Estate and trust

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I work with many estate files and have never been as frustrated as since the implementation of the new authorization system, coinciding with the understaffing issue at CRA. My current three Estates for deceased individuals have been an absolute nightmare. Legal Representatives used to be registered within about a week but that is no longer the case. My clients have had to call CRA several times. Sometimes only to find out the information needs to be resubmitted, others are just told the standard answer of .. it takes 28 days to process. I am finding it taking longer.

Beyond that, many of the people that are executors for the estates are not very tech savvy and walking them through approving my authorized representation is also a constant frustration. For many of them, they do not even have a "my account" so walking them through represent a client and then the approval process is a nightmare. We do have the option to have a signature uploaded but that only works with one of those circumstances.

I'm finding the added stress for executors is a huge downside to these new processes, as is the delay in work done on our end as we wait for legal representatives to be registered, and then our authorization to be requested and approved and then processed. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I called CRA about this issue and was informed the executor was required to send in the documentation. They informed me the executor was required to have a REPID. 

I have later heard from other accountants that CRA processed the information when they sent the documents directly to CRA. 

It would be good to have some clarification   So far I am still waiting using both methods and have not yet been successful in obtaining authorization since the change. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I have tried the new process, one deceased person I was successful, two others I get an error "The information provided does not match our records, (T901)"  I did upload will and death certificate about a 10 days ago.  Was thinking I would call CRA for guidance, will let you know the results of the call.

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I have tried the new process, one deceased person I was successful, two others I get an error "The information provided does not match our records, (T901)"  I did upload will and death certificate about a 10 days ago.  Was thinking I would call CRA for guidance, will let you know the results of the call.

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Ergi,

Before submitting the documents :

1) the legal representative must register as a an ID Rep , 

2)  then give us Authorization,

3) Then the documents can be submitted by the CPA it worked for me.

If these steps were not respected it could explain why it was rejected

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Claire,

Step 2 - legal representative give us Authorization - I'm confused by this step. If CRA doesn't yet have a copy of the Will, probate, etc. how can the legal representative give us authorization. 

Step 3 - then the documents can be submitted by the CPA - Doesn't CRA need these documents first to give the legal representative authorization.

Thanks. Not sure what I'm missing here.

Hi Ergi,

Before submitting the documents :

1) the legal representative must register as a an ID Rep , 

2)  then give us Authorization,

3) Then the documents can be submitted by the CPA it worked for me.

If these steps were not respected it could explain why it was rejected

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

An authorization could also be for a regular tax return to represent the client this comes first

not necessarily at death or estate

Claire Bougie CPA  pour l'avancement
cell.: 514-912-4261
clairebcpa@outlook.com

Claire,

Step 2 - legal representative give us Authorization - I'm confused by this step. If CRA doesn't yet have a copy of the Will, probate, etc. how can the legal representative give us authorization. 

Step 3 - then the documents can be submitted by the CPA - Doesn't CRA need these documents first to give the legal representative authorization.

Thanks. Not sure what I'm missing here.

Hi Ergi,

Before submitting the documents :

1) the legal representative must register as a an ID Rep , 

2)  then give us Authorization,

3) Then the documents can be submitted by the CPA it worked for me.

If these steps were not respected it could explain why it was rejected

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

An authorization could also be for a regular tax return to represent the client this comes first

not necessarily at death or estate

Claire Bougie CPA  pour l'avancement
cell.: 514-912-4261
clairebcpa@outlook.com

Claire,

Step 2 - legal representative give us Authorization - I'm confused by this step. If CRA doesn't yet have a copy of the Will, probate, etc. how can the legal representative give us authorization. 

Step 3 - then the documents can be submitted by the CPA - Doesn't CRA need these documents first to give the legal representative authorization.

Thanks. Not sure what I'm missing here.

Hi Ergi,

Before submitting the documents :

1) the legal representative must register as a an ID Rep , 

2)  then give us Authorization,

3) Then the documents can be submitted by the CPA it worked for me.

