As the year comes to a close and many businesses slow down for the holidays, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has announced routine system maintenance that will temporarily impact access to several of its online services. This maintenance is scheduled to begin in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 23, 2025, and some services will remain unavailable until mid-January 2026.
While these outages are part of normal system updates, they may affect your ability to access personal or business tax information, file returns, or complete time-sensitive tasks through the CRA’s online portals. Understanding what to expect ahead of time can help you avoid unnecessary delays as we move into the new year.
During this period, My Account services for individuals will experience interruptions at different points. Access to tax information slips such as T4s, the ability to change a previously filed return, view carryover amounts, retrieve proof of income statements, or check the status of a tax return may be temporarily unavailable. In addition, the ability to open a non-resident tax account will be unavailable between December 30, 2025 and January 1, 2026, with further service interruptions occurring between January 9 and January 12, 2026.
Business owners using My Business Account should also expect disruptions throughout the maintenance window. Services related to payroll, filing returns, submitting information through Internet File Transfer or Web Forms, and downloading reports will be unavailable at various times starting December 23, 2025, with most services resuming by January 12, 2026. This includes filings related to information returns, TFSAs, partnerships, and contract payments (T5018), as well as access to payroll summaries and error notifications. Similar to individual accounts, opening a non-resident tax account will not be possible between December 30 and January 1.
For clients who rely on authorized representatives, it’s important to note that Represent a Client services will follow the same interruption schedule. This means that during the maintenance period, your advisor may have limited access to payroll filings, information returns, tax slips, and certain client data. Access to personal tax details such as slips, carryover amounts, and return status will also be restricted between January 9 and January 12, 2026.
In addition, the CRA’s Auto-Fill My Return service will be unavailable from January 10 through January 13, 2026, which may affect early tax preparation for those who rely on this tool at the start of filing season.
To minimize disruption, we strongly encourage clients to plan ahead where possible. Completing payroll filings, submitting information returns, and downloading any necessary reports before the maintenance period begins can help avoid delays. If you anticipate needing CRA access in early January, especially for filings or amendments, factoring in these outages will be important.
At Me Consulting, we are actively planning around these scheduled service interruptions to ensure our clients remain compliant and supported. If you’re unsure how this maintenance may affect your business, payroll schedule, or personal tax matters, our team is here to help you navigate next steps and adjust timelines where needed.
As always, staying informed and proactive is the best way to enter the new year with confidence. We will continue to monitor CRA updates and keep you informed of any changes that may impact your financial planning.
