New process for authorizing representatives for business clients using the Business Consent Service in EFILE

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Last fall, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) implemented Confirm my Representative, a two-step verification process for authorizing a representative via Represent a Client. In October 2022, this process will also apply to authorization requests submitted through the Business Consent Service in certified tax software (EFILE). The Business Consent Service is used to request access to business client information only.

After the representative submits an authorization request through certified tax software, the request will go into a ‘pending’ state. The request will not be activated until the business owner or their delegate logs into My Business Account and clicks on the “confirm pending authorizations” button in the Authorized Representatives section.

Highlights of the change:

• You, as the business owner, should be able to quickly and easily confirm who is able to access your tax information by using the Confirm my Representative service in My Business Account.
• Once you were registered for My Business Account, you will have to enable email notifications to be notified each time a new representative requests access. Once you receive a request, you can confirm or deny access in My Business Account.
• Authorization requests submitted through the Business Consent Service in EFILE software will be marked as pending for ten business days. If you (the business owner) or your delegate doesn’t confirm it within this timeframe, the request will be cancelled, and a new one will need to be submitted.
• This process of confirming the authorization of a representative will be a one-time action for most business owners.
• This only applies to new authorization requests, including those from a currently authorized representative if they choose to submit a new request.
• In some exceptional cases, the CRA may still contact you (the business owner) by telephone to verify a representative’s authorization.

Steps you (the business owner) need to take:

• Make sure you are aware that you must register for My Business Account and enable email notifications before the representative submit your authorization request.
• Business owners who are already registered for My Account do not have to register again for My Business Account. Your representative can sign in to My Business Account using their CRA user ID and password.
• If you don’t have a CRA user ID and password, you’ll need to create one and for this, you’ll need your:
•  Social insurance number
•  Date of birth
•  Current postal or zip code
•  Personal income tax returns from the current and previous year
•  Business number
• Once you're signed up for My Business Account, you will need to add your business number to your account. You (the business owner) will only be allowed to do this if your name and social insurance number matches the information the CRA has on file for the business. If you get an error message at this step, you will need to contact the CRA to update your records

Reference:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/news/newsroom/tax-tips/tax-tips-2022/confirm-representative-using-my-account-my-business-account.html

Click on this link to guide you on how to register for My Business Account:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/news/cra-multimedia-library/businesses-video-gallery/register-mybusiness-account.html