If these steps were not respected it could explain why it was rejected

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

------------------------------
Ergi Thodhori, CPA
Senior Analyst, National Tax
Doane Grant Thornton LLP.
------------------------------

yes you cannot submit on behalf of an executor.  Executor must have a My Account and A repID.  For those not tech savvy, best way is to sit with them and allow you to access their MyAccount and repID process or should have another trusted individual assist them

------------------------------
Roberto Ferretti
Robert Ferretti Professional Corporation

Original Message:
Sent: 10-08-2025 15:58
From: Ergi Thodhori
Subject: CRA Authorization for Deceased Individual

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

------------------------------
Ergi Thodhori, CPA
Senior Analyst, National Tax
Doane Grant Thornton LLP.
------------------------------

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I had an enlightening conversation with a CRA agent in the Trust and Estates department today. She was quite helpful and I was able to gain access to some Estates that I thought I was not able to. I hope this information can help some of you as well.

1. While 30 days has been the service standard for CRA to process the death certificate and Will packages, they are now often taking 4 to 6 weeks (so a bit longer than the 30 days).
2. I think we all know the name of the deceased that we enter needs to match CRAs records (e.g. spelling of name, include middle initial, etc.). However, what was enlightening for me was that she indicated that name of the legal representative is often set up by CRA based on the spelling of their name as it is in the Will, which is not necessarily how CRA has their name on their own personal account.

So for one Estate I was having trouble accessing the authorization form on RAC, the deceased's name I had to use in RAC was First Name Middle Initial Last Name. The legal rep was their First Name, Full Middle Name, and Last Name as it was written in the Will. I was going with what CRA had on the legal representatives notice of assessment which is why it was not working.

It is not a requirement for the Executor/Executrix to have their own RepID and have online access - certainly that is one way to do it. The key is ensuring the spelling of the names is correct - and in the case of the legal rep, it likely has been set up as it is in the Will. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Erica,

Your post was very helpful, thank you. I was having a difficult time getting Authorization for a deceased client. When I put in the name of the legal representative per the Will it worked.

Thanks again!

Hi everyone,

I had an enlightening conversation with a CRA agent in the Trust and Estates department today. She was quite helpful and I was able to gain access to some Estates that I thought I was not able to. I hope this information can help some of you as well.

1. While 30 days has been the service standard for CRA to process the death certificate and Will packages, they are now often taking 4 to 6 weeks (so a bit longer than the 30 days).
2. I think we all know the name of the deceased that we enter needs to match CRAs records (e.g. spelling of name, include middle initial, etc.). However, what was enlightening for me was that she indicated that name of the legal representative is often set up by CRA based on the spelling of their name as it is in the Will, which is not necessarily how CRA has their name on their own personal account.

So for one Estate I was having trouble accessing the authorization form on RAC, the deceased's name I had to use in RAC was First Name Middle Initial Last Name. The legal rep was their First Name, Full Middle Name, and Last Name as it was written in the Will. I was going with what CRA had on the legal representatives notice of assessment which is why it was not working.

It is not a requirement for the Executor/Executrix to have their own RepID and have online access - certainly that is one way to do it. The key is ensuring the spelling of the names is correct - and in the case of the legal rep, it likely has been set up as it is in the Will. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I had an enlightening conversation with a CRA agent in the Trust and Estates department today. She was quite helpful and I was able to gain access to some Estates that I thought I was not able to. I hope this information can help some of you as well.

1. While 30 days has been the service standard for CRA to process the death certificate and Will packages, they are now often taking 4 to 6 weeks (so a bit longer than the 30 days).
2. I think we all know the name of the deceased that we enter needs to match CRAs records (e.g. spelling of name, include middle initial, etc.). However, what was enlightening for me was that she indicated that name of the legal representative is often set up by CRA based on the spelling of their name as it is in the Will, which is not necessarily how CRA has their name on their own personal account.

