Auditor General: CRA Call Centres Failing to Meet Basic Service Standards
A new report from the Auditor General paints a troubling picture of the Canada Revenue Agency’s ability to assist taxpayers.
Test calls revealed:
- Only 17% of general tax questions were answered accurately by CRA agents.
- Average wait time to reach an agent: nearly 33 minutes.
- In June 2025, fewer than 5% of calls were answered within 15 minutes—despite the CRA’s already-low 65% service target.
The CRA also deflected more than 8.6 million calls last year—up from 1.4 million the year before. Many Canadians never even had a chance to speak to a live agent.
Even the CRA’s digital tools are struggling: its chatbot, Charlie, was only accurate one-third of the time. And despite growing concerns, the CRA delivered less than 30 minutes of annual training per agent in 2024-25.
Perhaps most concerning: only 56% of business tax and 54% of benefits-related calls received accurate answers, barely passing marks for issues with serious legal and financial consequences.
“Canadians are expected to provide their tax returns on time and with accurate information. And I think… they should expect the CRA to be available and accurate in return. That is not the case,” said Auditor General Karen Hogan.
At Milot Law, we see these frustrations every day. That’s why we deal with the CRA for you: handling objections, appeals, audits, and collections directly and strategically. No phone queues. No misinformation. No guesswork.
If you’ve received a CRA reassessment or are struggling to get clarity, we’re here to help.
