How to change CRA direct deposit to a new bank account

Ways to make a CRA direct deposit change

Changing where the CRA sends your money uses the same channels as signing up, and the CRA treats a new account as a replacement for the old one. You do not need to cancel the old details first.

Change bank account with the CRA in My Account

1. Sign in on canada.ca and open My Account.
2. Go to Profile and find the Direct deposit section.
3. Select Edit and replace the transit, institution and account numbers with the new ones.
4. Submit, then note the date so you know when the change goes live.

Change it through your new bank

If your new bank or credit union offers CRA direct deposit enrolment in online banking, signing up there overwrites the old account on your CRA file. This is handy when you have just opened the account and the bank prompts you to move government payments.

Is there a CRA direct deposit change form?

The only paper option is the Canada Direct Deposit Enrolment Form, the same one used for first-time sign-up. It works for changes too, but the CRA puts processing at up to 3 months or longer. There is no phone option: agents cannot update banking details over the phone.

How long a CRA direct deposit change takes to take effect

Online changes are recorded the next business day. The question that matters more is whether a payment is already in the pipeline when you make the change.

Here is a concrete case. You switch banks on Friday, June 11, 2027 by updating My Account. The CRA's record updates Monday, June 14, the next business day. A reassessment refund issued later that month goes to the new account. But a payment the CRA had already queued before Monday could still be sent to the old account, which is why the old account needs to stay open for a while.

If your old bank account is already closed

The CRA's instruction is simple: do not close the old account until your first payment has landed in the new one. Plenty of people learn this after the fact, so here is what to do if the old account is gone.

1. Update your direct deposit to the new account right away so future payments are safe.
2. Ask your former bank whether a CRA deposit was received or returned after the closing date.
3. Wait until 10 business days have passed since the payment date.
4. Contact the CRA through its official contact page, explain that the account was closed and ask what happened to the payment.

Refunds you are expecting show in My Account under your return. Our CRA refund status page explains the stages so you can tell a sent payment from one still being processed.

Will a pending refund go to my old account?

It can. If the CRA assessed your return and scheduled the refund before your change was recorded, that payment may use the old details. Refunds scheduled after the update go to the new account.

The safest timing is to update your banking details before you file. For the 2027 season, that means making the change before you send your 2026 return, whenever NETFILE opens (the date is not yet announced; it has opened in late February in recent years).

Watching for direct deposit scams

Fraudsters who get into a CRA account often do one thing first: swap the banking details so the next refund goes to them. The CRA lists unauthorized banking changes as suspicious activity to report.

• Turn on CRA email notifications. The CRA can email you when your address or direct deposit information changes on its records.
• If you get that email and did not make the change, report it to the CRA using its online suspicious activity form or Form RC213, Identity theft and suspicious activity declaration.
• Tell your bank, and consider notifying Equifax and TransUnion and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• Ignore texts asking you to confirm banking details for a refund. The CRA does not use texts for that.

After a report, the CRA places protections on the account and a designated officer contacts you within 14 business days. More warning signs are covered in our CRA letter scam guide, and first-time enrolment is explained in CRA direct deposit. If you cannot sign in to make the change, see CRA login help or the CRA My Account guide.