So for one Estate I was having trouble accessing the authorization form on RAC, the deceased's name I had to use in RAC was First Name Middle Initial Last Name. The legal rep was their First Name, Full Middle Name, and Last Name as it was written in the Will. I was going with what CRA had on the legal representatives notice of assessment which is why it was not working.

It is not a requirement for the Executor/Executrix to have their own RepID and have online access - certainly that is one way to do it. The key is ensuring the spelling of the names is correct - and in the case of the legal rep, it likely has been set up as it is in the Will. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi again,

I made another phone call to CRA on Monday and believe I've identified the issue, though I'm unsure how to resolve it on their end. If any accountants are in contact with CRA or know how to escalate this so the process can be reviewed, that would be greatly appreciated.

I have authorization requests in RAC that show as "pending activation" after uploading the signed signature page. I spoke with an agent in the Centre of Expertise (COE) department after the front-line agent was unable to assist and had provided some misinformation. The COE agent and I talked through both methods of obtaining online access as an additional representative, as outlined on CRA's webpage: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/life-events/doing-taxes-someone-died/represent-deceased.html#h_4

The agent went through the validation questions for one of my pending requests and read the on-screen message, which said something along the lines of "waiting for legal representative to confirm authorization online." I explained that the legal representative does not have a RepID and therefore cannot do that. Furthermore, the second method on that CRA page does not require a RepID. She agreed that CRA cannot require the legal representative to have one and confirmed that the process should work without it.

As noted in Step 4 on that webpage:

"You, as the legal representative, may be contacted by the CRA to verify the additional representative's authorization request."

The agent and I walked through the steps to obtain the signing page. As expected, for a deceased taxpayer, the system skips the taxpayer validation section - where we normally select for the taxpayer to log into My Account or provide information from their Notice of Assessment. No such options appear for deceased taxpayers.

The agent mentioned that in some cases, verification is not required, while in others it is (she did not elaborate on why). For those that do require verification, if the legal representative has a RepID, they must verify the request online. If they don't have a RepID, CRA is supposed to reach out by phone or letter to verify the request. She said the service standard for this verification is five business days, but CRA has up to 30 business days before the request expires.

However, in the case we reviewed, the legal representative does not have a RepID, yet the message still indicated that CRA was waiting for them to verify the request online. I believe this is why many front-line agents are telling us that the legal representative "must" have a RepID - and also why CRA may not be reaching out to verify these requests. There's no internal trigger in the system indicating that manual verification is needed.

In the few cases of mine where authorization has successfully gone through, the legal representative ended up calling CRA directly - likely verifying the request at that time.

At this point, I'm not sure where that leaves all of us. I may start obtaining signed AUT-01 forms to at least secure offline access in the meantime, since that process doesn't require verification. I asked the agent if I should have my clients (the legal reps) contact CRA. She indicated no, but I might start asking them to do that if we can't get this resolved.

If any CPA or someone at CPA Canada has a direct line to CRA about this process and issue, I believe that's what's needed to get this resolved.

Hi everyone,

I had an enlightening conversation with a CRA agent in the Trust and Estates department today. She was quite helpful and I was able to gain access to some Estates that I thought I was not able to. I hope this information can help some of you as well.

1. While 30 days has been the service standard for CRA to process the death certificate and Will packages, they are now often taking 4 to 6 weeks (so a bit longer than the 30 days).
2. I think we all know the name of the deceased that we enter needs to match CRAs records (e.g. spelling of name, include middle initial, etc.). However, what was enlightening for me was that she indicated that name of the legal representative is often set up by CRA based on the spelling of their name as it is in the Will, which is not necessarily how CRA has their name on their own personal account.

So for one Estate I was having trouble accessing the authorization form on RAC, the deceased's name I had to use in RAC was First Name Middle Initial Last Name. The legal rep was their First Name, Full Middle Name, and Last Name as it was written in the Will. I was going with what CRA had on the legal representatives notice of assessment which is why it was not working.

