One of our top blog posts of all time is Brown Envelope Worries and I’m sure we can all agree your heart rate picks up every time you find one of them in your mailbox. But with regular snail mail slowly becoming a thing of the past, your brown envelope worries are moving online.
The Canada Revenue Agency is starting with business accounts and they outlined late in 2024 when these changes are set to hit. So we thought we’d recap on what do you need to know and what can you do to ease those worries.
The Transition—What to Expect
Starting in spring 2025, the CRA will switch to online mail as the default method for business correspondence. This means that your business notices, assessments, and other important documents will be available through the CRA’s secure online portal, My Business Account. No more stacks of paper cluttering your desk—just a simple login to manage your tax obligations efficiently.
Here’s what the shift means for you:
- New Business Registrations: You’ll need My Business Account access from the start.
- Existing Businesses: If you’re already registered, it’s business as usual, just digitally.
- Your Accounting Representatives: If you have someone managing your account, they’ll be able to access all communications online. However, they won’t be able to do some “sensitive” things like change your banking info for direct deposit.
Why This Change?
CRA’s digital transformation is all about making tax management faster, easier, and more secure. Digital mail enables quicker communication, earlier confirmation of tax details, and is a step towards a greener future by reducing paper use.
Preparing for the Change—Your Action Items
Follow these steps to ensure a smooth transition:
- Update Your Email: Sign in to My Business Account and check that your email is up to date. This is crucial for receiving notifications about new mail.
- Register for My Business Account: If you haven’t already, do so to ensure you don’t miss out on important correspondence.
- Your Email Inbox: Once you’ve set that all up and received your first digital “brown envelope” be sure to utilize settings in your email provider to flag, label, call out, or put in flashing lights, these emails so you don’t miss them or have them fall victim to your spam filter.
But even with the push to digital, the CRA will still allow you to opt back in to receive your correspondence the old-fashioned way. EXCEPT you have to wait until May 2025 and make an official request to the CRA one of two ways:
- Select paper mail as your delivery method for correspondence in My Business Account
- Fill out and mail form RC681 – Request to Activate Paper Mail for Business
We hope this helps ease any worries about those pesky brown envelopes. This transition to online mail is not just a technical upgrade; it’s a simplification of how you interact with the CRA – which is always an interesting task at any time.
But if you feel your blood pressure rising and you need something to help calm you down, stop by our office to have a visit with our adorable pooches – they love a good cuddle (and snacks, you must give them snacks – don’t worry we can provide those).
~ Danielle