The short version
- CRA's goal for a simple change to your return is 2 weeks if you asked online (Change my return or ReFILE) and 8 weeks by mail or phone.
- Anything that needs more information or checking counts as “complex”. CRA's current timeline for those is up to 35 weeks, and as of October 2026 it says it is behind because of high volume.
- Waiting on a change is not a dispute. Don't file an objection just because it is slow. But if you asked for the change because you disagree with a notice, keep an eye on the objection deadline: the clock keeps running.
- Past the timeline: call CRA, then use CRA's service feedback, then the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson. In that order.
My CRA Adjustment Is Taking Too Long
You sent CRA a change to your return, maybe a slip that came late or a credit you forgot, and now nothing. No notice, no refund, no letter. Before you assume it fell behind a filing cabinet, work out which line you are standing in, because CRA runs two very different lines.
Routine or Complex: Which Line Are You In?
| Your request | CRA's timeline |
|---|---|
| Simple change sent online (Change my return in My Account, or ReFILE through your tax software or accountant) | About 2 weeks |
| Simple change sent by mail (form T1-ADJ or a letter) or by phone | About 8 weeks |
| Complex change: CRA needs more information or has to verify something | Up to 35 weeks (current) |
The 2-week and 8-week figures are CRA's 2026-27 service standards, which it aims to meet 95% of the time. The 35 weeks is CRA's current timeline for complex requests, posted on its processing times page, which also says it is dealing with delays from higher than normal volume. Requests for non-residents and people who left Canada are outside these timelines.
Most changes that add a forgotten deduction, a late slip or a claim that needs receipts end up in the complex line. A one-line fix with nothing to check usually doesn't. If you are not sure, assume complex and plan for months, not weeks.
What to Do While You Wait
1. Check My Account mail first. If CRA needs a receipt or an explanation, it asks by letter, and your request sits still until you answer. Answer by the date on the letter, through Submit documents in My Account.
2. Don't send the same change twice. A second request does not jump the line. It can tangle the first one.
3. Keep paying what you owe. If the change will lower a balance owing, interest still runs on the current balance until CRA processes it. Paying now and getting a refund later costs you nothing; waiting can.
4. Write down your dates. The day you sent it, how you sent it, and any confirmation number. You will need them if you call.
Waiting Is Not a Dispute
This is the part that costs people real money. An adjustment request is you asking CRA to change your return. An objection is you formally disputing a decision CRA already made. They are different roads.
If CRA simply hasn't got to your request, an objection won't speed it up. But if you sent the change because you disagree with a notice of assessment or reassessment, the deadline to object to that notice is still counting down while you wait: the later of 90 days after the notice or one year after your filing due date. Asking for an adjustment does not stop that clock. Work out your date with the objection deadline calculator, and if it is getting close with no answer, file the objection to protect yourself.
And when CRA finally answers: a new notice of reassessment that doesn't do what you asked gets its own objection deadline. A letter that simply says no is not a new notice, so the deadline that matters is still the one for your original notice. Check it the day the letter arrives.
When It Is Past the Timeline
1. Call CRA. Once you are past the timeline for your type of request, call 1-800-959-8281 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern). Ask whether the request is routine or complex, whether they are waiting on anything from you, and for an expected date. Note the agent's name and the date. More numbers are on how to contact CRA.
2. Send CRA service feedback. If the call goes nowhere, CRA has a formal service feedback process. Delays beyond CRA's published processing times are one of the things it covers. Use the online form, or in My Account go to Submit documents and choose “Collections, Relief and Feedback”, or mail form RC193. Feedback can get a stuck file moving. It cannot change your tax; that is what an objection is for.
3. Go to the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson. The Ombudsperson is independent of CRA and reviews complaints about the quality of CRA's service. Wait for CRA's service feedback program to answer first, then submit a complaint online, or by fax with form OMB100.
Find out what CRA actually decided
If an answer finally came and you can't tell whether CRA said yes, no or something in between, the free letter analyzer reads it and tells you what changed and your deadline.
Waiting on a refund from your original return rather than a change? That is a different queue: see where is my CRA tax refund. And to send a change the fast way next time, see Change my return explained.
Adjustment Questions
How long does a CRA adjustment take?
CRA aims to process a simple change in about 2 weeks if you send it online and about 8 weeks by mail or phone. Changes that need more information or checking are “complex”, and CRA's current timeline for those is up to 35 weeks.
Why is my CRA adjustment taking so long?
Usually because it is a complex request, because CRA is waiting for something from you (check My Account mail), or because of CRA's current backlog, which it says comes from higher than normal volume.
Should I file an objection if my adjustment is slow?
Not for slowness alone. But if you asked for the change because you disagree with a notice, the objection deadline for that notice keeps running, so file the objection before the deadline if you have no answer by then.
Who do I complain to if CRA is too slow?
Call CRA first, then send CRA service feedback (online, through My Account or with form RC193). If that does not resolve it, you can complain to the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson.
Can I check the status of my adjustment?
Sign in to CRA My Account and check your mail and the status of your return and requests, or call CRA once you are past the timeline for your type of request.
Sources: CRA, Service Standards 2026-2027, Check CRA processing times, Submit service feedback; Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, Submit a complaint. Checked October 2026.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.