It is not a requirement for the Executor/Executrix to have their own RepID and have online access - certainly that is one way to do it. The key is ensuring the spelling of the names is correct - and in the case of the legal rep, it likely has been set up as it is in the Will. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi again,

I made another phone call to CRA on Monday and believe I've identified the issue, though I'm unsure how to resolve it on their end. If any accountants are in contact with CRA or know how to escalate this so the process can be reviewed, that would be greatly appreciated.

I have authorization requests in RAC that show as "pending activation" after uploading the signed signature page. I spoke with an agent in the Centre of Expertise (COE) department after the front-line agent was unable to assist and had provided some misinformation. The COE agent and I talked through both methods of obtaining online access as an additional representative, as outlined on CRA's webpage: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/life-events/doing-taxes-someone-died/represent-deceased.html#h_4

The agent went through the validation questions for one of my pending requests and read the on-screen message, which said something along the lines of "waiting for legal representative to confirm authorization online." I explained that the legal representative does not have a RepID and therefore cannot do that. Furthermore, the second method on that CRA page does not require a RepID. She agreed that CRA cannot require the legal representative to have one and confirmed that the process should work without it.

As noted in Step 4 on that webpage:

"You, as the legal representative, may be contacted by the CRA to verify the additional representative's authorization request."

The agent and I walked through the steps to obtain the signing page. As expected, for a deceased taxpayer, the system skips the taxpayer validation section - where we normally select for the taxpayer to log into My Account or provide information from their Notice of Assessment. No such options appear for deceased taxpayers.

The agent mentioned that in some cases, verification is not required, while in others it is (she did not elaborate on why). For those that do require verification, if the legal representative has a RepID, they must verify the request online. If they don't have a RepID, CRA is supposed to reach out by phone or letter to verify the request. She said the service standard for this verification is five business days, but CRA has up to 30 business days before the request expires.

However, in the case we reviewed, the legal representative does not have a RepID, yet the message still indicated that CRA was waiting for them to verify the request online. I believe this is why many front-line agents are telling us that the legal representative "must" have a RepID - and also why CRA may not be reaching out to verify these requests. There's no internal trigger in the system indicating that manual verification is needed.

In the few cases of mine where authorization has successfully gone through, the legal representative ended up calling CRA directly - likely verifying the request at that time.

At this point, I'm not sure where that leaves all of us. I may start obtaining signed AUT-01 forms to at least secure offline access in the meantime, since that process doesn't require verification. I asked the agent if I should have my clients (the legal reps) contact CRA. She indicated no, but I might start asking them to do that if we can't get this resolved.

If any CPA or someone at CPA Canada has a direct line to CRA about this process and issue, I believe that's what's needed to get this resolved.

Hi everyone,

I had an enlightening conversation with a CRA agent in the Trust and Estates department today. She was quite helpful and I was able to gain access to some Estates that I thought I was not able to. I hope this information can help some of you as well.

1. While 30 days has been the service standard for CRA to process the death certificate and Will packages, they are now often taking 4 to 6 weeks (so a bit longer than the 30 days).
2. I think we all know the name of the deceased that we enter needs to match CRAs records (e.g. spelling of name, include middle initial, etc.). However, what was enlightening for me was that she indicated that name of the legal representative is often set up by CRA based on the spelling of their name as it is in the Will, which is not necessarily how CRA has their name on their own personal account.

So for one Estate I was having trouble accessing the authorization form on RAC, the deceased's name I had to use in RAC was First Name Middle Initial Last Name. The legal rep was their First Name, Full Middle Name, and Last Name as it was written in the Will. I was going with what CRA had on the legal representatives notice of assessment which is why it was not working.

It is not a requirement for the Executor/Executrix to have their own RepID and have online access - certainly that is one way to do it. The key is ensuring the spelling of the names is correct - and in the case of the legal rep, it likely has been set up as it is in the Will. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Thank you Erica, I didn't think to check the spelling of the executor's name on the will, as I am also having challenges.

A CRA agent told me that it is taking 6 weeks for them to update executor's information when I called this week.

