Published: November 11, 2025
Last Updated: November 11, 2025
The 2025 Auditor General’s report on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) reveals significant deficiencies in the administration of call centre services. Long wait times, inconsistent information, and misaligned internal performance metrics are eroding service quality and creating potential risks for taxpayers and businesses. This article reviews the report’s findings and provides insights for professionals navigating CRA interactions.
Overview of the Auditor General’s 2025 CRA Call Centre Audit
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) reviewed CRA call centre operations to evaluate accessibility, response accuracy, and alignment with taxpayer rights. The audit revealed that only a fraction of callers reach agents within CRA’s own service standards and that the accuracy of information provided is alarmingly low. These issues have significant implications for taxpayers and Canadian tax lawyers relying on CRA answers to meet compliance obligations.
The audit highlighted a decline in staffing, from 7,782 agents in 2022-23 to 4,547 in 2024-25. Accuracy of responses was extremely low, with only 17 per cent of individual tax queries answered correctly, and just 54 per cent accuracy for business tax or taxable benefit questions. Performance evaluations place minimal emphasis on accuracy, leaving taxpayers exposed to incorrect advice.
CRA Call Centres: By the Numbers
The CRA operates eight call centres across Canada, handling more than 32 million calls in the 2024-25 fiscal year. However, only approximately 10 million calls were successfully answered by agents. It is worth noting that 22 million calls from Canadian taxpayers were not answered successfully.
CRA’s service standard requires that 65 per cent of calls be answered within 15 minutes, yet only 18 per cent of calls met this threshold. During June 2025, this figure dropped to just five per cent, with the average caller waiting over 30 minutes to speak with an agent.
Major Problems Identified in the Auditor General’s Report
Longer Wait Times, Abandoned Calls Increased
The audit shows a significant drop in accessibility due to reduced staffing levels. The Northern regional line was the only location consistently meeting service standards. Long CRA wait times and abandoned calls are a widespread problem across most regions.
Wrong Answers Provided by CRA Call Centres Increase Taxpayers’ Risk for Reassessment, Audits, Penalties
The CRA is obligated under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in Canada to provide complete, accurate, clear, and timely information. Low accuracy rates, especially for individual tax inquiries, create a risk of misinformed taxpayer decisions, potentially resulting in penalties, tax reassessments, or missed tax deadlines.
CRA Measures Speed, Courtesy, not Correct Answers to Taxpayers
Agent evaluations focus on speed and courtesy rather than correctness. Less than 9 percent of performance assessment is tied to accurate guidance, incentivizing quick responses rather than reliable advice.
Costs Quadrupled for New Telephone System for CRA Call Centres
The 2015 telephony services contract, initially costed at CAD $50 million over ten years, has grown to approximately CAD $190 million with amendments, yet service levels have not improved proportionally. This points to deficiencies in performance monitoring and accountability.
Long Wait Times for Next CRA Call Centre Agent—for Mostly Wrong Answers
Callers often receive little information regarding queue position or expected wait times. This limits their ability to make informed decisions, adding frustration and inefficiency to the process.
For Taxpayers and Canadian Tax Lawyers, Accountants
Taxpayers face heightened risk when relying on CRA phone advice, as incorrect information may lead to financial and compliance consequences. Tax lawyers and accountants should encourage clients to document each CRA interaction, including date, time, agent name or ID, and a summary of guidance provided. Written correspondence and secure CRA portal submissions are preferable for complex matters, creating an auditable paper trail.
Advisors should set realistic expectations regarding wait times and potential misinformation. Experienced Canadian tax lawyers can help verify CRA guidance before clients act on advice.
The audit underscores the need for vigilance when interacting with CRA, especially for time-sensitive compliance matters, business decisions, or cross-border tax obligations.
Pro Tax Tips for How to Navigate CRA Call Centres
- Avoid relying solely on CRA phone advice. Confirm information through official publications or written communications. If your matter goes to litigation (court), documents speak for themselves, whereas a phone conversation with a CRA Call Centre agent does not carry the same weight.
- Document every interaction with CRA agents, noting the date, time, agent identification, and advice received.
- Use secure CRA portals or written correspondence for complex or time-sensitive matters.
- Tax lawyers and accountants should inform their clients about expected wait times and limitations in call-centre services.
- Consult an experienced Canadian tax lawyer to review CRA guidance before acting.
- Reference the Taxpayer Bill of Rights when seeking relief for errors caused by incorrect advice from CRA staff.
FAQs on CRA Call Centre Performance and Compliance Risks
What does the Auditor General report say about CRA call centres?
The 2025 report identifies major failures, including long wait times, low accuracy of advice, and performance metrics that undervalue the correct information.
How long do taxpayers typically wait to speak to a CRA agent?
Average wait times were about 31 minutes in 2024-25, with only 18 per cent of calls answered within the 15-minute service standard.
Can taxpayers rely on verbal information from CRA agents?
Verbal guidance is not legally binding. If a taxpayer relies on incorrect advice, CRA may not be obligated to honour it, though relief from penalties and interest may be possible under fairness provisions.
What steps can protect taxpayers from inaccurate information?
Document every interaction, use written communications or secure portals for important issues, and consult an experienced Canadian tax lawyer to verify guidance received from CRA agents.
Will CRA implement changes after this report?
The Auditor General recommended increasing staffing, emphasizing accuracy in agent evaluations, and improving queue transparency. Implementation timing is unclear.
Disclaimer: This article provides broad information. It is only accurate as of the posting date. It has not been updated and may be out of date. It does not give legal advice and should not be relied on as tax advice. Every tax scenario is unique to its circumstances and will differ from the instances described in this article. If you have specific legal questions, you should seek the advice of an experienced Canadian tax lawyer.
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