CRA’s New Live Chat Service Sparks Frustration Due to Limited Agent Support
So, let’s talk about something that’s been making headlines lately—the Canada Revenue Agency’s brand-new online live chat service. It was rolled out last October with the hope of easing pressure on CRA’s overloaded phone lines. Sounds promising, right? But here’s the kicker: despite its potential, the new system is currently supported by fewer than 100 trained agents across the entire country.
Now, compare that to the 4,000+ full-time staff CRA has on the phones. That’s a massive gap. And Canadians are noticing. The chat feature, only available through the CRA’s online account from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, is already becoming a source of frustration rather than a solution.
The idea was simple—reduce call volumes by providing another channel for taxpayers to get help. But with such a limited team behind the scenes, many users are running into dead ends. If you log in outside of those operating hours, or if all agents are tied up, you’re likely to be met with a generic “queue unavailable” message. And worse still, the chat doesn’t tell you how long your wait will be, if you’ll get through at all, or even that it’s a pilot project.
François Boileau, the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, pointed out that his office is hearing a rising number of complaints—not only about long phone wait times, but now also about the online chat. While the CRA has claimed that this feature is still under evaluation and might improve over time, the lack of communication around that has added fuel to public frustration.
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Currently, the chat offers AI-generated responses to basic questions, like how to apply for specific benefits. But if you need real help—say, something more complex or personal—you’ll want a live agent. Unfortunately, getting through to one can feel like winning the lottery.
Let’s be honest: Canadians rely heavily on CRA services, especially as tax rules evolve and benefits expand. So when the tools meant to help us fall short, it has real consequences. Imagine trying to clarify a tax benefit issue or a discrepancy on your return, only to be bounced between a chatbot and a call queue. That’s exactly what’s happening.
To make matters more concerning, the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson revealed that contact centres—both phones and chats—were the top source of CRA complaints in 2023–24 and 2024–25. Many taxpayers even reported receiving confusing or incorrect information once they did manage to reach someone.
In past recommendations, the Ombudsperson had urged CRA to introduce features like online call-back requests, similar to what Service Canada offers. But CRA said its systems just aren’t there yet. They’ve made some efforts, like rolling out verification tools and an AI chatbot, but they haven’t addressed the core accessibility issues.
Meanwhile, Auditor-General Karen Hogan is currently reviewing CRA’s call centres again—eight years after her office first flagged them for excessive wait times and unreliable responses. The results of that investigation will be out later this year.
So where does that leave us? Canadians are being told to trust a system that’s still being built, without clear notice that it’s in a pilot phase or what improvements might come. In the meantime, thousands are stuck in limbo, waiting for answers that may never arrive.
For a country that prides itself on public service, this feels like a gap we can’t afford to ignore. Let’s hope the CRA listens and delivers more than just good intentions next time.
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