My Accountant Isn't Responding. What Do I Do About My Taxes?

If your accountant has gone quiet, don't wait. Check your CRA account for what was actually filed, send one written request for your records, give a new representative CRA access, and start catching up from your own bank statements. You don't need the old accountant's cooperation to file. It just makes things faster.

This is one of the most common situations Canadian business owners bring to us. The books looked fine for years. Then emails stop getting answered, phone calls go to voicemail, and a GST/HST or T2 deadline is suddenly days away. The panic is real, but the path forward is clear once you separate what you can control from what you can't.

Why accountants go silent

It is rarely a single dramatic event. More often it is capacity. A solo practitioner who was a perfect fit when you were a side hustle or a small shop can drown when you add staff, a second sales channel, HST across provinces, or payroll. Firms with thin backup coverage also struggle when someone is ill, on leave, or leaving the profession.

Other patterns we see:

• The accountant is still working the file but has fallen months behind and is avoiding hard conversations.
• Your engagement was never clearly scoped, so year-end work sits in a queue with no owner.
• The firm lost key staff and your file was never reassigned.
• Fees or scope changed and neither side closed the loop.

None of that makes the CRA wait. Filing deadlines, remittance due dates and demand letters keep moving whether or not your representative replies. The taxpayer of record is you (or your corporation), not the accountant.

Step 1: Find out what was really filed

Log in to My Business Account for the corporation and GST/HST, and My Account for your personal T1, on canada.ca. Look for:

• Filed returns and the dates they were assessed
• Notices of assessment and reassessment
• Outstanding balances and instalment reminders
• Unfiled periods or "return not received" flags
• CRA letters and online messages

Owners are often told "it's done" when it isn't. Verbal reassurance is not a substitute for CRA records. If you cannot get into the account because the representative holds the access, that is itself a reason to move authorization quickly (see Step 3).

Also pull your own calendar of known deadlines: T2 six months after year-end, GST/HST by the end of the month following the reporting period for many filers, payroll remittances on the schedule CRA assigned, and T4/T5 filing at the end of February. Compare that list to what CRA shows as filed. Gaps are your catch-up list.

Step 2: Ask once, in writing

Email the accountant a short, factual request. Ask for:

• Your general ledger or live access to QuickBooks, Xero or the accounting file
• Working papers for filed years
• Copies of filed T2, T1, GST/HST and payroll returns
• Payroll registers, T4 summaries and source-deduction remittance history
• Any CRA correspondence they hold

Give a clear deadline, such as ten business days. Keep the tone polite and factual. You are requesting your own records and confirmation of what was filed, not picking a fight. Save the sent email and any reply. If nothing useful arrives by the deadline, move on. Waiting months for a soft reply is how one late year becomes three.

Professional bodies often expect members to cooperate on the release of client documents, but rules on working papers versus your source records vary. You do not need to litigate that before you protect your filing position. Rebuild from primary records if you must.

Step 3: Move CRA authorization

You can authorize a new representative and remove the old one through the CRA's Represent a Client system yourself (canada.ca, Represent a Client). In My Business Account, use the profile tools to manage representatives. A new firm can also submit authorization with your consent.

Do this early. Without access, a new bookkeeper or tax preparer is flying blind on assessments, holds and letters. With access, they can download filed returns, see balances and confirm what CRA already knows. Removing an unresponsive representative also stops them from receiving CRA mail you never see.

If you are locked out of My Business Account entirely, use CRA's recovery options or call the business enquiries line with your business number ready. Getting portal access back is worth the time; it is the single best source of truth while you transition.

Step 4: Rebuild without them if you must

Your bank and card statements, sales platform exports (Shopify, Amazon, Stripe, Square), payroll provider reports, prior notices of assessment and GST/HST filings are enough to rebuild the books. Old working papers help and save time, but they are not required.

Practical rebuild order for most small corporations:

1. List every bank and credit card account used for the business since the last clean year.
2. Download statements for every month you need to catch up.
3. Export sales and fee reports from each processor.
4. Gather payroll reports and T4/T5 history if anyone was paid.
5. Match CRA assessments to periods so you know which years are truly missing.

From there, a catch-up firm can rebuild the general ledger year by year, prepare the returns and file in a sensible order (usually oldest first, coordinating GST/HST, T2 and personal T1s so shareholder draws and dividends line up). See our catch-up bookkeeping overview and the main-site catch-up on books page for how that engagement typically runs.

