthorized Change

Act quickly if you discover banking information that you did not add.

1. Record the unexpected information or activity.
2. Change compromised CRA sign-in credentials.
3. Review and strengthen your multi-factor authentication options.
4. Contact the CRA through an official telephone number.
5. Contact your financial institution if banking information may be compromised.
6. Review recent tax returns, benefit applications and account changes.
7. Monitor credit and financial accounts for further suspicious activity.

Do not replace suspicious banking information without also reporting the potential account compromise.

CRA Direct Deposit Checklist

• Obtain an official void cheque or direct deposit form.
• Confirm the institution, transit and account numbers.
• Use the official CRA account or your bank’s secure service.
• Review the information before submitting it.
• Save the confirmation.
• Keep the previous bank account open temporarily.
• Confirm the new information in your CRA profile.
• Monitor both accounts around the next payment date.
• Update Service Canada separately when required.
• Report any unauthorized changes immediately.

Related Government Service Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Northbly is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada or any financial institution. Direct deposit methods, processing times, eligible payments and account security procedures may change. Always use Canada.ca or your financial institution’s official service when submitting banking information.