CRA Letter Analyzer
Upload a CRA letter and get the plain-English meaning, amounts, deadlines and next steps, plus a decoder for every common CRA letter.
Private: the letter is read once and not saved on our server. Please cover your social insurance number before you take the photo.
The short version
- Upload a CRA letter (PDF from My Account or a clear photo) and the analyzer tells you what kind of letter it is, the tax year, the amounts, every change CRA made, the deadlines, and what to do next, in order.
- For a notice of assessment or reassessment, it works out your objection deadline.
- It rates urgency, and flags letters that deserve a professional: audits, collections, gross negligence penalties, large amounts.
- Free, and private: the letter is read once and not saved on our server. Cover your social insurance number before you take the photo.
- The decoder table below explains the CRA letters people get most, how worried to be about each, and the deadline that usually comes with it.
CRA Letter Analyzer
A CRA letter tells you everything you need to know, in an order designed by someone who has never met a nervous taxpayer. The deadline is in a paragraph on page two. The amount changed is in a table with a code. The useful sentence starts with "pursuant to". Upload it above and you get the plain-English version in about fifteen seconds. Or use the decoder below to figure out what you're holding first.
CRA Letter Decoder
| Letter title | What it means | Worry level | Usual deadline | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notice of Assessment | CRA processed your return; refund or balance | Low, unless changes are listed | Objection: later of 1 year after the filing due date and 90 days | Notice of assessment, or the notice analyzer |
| Notice of Reassessment | CRA changed a return it already assessed | Medium | Objection, often 90 days for an old year | Notice of reassessment |
| Review letter ("we are reviewing your claim") | Send proof of a deduction or credit | Low to medium | Date in the letter, often 30 days | CRA review letter |
| Request for information or requirement | CRA wants documents; a "requirement" is a legal demand | Medium to high | Date in the letter | Request for information |
| Audit letter | Detailed examination of books and records | High | Up to 30 days for first records | CRA audit |
| Proposal letter | CRA plans to change your return; respond first | Medium to high | Usually 30 days | CRA audit |
| Statement of Account | Balance owing with interest | Medium | Pay or arrange payment | CRA tax debt |
| Legal warning, or collections letter | Legal action can follow | High | Act before the date in the letter | CRA collections |
| Requirement to Pay (copy) | Your wages, bank or clients are being garnished | High | Call the collections officer now | CRA garnishment |
| Instalment Reminder | CRA suggests quarterly instalments | Low | March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15 | Tax instalments |
| Notice of Confirmation | CRA's answer to your objection: it disagrees | Medium | Tax Court appeal: 90 days | CRA objection |
| GST/HST notice of assessment or review | Your GST/HST return was assessed or is being checked | Medium | Objection: 90 days | Filing a GST/HST return |
The letter is a reassessment you disagree with?
The CRA objection SmartFile uses the same reading of your notice, confirms your deadline, and drafts the objection with form T400A, ready for you to check and sign.
How to Get the Best Reading
- Use the PDF from My Account when you can. It reads perfectly.
- For paper letters, photograph each page flat, in good light, with all four corners visible.
- Cover your social insurance number and account numbers. The analyzer doesn't need them.
- Include every page. The explanation of changes is often on page two or three.
- Ask a follow-up question about the letter; the AI tax assistant already knows what it says.
Is It Really From CRA?
Scam letters and texts copy CRA's look. The real ones show up in My Account (if you're registered for online mail), quote amounts that match your account, and never ask for gift cards, crypto or a link to "verify your identity". When in doubt, log in yourself or call CRA at the number on canada.ca, not the one on the letter.
What the Analyzer Can't Do
It reads the letter, not your CRA account, and it can't judge facts only you know. Blurry photos and missing pages give it trouble, and it says so rather than guessing. For tax slips (T4, T4A, T5, T3) and other documents, use the tax document analyzer. All our free tools are on tax tools, and everything about dealing with CRA is on the CRA guide.
CRA Letter Analyzer Questions
Is the CRA letter analyzer free?
Yes. Reading a letter and explaining it is free, within a fair-use limit.
Do you keep my CRA letter?
No. The file is read once by our AI provider and deleted when the request ends. We keep only the type of letter and tax year for statistics.
What CRA letters can it read?
Notices of assessment and reassessment, review and information requests, proposal letters, collections and legal warning letters, instalment reminders, GST/HST notices and most other CRA correspondence.
Will it tell me my objection deadline?
Yes, for notices of assessment and reassessment it calculates the deadline from the date on the notice.
How do I know if a CRA letter is real?
Check whether it appears in My Account and whether the amounts match your account. CRA never asks for payment by gift card or cryptocurrency and never threatens arrest. If unsure, call CRA at the number on canada.ca.
Sources: CRA, Responding to us; If you don't pay your debt; Income tax objections decision tree. Checked October 2026. Worry levels and usual deadlines are general guidance; the letter itself always governs. The analyzer is an AI reading and can make mistakes; check the key numbers against the letter.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.