Canadian single mother worries about financial ‘strain,’ rent after waiting months for tax refund

Economist David Macdonald warns the CRA’s 6,700 job cuts and more reductions ahead could overwhelm service levels, despite the recent 100-day improvements.

Natricia Shand has been waiting three months for her income tax return to be processed.

The woman from Brampton, Ont., said she was hoping to get a tax refund partly because she’s behind on rent.

“It’s kind of put a strain on me right now, because I don’t know where I stand, and I don’t know what’s going on,” Shand, a single mother of children ages 12 and two, said in a Zoom interview with CTVNews.ca on Tuesday.

Shand said she couldn’t understand why there was a delay because her tax return wasn’t significantly different this year.

For most taxpayers, the deadline to file taxes was April 30. In certain cases, self-employed individuals have a deadline of June 15. The due date is also different for those filing a return for a deceased person, or the deceased person’s surviving spouse or common-law partner. Shand said she normally files her taxes in late February, including this year, and never previously experienced delays.

After calling the Canada Revenue Agency multiple times, Shand said an agent told her that she can speak to a supervisor or manager after July 16, if the matter still wasn’t resolved by then.

“All I keep getting was ‘sorry.’ All I keep getting was ‘it’s under review,’” Shand said.

Shand was among the dozens of frustrated people who emailed CTVNews.ca this week in response to a callout about the delays in processing tax returns. They reported that they still have not received their notice of assessments and tax refunds for 2025. Some had unresolved problems and delays related to notice of reassessments and the Disability Tax Credit while others complained that the CRA told them it would take months to address their files.

Delay sparks worry about mortgage renewal

Sachin Rikhe of Waterloo, Ont., said when he checked his CRA account online, he learned that his tax return wouldn’t be processed until September, despite first filing his taxes in late February. He said he had to re-file it in late March to make a few changes.“

I never faced any delays before this year,” he told CTVNews.ca in a Zoom interview on Tuesday. He said his taxes were processed as soon as a few days in the past, and there was “nothing complicated” about his tax return this year.

He said he needed the notice of assessment for his application to change his variable mortgage to a fixed one in order to avoid the possibility of higher payments.

“... I want to get my mortgage application finalized as soon as possible because you know how the market is going up and down every day,” Rikhe said, noting that he hoped his bank would make an “exception” in cases of delayed notice of assessments.

‘Caused significant financial stress’

Brahim Lahlal of Edmonton said his problems with delayed tax documents go back to 2024. In an email to CTVNews.ca on Tuesday, Lahlal said his 2025 tax return was not assessed yet, after he filed it on April 18, though he suggested that his file was not complex. His Disability Tax Credit adjustments have been under review since October 2025, he added, and his 2024 tax reassessment remains “unresolved” despite “multiple follow-ups.”

He said another headache involved a payroll filing error that his accountant made last year, which still hasn’t been resolved, resulting in the CRA charging him penalties and interest.

“This situation has caused significant financial stress for me and my family,” he wrote. “I have tried to co-operate fully, provide documentation when requested, and follow the proper procedures, but the delays have continued for many months without answers.”

SueEllen Frankowski of Swift Current, Sask., said she, too, is frustrated with the CRA. For the first time since she has been filing taxes, she said her notice of assessment was late this year.

She said she first filed her taxes on Feb. 28, but no updates were posted on her CRA account online.

“I have spoken to three agents, and they told me my return was ‘complex’ with no estimated time of completion,” she wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Tuesday.

When she last called the CRA on May 9, she said an agent told her she could call back after June 12 if she still didn’t receive her notice of assessment by then.

“There is no one to talk to or escalate past a first line agent and no one to take accountability,” she added.

CRA ‘recognizes the frustration’

Sylvie Branch, a spokesperson for the Canada Revenue Agency, told CTVNews.ca in an email Wednesday that it “recognizes the frustration” experienced by some taxpayers.

She said the CRA is currently seeing a higher number of adjustment requests, which has contributed to longer processing times, particularly for reassessments and related refunds.

“These cases often require additional information or a more detailed verification, which can impact processing timelines,” Branch wrote.

For digital returns filed on time, Branch said the CRA’s goal is to issue notices of assessment within two weeks, 95 per cent of the time. She said the CRA generally meets its service standards, except if tax returns need extra validation or review.

Returns filed on paper have different service standards, she added.

More than 97 per cent out of around 30 million income tax returns received so far for the current tax-filing season have been assessed to date, Branch said.

For the Disability Tax Credit, she said the CRA “processing times have improved” following measures such as workflow improvements. Processing applications should now be done within eight weeks, she added.

“However, delays may still occur when associated tax adjustments are required, as these are processed separately and can take longer depending on complexity,” Branch said, noting the CRA is “taking steps” to improve service.