How to change your income tax return after you file it

If you think that the income tax and benefit return you filed for the 2020 tax year is missing important details such as the Home office expenses for employees or you made a mistake, you don’t need to file a new return. Here’s what you can do if you need to change your return.

Wait for your notice of assessment

Whether you filed online or mailed your Income tax return, you need to wait to receive your notice of assessment, which will be issued to you by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). After you receive your notice of assessment, you may submit an adjustment request to the CRA.

Requesting changes to your tax return

• Request changes Online
  The fastest, easiest and most secure way to change a return is to use the ‘’Change my return’’ option found in the CRA’s My Account or to use ReFILE. If you cannot request changes online because your return is still being processed, you can wait a few days until it has been assessed and then use one of the options in How to change a return.
• Send an adjustment request form
  If you prefer, you can complete Form T1-ADJ, T1 Adjustment Request, and mail it to your tax centre, together with all your supporting documents for the change(s) you want to make.

Tax credits

If you don’t need to reduce your federal tax to zero, you may be able to transfer all or part of certain tax credits to your spouse or common-law partner. Please see Schedule 2 Federal amounts transferred from your spouse or common-law partner for more information.

How long will it take for the changes to be made?

• If you submitted your request online, your change request will take about two weeks to be processed.
• If you submitted your request by mail, your change request will take longer. Due to COVID-19, the CRA may take 10 to 12 weeks to process paper adjustments.

Keep in mind that some adjustment requests are considered complex and may take longer to process. Complex requests include situations where additional information or review is required.

For more information on processing times, go to Service Standards in the CRA.

Online or by mail, you can request an adjustment for any of the 10 previous calendar years. For example, a request made in 2021 must relate to 2011 or a later tax year. Adjustment requests for different years should be on different forms but they can be mailed in together or submitted to the CRA at the same time.

After the CRA has reviewed your request

After the CRA has reviewed your request to change your income tax return, you will receive:

• a notice of reassessment, indicating the changes made to your return, or
• a letter explaining why the CRA did or did not make the changes you requested.

For more information

Changing the information on your tax return is easier than you think, go to How to change a return.

Contacts

Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-948-8366
cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca