Update on contact centres for the 2026 tax-filing season: Ensuring Canadians receive the support they need

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is committed to serve Canadians by providing accurate, reliable, and timely services. We believe in the importance of delivering clear, responsive, and effective support when Canadians reach out for assistance, and we continue to take meaningful steps to improve the service experience.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is committed to serve Canadians by providing accurate, reliable, and timely services. We believe in the importance of delivering clear, responsive, and effective support when Canadians reach out for assistance, and we continue to take meaningful steps to improve the service experience.

Focused on answering calls and enhancing accuracy

The CRA receives between 25 and 32 million calls annually, with approximately 16 to 17 million calls from unique callers. Unfortunately, high demand has led many people to call repeatedly. To address this issue, the CRA increased the contact centre's capacity in the fall of 2025 by adding approximately 1,250 service representatives. As a result, more callers can now speak with a service representative, and the number of unique callers served has more than doubled under the 100-Day Service Improvement Plan, increasing from 35% to over 70%, with the current rate over 80%.

Launched in October 2024, the National Quality Monitoring Program (NQMP) reviews over 100,000 call recordings annually to evaluate contact centre performance. Evaluations are conducted using a standardized checklist that prioritizes accuracy, professionalism, adherence to procedures, and overall service quality. To ensure fairness and consistency: