Understanding the CRA Notice of Assessment
How to object if you think the CRA is wrong
Most of us have received our Notice of Assessment from the CRA
for our 2020 tax returns. Mostly it's petty much as you
expected – a refund or no balance owing. But sometimes the
CRA sends you an unfavourable Notice of Assessment. Here's what
to do.
Looking at the Notice of Assessment
First, look on the Notice, under the heading "Explanation
of changes and other important information." In the vast
majority of cases, this explanation is computer-generated, and much
of the "explanation" you find on the page may actually
have nothing much to do with the discrepancy.
Next, look for something that "doesn't ring a
bell." In fact, at this stage, the vast majority of problems
relate to some type of clerical error. If your return was not
prepared with tax-filing software, you may have simply made a
calculation or entry error, or perhaps a CRA clerk has simply
entered the wrong
