Active collections contact
A CRA Collections Officer Keeps Calling
What a collections officer is actually assessing when they call, what to say, and why a homeowner is in a different conversation than they realise.
Written for homeowners
CRA arrears, explained for people who own their home.
Most advice about tax debt is written for someone with nothing to protect. If you own a home, the answer is usually different. These guides explain what CRA collection actually looks like, and what the equity in your home can and cannot do about it.
Requirement to Pay served on the bank
The CRA Froze Your Bank Account. What Changes Because You Own a Home.
A frozen account is a cash-flow emergency, not the end of the road. What a Requirement to Pay actually does, and the options a homeowner has that most advice never mentions.
Defaulted payment arrangement
How Long the CRA Can Chase You for a Tax Debt
There is a limitation period on collecting tax debt. It restarts more easily than most people expect, which is why waiting it out rarely works for a homeowner.
HST and GST arrears
You Collected HST and Could Not Remit It
HST you collected was never your money. That is why the CRA moves faster on it than on income tax, and why the usual wait-and-see advice does not apply.
Exiting a private mortgage
Can You Refinance With a CRA Lien? The Incomplete Answer
Most answers say you must pay the CRA before refinancing. That is true of banks. It is not true of every lender, and the difference matters when you own a home.
A lien is registered on the home
A CRA Lien Is on Your House. What That Actually Means if You Own It.
A CRA lien does not force a sale or take your home. Here is what it actually does to an Ontario homeowner, and why the standard advice changes when you have equity.