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Figures: 2026 tax year

Tracking your refund

Where to check a refund in each country, how long a posted return takes to process, and why a paper return is slower than a transmitted one.

Updated 24 July 2026 · 1 min read

A posted return takes longer to assess than a transmitted one. Nothing is wrong when the CRA shows no sign of your return for several weeks.

Where to check

Check CRA My Account, or the CRA's automated telephone line. Your refund status appears once your return is assessed and your notice of assessment is issued.

The CRA does not show a paper return at all until it has been entered into the system, which takes several weeks after it arrives. Ringing earlier will not speed that up; the agent sees the same screen you do.

Direct deposit is faster than a cheque

If the CRA already has your bank details from an earlier year, a refund arrives electronically. Otherwise you get a paper cheque at the address on the return, which adds time. Check the address before you post.

When to start asking

Wait at least the period the CRA publishes for a paper return before you contact them. Have a copy of the return, the posting date and your proof of posting to hand.

A refund that never comes

The most common reasons are a wrong bank account, a wrong address, a return the agency never received, or a refund applied to a debt you owe elsewhere. The notice the CRA sends will say which.

Sources

Every figure and every procedure on this page was checked against the pages below on the date shown. The agencies revise these pages, so confirm anything you are about to act on.

  1. Tax refunds (opens in a new tab)canada.ca · checked 24 July 2026
  2. Understand your notice of assessment (opens in a new tab)canada.ca · checked 24 July 2026

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This article explains a form and a process. It is general information, not tax advice about your own situation, and Hypertax does not send your return to the CRA — you print it and mail it. See the not-tax-advice notice and the rest of the help centre.