What is the Departmental Plan?
The CRA’s 2026-27 Departmental Plan, published within past 30 days, sets the agenda for how Canada’s revenue agency will update its tax administration, compliance, and service delivery priorities. (canada.ca)
Key Compliance & Administration Changes
1. Automatic Federal Benefits & Tax Filing Expansion
- For the 2026 tax year, the CRA will begin automatically filing taxes for low-income Canadians with simple financial situations.
- This expands into pre-filled tax returns for up to 5.5 million Canadians by 2028, particularly coinciding with the expansion of the SimpleFile service. (canada.ca)
2. Tax Relief on Filing Services and Burdens
- CRA is investing in My Account portal enhancements, including real-time status updates, secure messaging, and digital identity validation.
- Effort to simplify forms, schedule removal in many provinces, and make secondary tax schedules more streamlined.
3. Stronger Enforcement & Compliance in High-Risk Areas
- Targeted audits in real estate, non-resident investors, and GST/HST refund schemes.
- Increased use of advanced analytics and AI to detect non-compliant or fraudulent behaviour.
- More international cooperation and work with agencies to identify cross-border issues. (canada.ca)
4. Service Modernization & Efficiency
- Winding down of certain regimes like the Digital Services Tax and fuel charge.
- The CRA will also scale down legacy business units that no longer align with current government priorities.
- More automation and digital self-service options to reduce processing times and improve taxpayer experience. (canada.ca)
What This Means for You (Individual & Business)
- Individuals with low income may see their tax filings handled automatically — just review and approve where required.
- Businesses need to ensure compliance particularly in GST/HST regime, declarations of property income, and for non-residents.
- Non-resident taxpayers should pay closer attention to audit risks especially for real estate and cross-border income.
- Tax preparers will see changing workload with fewer manual forms and more digital requests for supporting documents.
Actionable Advice
- Keep good records, especially for GST/HST, real-estate income, non-resident sources.
- Register for CRA digital services (My Account, My Business Account) to access improvements as soon as available.
- Review correspondence and notices carefully — automated filings and digital messaging might require active follow-through.
- If involved in non-resident or cross-border operations, consult with a specialist to manage exposure to new audit tools.
Summary
CRA’s plan for 2026-27 signals a shift toward greater automation, simplification, and rigorous enforcement in high risk sectors. Whether you're filing as an individual, running a business, or managing non-resident affairs, getting ahead means adapting recordkeeping, moving to digital tools, and being proactive about compliance.