# CRA's new Online Mail



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Has anyone enrolled for this new thing CRA is talking about, the Online Mail feature? Perhaps this was a mistake but I went through a form on My Account where I said, stop the paper mail, and sign up for Online Mail.

Recently a got an Online Mail notification when my 2014 Notice of Assessment became available. The email said "There is new online mail from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that requires your attention ... To view online mail you must access My Account on the CRA website."

So I logged in (using CRA web site; the email itself is just a note, there are no links in it). But I got confused after logging in. I don't see anything like an "inbox", and I certainly don't see anything like a letter/mail format. What I did see was a link to my 2014 Notice of Assessment.

But it left me wondering, the email note said there is new online mail that requires my attention. So *where* is this mail? Did they mean the Notice of Assessment, or is there a digital letter... digital mail... somewhere I can't see?

The Notice of Assessment doesn't quite look like the old paper format. For instance the explanation words at the start of it are much more brief. The RRSP info also does exist, in another screen.

I'm worried I'm missing something. I'm not sure that I've found the "online mail", unless they're using the term lazily and loosely to refer to the digital Notice of Assessment.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Here's what I see when I log in. My question: where is my "online mail"? (It's not the 'Manage online mail' link, that just enables/disables the service)


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

I had exactly the same experience, james4beach, and I phoned to ask whether they meant the Notice of Assessment and was told "yes" and that anytime they send me anything in future, I will receive a similar e-mail. I thought it was odd wording, too, but I had to admit that it's not really inaccurate, as assessment notices previously came by regular mail.


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## pwm (Jan 19, 2012)

I got my email this morning. Yes the wording is a bit confusing. To their credit there is a "NEW" banner beside the "View your 2014 Notice of Assessment".
Works pretty well except for the odd wording.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks Karen and pwm! So that "new" item is what they meant by the mail.

Did you find your electronic Notice of Assessment looked complete? The main difference from the paper one seems to be that the RRSP info is separated out.


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## pwm (Jan 19, 2012)

Yes, I also noticed that the RRSP info was not in the NOA. It's in a different place on the website now.


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## pwm (Jan 19, 2012)

I was looking again and see there is new TFSA info on the "My Account" website at CRA. They show TFSA contribution room and transaction summary in yearly detail. It doesn't include the 2015 contribution yet, but there's lots of info there now. Not sure when that latest enhancement was made, but it's the first time I noticed it.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

CRA is doing a desk audit on my 2019 expenses. Not a biggie, I have had a few audits in past years.

What is new for me is submitting 21 pages of documents by email. CRA's program works very well. The only thing you need to be aware of is the correct image for scan. Ten docs per email with room on each line for notes. So much better than having to send the originals.

Very happy with CRA's on line email. So much better than hard copy mail.


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## afulldeck (Mar 28, 2012)

ian said:


> CRA is doing a desk audit on my 2019 expenses. Not a biggie, I have had a few audits in past years.
> 
> What is new for me is submitting 21 pages of documents by email. CRA's program works very well. The only thing you need to be aware of is the correct image for scan. Ten docs per email with room on each line for notes. So much better than having to send the originals.
> 
> Very happy with CRA's on line email. So much better than hard copy mail.


What if all your receipts are already digital?


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I would think that if they are already digital you are good to go. Their request letter to me said that because of covid they were discouraging originals in favor of digital. I scanned my documents (jpeg). Then I went online to CRA's send documents tab and then followed the straightforward instructions to pull them out of my scanned docs file. The ask for a file number and the tax year for each batch of 10 documents sent. It was incredibly easy and far better that in the past when I had to send in hard copies.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I have not sent hard copy in years. I use Faxzero to send my virtual document ot their Winnipeg fax number. Befoe that, I could load them on MyCRA but then they made that impossible unless a request had been made and the ditzs in Winnipeg did not make that request.


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