I do have another client that had added the estate and me online and it isn't working. She called CRA and was told to mail everything in, so the process for the mailing in probably hasn't changed. 

What I am wondering now is whether I need to create a trust number for an estate right away and upload the will again associated with that number in order to eventually generate an authorization to be connected to the estate information.

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Thank you Erica, I didn't think to check the spelling of the executor's name on the will, as I am also having challenges.

A CRA agent told me that it is taking 6 weeks for them to update executor's information when I called this week.

I do have another client that had added the estate and me online and it isn't working. She called CRA and was told to mail everything in, so the process for the mailing in probably hasn't changed. 

What I am wondering now is whether I need to create a trust number for an estate right away and upload the will again associated with that number in order to eventually generate an authorization to be connected to the estate information.

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Catherine,

You're welcome - hope it helps.

I would avoid mailing in the documents and instead use Submit Documents in RAC as you get a confirmation number for the submission. If you mail the documents, I find it goes to some "black hole" where documents go to die at CRA and you just get told to resend them. Much harder for them to lose an online submission. I honestly would get used to submitting everything you can through the Submit Documents portal unless CRA specifically says they only accept paper.

Are you trying to gain access to the deceased's personal account or the trust account? You definitely don't need a trust number to get access to the deceased's personal account. But it does not hurt to create the trust number anyway because you will want it for filing the T3 return. I personally don't bother getting online access for the trust account as it requires the legal rep to get a Rep ID and have their own online access - I find this too onerous for many Executor's/Executrixes. But getting phone/offline access with the AUT-01 may be helpful and is much easier to get.

Thank you Erica, I didn't think to check the spelling of the executor's name on the will, as I am also having challenges.

A CRA agent told me that it is taking 6 weeks for them to update executor's information when I called this week.

I do have another client that had added the estate and me online and it isn't working. She called CRA and was told to mail everything in, so the process for the mailing in probably hasn't changed. 

What I am wondering now is whether I need to create a trust number for an estate right away and upload the will again associated with that number in order to eventually generate an authorization to be connected to the estate information.

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Here is the reply I received from CRA regarding this issue.  Please let me know if the issue has not been fully resolved.

Thank you for sharing the feedback on the challenges with authorization requests for deceased individuals.  It allowed us to follow up with CRA.

"We can confirm that a system issue within the Canada Revenue Agency's authorization process was responsible for delays in activating requests submitted for deceased taxpayers. Specifically, requests submitted by representatives remained in a "pending" status despite all required documentation being provided, and executors were not required to take any further action to approve these requests.

This issue has now been resolved and was confirmed as fixed on November 10, 2025. All pending authorization requests affected by this issue have now been processed. Representatives should see updates reflected in their accounts."

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Good Morning! 

I know we have a couple threads about access so I don't want to start a new one but I've found a new problem with a very much alive client. This client is a Canadian Citizen, non-resident. I've applied for authorization and had the client sign the form. In this instance, however, when I return to the CRA authorization page there is NO option for me to submit the signed document. Has anyone else encountered this? If I open the request, it merely says, pending authorization. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Good Morning! 

I know we have a couple threads about access so I don't want to start a new one but I've found a new problem with a very much alive client. This client is a Canadian Citizen, non-resident. I've applied for authorization and had the client sign the form. In this instance, however, when I return to the CRA authorization page there is NO option for me to submit the signed document. Has anyone else encountered this? If I open the request, it merely says, pending authorization. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm reaching out to see if anyone has encountered challenges when trying to obtain CRA authorization for a deceased individual.

I recently attempted to use the new online method via CRA Represent a Client ("RAC") to gain authorization for a client's estate. Despite submitting the will and death certificate through RAC about five weeks ago, the system is rejecting the legal representative's information as invalid.

I've heard from other professionals that CRA may no longer process legal representative updates unless the documentation is submitted directly by the legal representative themselves. In our case, the legal representative is 93 years old, which makes this requirement quite impractical.

Has anyone been able to confirm this change in CRA's process? Or seen any official communication from CRA outlining this policy? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!