What’s New for 2023 Tax Returns:
Updated January 2024
CRA Reviews and Audits
It’s natural – no one wants to receive a call or letter from CRA. However, in Canada we file taxes based
on the honour system. The check and balance for this, is random reviews by CRA. Occasionally reviews
are not random – there are cases where CRA conducts special projects reviewing returns from specific
regions and/or industries – but most reviews are random.
CRA reviews and matching letters
A review is not an audit! It’s an administrative procedure. There are several types of reviews. One of
these involves CRA sending a matching letter when their system finds a discrepancy between what was
filed on your return and the tax slips they have received for you – for example, from your employer.
Reviews and matching letters are handled by our office on your behalf. Most often, these letters are sent
directly to our office. In cases where they are sent to our clients, we ask that the client contact us,
providing the correspondence so we can deal with it. We do not advise calling CRA – call us instead!
The vast majority of reviews and matching are resolved with no changes. Reviews can be as simple as
CRA requesting receipts for RRSP contributions, charitable donations, or medical expenses. Matching
letters are often about T3 slips (investment slips) and/or T4a slips (particularly for arts grants). Again,
most are resolved with no changes to the tax return at all.
CRA has a web page that explains in detail the types of reviews and audits, should you wish to read more
on this topic.
