As of March 24, 2025, Canadians have had a significant change on how they register for CRA Direct Deposit. The agency currently does not accept phone or EFILE registrations and instead does registration via digital and in-person methods. The major focus of this is to improve account security and to ensure faster and on-time tax refund, benefits and credits deliveries.
Benefits of Direct Deposit
With direct deposit, there is not a worry of checks getting lost or delayed. With direct deposit, tax refunds, GST/HST credits, Canada Child Benefits and even provincial payments sent from the government, the payments automatically get deposited into the selected accounts. This is a fast, simple, and secure method of payment for millions of users across the country.
Changes to Registration for New Users in 2025
As of this spring, the CRA has directed that sign-ups and account changes must be done online via CRA’s My Account or at the branches of some selected financial institutions. Users wishing to enroll manually may still, however, send a paper Canada Direct Deposit enrolment form to the Receiver General for Canada.
Steps to Follow in order to complete CRA Direct Deposit Registration
Signing up for Direct Deposit is register is simple and takes a few minutes.
Log into your online banking or the CRA My Account system.
Click on “CRA Direct Deposit” on the menu.
Type in your Social Insurance Number and choose which bank account you want.
Check the consent form, and if everything is correct, submit the request.
This is usually updated in our system in 2 to 5 business days. Changing information still keeps the same process.
Practical Benefits from Switching to Direct Deposit
Switching to direct deposit comes with quite a number of practical benefits:
Immediate access to funds with no waiting time for cheque clearance.
Reliably credited to account regardless of system downtimes.