Toronto 
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is failing to provide taxpayers with timely and accurate assistance through its contact centres, according to a report tabled in Parliament by Auditor General Karen Hogan.
The Canada Revenue Agency’s contact centres for individual taxes, benefits, and business taxes/Credit: Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada
The findings show that Canadians face long wait times and unreliable information when contacting the CRA’s call centres for help with tax and benefit questions.
Long Wait Times and Missed Service Targets
Of the 32 million calls received, just over 10 million connected to an agent across the CRA’s eight contact centres. Only the northern service line met the timeliness standard.
Callers also lacked real-time queue updates, making it difficult to decide whether to continue waiting or use self-service tools.
Accuracy of Information Remains Low
Auditors from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada made 167 calls between February and May 2025 to test response accuracy. The review found that only 17% of general individual tax responses were accurate, while accuracy for business tax and benefits inquiries was just over 54%.
The report also criticized how the CRA evaluates its staff. Only 9% of agents’ performance scores related to the accuracy of information they provided, with greater emphasis placed on adherence to schedules rather than quality of service.
Credit: Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada
High Contract Costs and Growing Complaints
In 2015, Shared Services Canada signed a contract to provide telephony systems for three government departments, including the CRA. Initially valued at $50 million over 10 years, the contract had reached $190 million by June 2025 after several amendments. Despite the upgraded system, the audit found that callers still lacked real-time updates on their queue position, making it difficult to decide whether to wait or seek other options.
The CRA received more than 32 million calls in 2024–25, with only 10 million reaching an agent. Complaints about the agency’s call service have increased 145% since 2021–22.
Recommendations and Next Steps
The Auditor General recommended that the CRA review agent procedures and tools, adjust staffing to match call volumes, and triage system-related inquiries separately. To improve accuracy, the agency was urged to emphasize completeness and accuracy in staff evaluations and enhance training and quality monitoring.
Hogan said she remains concerned that despite system upgrades, “Canadians are still waiting too long to get answers to their tax questions.”
