CRA Review Letter? Here's Exactly What to Do: From Someone Who's Been on the Other Side
The short answer: don't panic, and don't ignore it. Most CRA letters are reviews are routine document requests, often computer-selected, and are not audits or accusations. Respond by the deadline, send exactly what's asked (no more, no less), and keep copies of everything. Handled properly, most reviews close quietly. Mishandled, they escalate. Before founding Silverline, I worked in the CRA's T1 audit division; here's what that experience teaches about doing this right.
First: figure out what you're actually holding
CRA correspondence spans a spectrum. Pre- or post-assessment reviews ask you to support specific claims like medical expenses, donations, moving costs, employment expenses and are frequently random or triggered by simple mismatches. Matching letters flag differences between your return and slips the CRA already has. Requests for information on specific items (rental income, business expenses) sit a step up. A full audit is a different, rarer animal with its own process. The letter tells you which it is, what's wanted, and the deadline. Read it twice before doing anything.
The three mistakes that turn small into big
From the inside, the files that went badly almost always shared one of these: missing the deadline (the CRA then simply disallows the claim and reassesses. Now you're appealing instead of responding); document-dumping (sending a hundred irrelevant pages hoping something sticks. This slows your file and invites questions you weren't asked); and guessing (writing explanatory letters full of unprompted admissions and estimates). The reviewer wants to check a specific claim against specific evidence. Give them exactly that.
How to respond, step by step
Note the deadline immediately and if you genuinely need more time, call and ask before it passes; extensions on reviews are routinely granted to people who ask and never to people who vanish. Gather precisely the documents requested. Organize them to mirror the letter's list. Submit through CRA My Account where possible (it's tracked and timestamped), keep complete copies, and record the date. Then wait, as no news for several weeks is normal, not ominous.
When to bring in a CPA
Immediately, if: the letter concerns business, rental (common across Surrey, Vancouver, Langley, and Delta given suite income), or self-employment income; the amounts are significant; you know something in the return was estimated; you've received more than one letter; or the word "audit" appears anywhere. A CPA responds with you, framing the documentation the way a reviewer needs to see it, and keeping the file from widening. That's precisely the work my CRA background built Silverline's review-support service around.
If the outcome goes against you
A reassessment isn't the end and you generally have 90 days to file a formal objection, and many review outcomes are reversed simply by presenting the right documentation properly the second time. But the cheapest appeal is the response done right the first time.
Received a CRA letter? Silverline CPA offers review and audit support across the Lower Mainland, including a free first look at your letter so you know what you're dealing with before anything is due.
General information, not advice for your specific matter.
FAQ
Is a review the same as an audit? No. Reviews are routine document checks, usually on specific line items. Audits are broader examinations. Most people who say "I got audited" got reviewed.
Why me? Was I flagged? Often it's random or a simple slip mismatch. Certain claims (large medical, donations, employment expenses, first-year rental losses) are reviewed at higher rates for everyone.
Should I just pay whatever they say to make it go away? Not before checking. Reassessments based on missing documents are frequently reversible with the documents.
Can Silverline talk to the CRA for me? Yes, with an authorization on file, we correspond with the CRA directly on your behalf.
