Tax Document Analyzer
Upload a tax document, CRA letter or assessment and understand what it means, what matters and what to do next.
Private: the letter is read once and not saved on our server. Please cover your social insurance number before you take the photo.
What the analyzer does
- Reads a CRA notice of assessment or reassessment, a review letter, a request for documents, a collections or GST/HST letter, or a tax slip such as a T4, T4A, T5 or T3.
- Pulls out the tax year, the dates, the amounts and every change CRA made.
- Explains what it means in plain English, and lists the next steps in order.
- For a notice of assessment or reassessment, it works out your objection deadline.
- Free. The file is read once and is not saved on our server.
Understand Your CRA Document Before You Do Anything Else
CRA letters are written by people who know exactly what they mean, for people who don't. The important line is usually on page 2, and the deadline is usually in the smallest font on the page. That isn't a conspiracy. It just feels like one.
Upload the PDF from My Account, or take a clear photo of each page. Cover your social insurance number first; the analyzer doesn't need it. In about fifteen seconds you'll know what the letter is, what CRA changed or wants, how much is at stake, and how long you have.
The CRA Documents People Upload Most
Notice of assessment. CRA's answer to your return: what it accepted, any changes, and your refund or balance. Read the “explanation of changes” first. If you disagree, you generally have until the later of one year after your filing due date or 90 days after the notice to object; the objection deadline calculator works it out.
Notice of reassessment. CRA changed a return it had already assessed, usually after matching a slip or finishing a review. The same objection rules apply, counted from the new notice. Our guide on what to do after a CRA reassessment walks through the first 30 days.
Review letter or request for documents. CRA wants proof of a claim, such as medical expenses, moving costs, a rental loss or a credit. Send what it asks for by the date in the letter, through “Submit documents” in My Account. Missing that date usually means the claim is denied and a reassessment follows.
Proposal letter. CRA tells you what it plans to change and gives you a set time to respond before it reassesses. This is the cheapest moment to fix a problem, because nothing has been assessed yet.
Collections letters. If a balance is overdue, CRA can take money from your bank account or wages. Call the number on the letter before the date given. Payment arrangements are common when you call early.
Tax slips. A T4, T4A, T5 or T3 that doesn't look right, or that you don't understand. The analyzer lists each box and where the main amounts go on your return, for example T4 box 14 goes on line 10100. If an amount looks wrong, ask the issuer for an amended slip rather than changing the number yourself.
The analyzer told you what it says. Is CRA right?
Letter Check compares the letter with your return and your side of the story, gives a straight verdict, the dollars, your deadline and the steps. If you need to object, send receipts or ask for relief, it tells you which.
What It Can't Do
It reads what's on the page; it can't see your CRA account, and it can't tell you whether CRA is right about facts only you know. Blurry photos and cut-off pages give it trouble, and it will say so instead of guessing. For an audit, gross negligence penalties, a large balance or anything from CRA's collections or legal side, use it to understand the letter, then get a professional on your side quickly.
Privacy, in Plain Words
Your file is sent to our AI provider to be read once, and deleted when the request ends. We keep only a count of what kind of document it was. Nothing in it is stored on our server, and the result is not saved either. The details are in our privacy policy.
Next Steps After You Read Your Letter
- Need to know the tax impact? Run the income tax calculator with the new numbers.
- Have a follow-up question? Click “Ask a question about this letter” and the AI tax assistant already knows what it says.
- Only have a CRA letter? The CRA letter analyzer adds a decoder for every common letter type. All our free tools are on tax tools.
- Looking for the form CRA mentioned? Our list of Canadian tax forms explains the common ones.
- Sold property and CRA is asking? See selling a rental property or the principal residence exemption.
Document Analyzer Questions
Is the tax document analyzer free?
Yes. Reading a document and explaining it is free, within a fair-use limit.
Which files can I upload?
A PDF, JPG or PNG up to 10 MB. The PDF from CRA My Account reads best. iPhone photos may need the “Most Compatible” camera setting.
Do you keep my CRA letter?
No. It is read once and deleted when the request ends. We keep only the type of document and the tax year, for our statistics.
Can it tell me if CRA made a mistake?
It can tell you exactly what CRA changed and why, and point out where people commonly disagree. Whether CRA is wrong depends on your facts and your proof, which is what a notice of objection is for.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.