Co-authored by Natalie Cordiano.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recently announced that it will be changing the business numbers of all registered charities with internal divisions (i.e., registered charities that have a common business number with a head organization that governs them). This is part of CRA's project to modernize the way it interacts with the sector. CRA plans to create new business numbers so that each internal division has its own business number. Once the new numbers are created, CRA will send affected charities a letter with their new information. Charities do not need to take any steps to participate in this process; it will happen automatically through CRA's own systems.
Additionally, CRA announced that as of November 2018, registered charities will be able to use e-services through CRA's website. This will allow charities to do the following online: file their annual returns, update and manage information on record with CRA, check file status, and receive and manage correspondence with CRA. Since internal divisions of charities will have their own business numbers, they will need to create their own online accounts.
CRA is currently working on a new page of its website that will explain these changes in further detail. You can check for updates at https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/charities.html.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
