Do You Need a Canadian Address for the CRA?

The Canada Revenue Agency communicates primarily by mail. Tax assessments, notices of reassessment, GST/HST correspondence, benefit payments, and penalty notices — they all arrive by post. If the CRA can't reach you by mail, you miss deadlines, and penalties follow.

When the CRA Requires a Canadian Address

• Business Number registration: To get a BN (for GST/HST, payroll, import/export), you must provide a Canadian mailing address.
• Corporate tax filing: Your corporation's registered address must be in Canada. The CRA sends Notices of Assessment to this address.
• Personal tax filing: If you're a Canadian tax resident (even living abroad), the CRA sends your Notice of Assessment and any correspondence to your Canadian address on file.
• GST/HST remittance: If you collect GST/HST, the CRA needs a Canadian address for your account.
• Non-resident tax accounts: Non-residents with Canadian income (rental property, investments, business) need a Canadian address for their NR tax account.

What Happens If You Don't Have One?

If the CRA sends a notice to an outdated or incorrect address, the notice is still considered delivered. That means deadlines for objections, payments, and responses start ticking — whether you saw the letter or not. Missing a Notice of Reassessment deadline can cost thousands in penalties and interest.

How a Virtual Mailbox Solves This

A virtual mailbox gives you a permanent Canadian address in Vaughan, Ontario. The CRA sends your mail there. V Mailbox scans it and puts it in your dashboard — so you see it the same day, no matter where in the world you are. No more missed notices, no more penalties for mail you never received.

Plans start at $9.99/mo. See plans →