How to Change CRA Direct Deposit and Check Your Next Payment

What the CRA covers versus other departments

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) manages direct deposit for income tax refunds and CRA-administered benefits and credits, such as the Canada Child Benefit. However, the CRA does not administer direct deposit for Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), or Employment Insurance (EI) payments. If you are changing banking details for those payments, use Service Canada’s separate direct-deposit instructions. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) notes that multiple government payments may require separate agency updates, even if you use the same bank account for all of them. You can find more information on government payments at PSPC Government of Canada direct deposit.

Steps to update direct deposit in your CRA account

The most common way to change your direct deposit information is through your CRA online account. This method is available to individuals who have a Canadian bank or credit union account. Follow these steps:

1. Start from CRA’s direct-deposit instructions and use its CRA account sign-in link.
2. Select the Individual profile.
3. Navigate to the Profile section.
4. Choose Direct deposit.
5. Select Edit to enter your new bank account number, transit number, and institution number.
6. Review the details and submit the change.

After you submit the change through the CRA online route, the CRA states that the information is updated in their system by the next business day. This timeline applies to the system update, not necessarily to the rerouting of a payment that is already in the processing queue.

Using your bank’s online banking

Many Canadian banks and credit unions offer a direct deposit update service through their online banking platforms. If your financial institution is a participating bank, you can often update your CRA direct deposit details directly from your banking dashboard. This route also requires your consent to share the information with the CRA. Once you submit the change through your bank, the CRA indicates that the information is updated by the next business day. This is a convenient option if you prefer not to log in to the CRA website directly, but it is subject to the same timing caveats as the CRA account route.

Mailing a paper form

If you cannot use an online method, CRA links to the official Canada direct deposit enrolment form. Follow the mailing instructions printed with that form. CRA estimates that a mailed request can take up to three months or longer to process, so the online routes are faster when available. Keep a copy of what you submitted for your own records.

Timing and keeping your old account open

CRA says to keep your old bank account open until the first payment reaches your new one. A next-business-day update to CRA’s records is a different event from a deposit arriving. Check the next payment in the account you expect, and keep both accounts available until you have confirmed where it went. If you are switching banks more broadly, also review any paycheques and pre-authorized debits tied to the old account.

What to do if you miss a payment

If a CRA benefit or credit direct deposit has not arrived 10 business days after its payment date, CRA says to contact 1-800-959-8281. Check that CRA is the agency responsible for the payment before using this route. For CPP, OAS or EI, use the responsible department’s payment-help process instead. Keep your banking details private and provide them only through an official, verified channel when requested.

Simple example with explicit assumptions

Suppose you update your CRA direct-deposit information online before an upcoming benefit payment. CRA says the record normally updates the next business day after consent. That timing does not tell you where an already-processing payment will land. Keep the old account open, check both accounts on and after the payment date, and close the old account only once you see the first CRA payment in the new one. This example illustrates the check; it does not predict an individual payment’s route or arrival date.

Common mistakes to avoid

A phone call to CRA cannot update direct-deposit details, although CRA provides a phone route for a missing payment. Other common gaps are closing the old account before a payment arrives in the new one, or assuming a CRA update also changes CPP, OAS or EI banking details. Use the relevant official service for each payment. Canadian Money Help never needs your banking numbers to explain these steps.

Rules and process basis

This article is based on the official CRA guidelines for individual direct deposit and PSPC information on government payments. The CRA requires a Canadian bank or credit union account for direct deposit. Online updates are processed by the next business day, but this is not a guarantee for payments already in process. The CRA no longer accepts telephone updates. Mailed forms can take up to three months or longer. You must keep your old account open until the first payment is received in the new account. If a payment is not received within 10 business days, contact the CRA. The CRA does not manage CPP, OAS, or EI direct deposits.