What still falls on you while you switch

Until new filings go in, you remain exposed to:

• Late-filing penalties on balances owing (a percentage of unpaid tax, plus monthly add-ons for a capped period) — see CRA late filing penalties explained
• GST/HST failure-to-file penalties and interest on unremitted amounts — see catch-up late GST/HST returns
• A formal demand to file, with short deadlines — see missed a CRA demand to file
• Collections contact if balances age — respond; do not ignore letters

If the CRA has not yet contacted you about the missing years, the Voluntary Disclosures Program may still be worth a look before you file into an open review. Timing matters. Read CRA Voluntary Disclosures Program changes before you send anything in. If penalties are already assessed, taxpayer relief is a different process and "my accountant disappeared" alone rarely wins without other factors.

Why this hits growing businesses hardest

A solo accountant who was perfect when you did six figures may be overwhelmed when you're doing seven figures with staff, HST and three payment processors. Often nobody's at fault. The business simply outgrew the arrangement.

E-commerce, agencies, clinics and contractors are frequent examples. Volume jumps, SKUs multiply, tips or contractors blur payroll lines, and multi-province sales tax appears. The old monthly cadence no longer matches the work. Silence is a lagging indicator that the relationship already broke.

Example (hypothetical): An Alberta e-commerce owner's accountant stopped replying in early 2025. The CRA account showed the 2023 T2 was never filed, and a GST demand had arrived. The new firm got CRA access within days, rebuilt 2023–2024 from Shopify and bank data, and filed. The old accountant's files never arrived and weren't needed. Penalties on the GST side were limited by filing quickly; the T2 catch-up cleared the demand.

Documents checklist while you wait

Even before a new firm is hired, gather:

• Corporate minute book or articles (legal name, BN, year-end)
• Bank and card PDFs for every open period
• Sales channel and payment-processor exports
• Prior T2, T1 and GST/HST PDFs you already have
• Payroll provider login or year-end reports
• Any CRA letters scanned to a single folder
• A short timeline of when communication with the old accountant stopped

That package alone is usually enough to quote a flat catch-up engagement and start work the same week authorization lands.

How to choose the next firm without repeating the problem

Look for clear scope (which years, which programs), a written turnaround commitment, named CRA authorization steps, and a single flat rate rather than open-ended hourly drift. Ask how they communicate when something is blocked on your documents. Ask who covers the file if your primary contact is away. Capacity and process matter more than a polished website.

If you only need a temporary bridge to get filings current, say so. Many owners stay with a catch-up specialist for the cleanup, then decide whether to keep monthly bookkeeping in the same place. Our bookkeeper cost in Canada guide covers what drives ongoing fees without quoting prices.

Take it off your plate

Sansar takes over files from accountants who've gone silent: CRA access, rebuilding and filing, all for one all-inclusive flat rate, no hidden fees, no retainer; 50% deposit to start and 50% on completion, after you approve your filings, backed by our 100% Happiness Guarantee. See catch-up bookkeeping, late tax filing, our main-site late business tax filing and catch-up on books.

Book a call → · How onboarding works and what documents we need →

FAQ

Can I file my taxes without my old accountant's files? Yes. Bank and card statements, sales exports and CRA records are enough to rebuild the books and file. Old files just save time.

Is my accountant legally required to give me my records? Your own documents and books belong to you. Rules on working papers depend on the accountant's professional body and your agreement. Ask once in writing, then rebuild if you must.

How do I remove my old accountant's CRA access? Through My Business Account (manage representatives) or with CRA's help. A new authorization can usually be added quickly once you approve it.

Will the CRA penalize me because my accountant didn't file? Penalties apply to the taxpayer, not the representative. Filing quickly limits them, and VDP or taxpayer relief may help depending on timing and facts.

How fast can a new firm take over? CRA access can be in place within days. Turnaround is guaranteed within 1 month once all documents are in for a scoped catch-up engagement.

Should I keep paying the old accountant while I wait? Not for work you cannot verify. Settle any clear unpaid invoices for completed years, then stop open-ended retainers until you have CRA confirmation of what was filed.

Written by Gurdeep Sangha, founder of Sansar Solutions, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping and tax firm serving small businesses across Canada (mainly Ontario, Alberta and BC). Bookkeeping and tax filing for business owners, without CPA-firm pricing. When you need a Notice to Reader or review engagement, we bring in our partner CPAs. This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice for your situation. Last reviewed: October 2026.