Represent a Client - What's new archive

October 2010

The following features were added to the Represent a Client service:

Businesses are now able to authorize a GroupID if their representative is a group of individuals, including their employees. For example, employees that perform tax related or payroll duties for their employer can now be associated to a group, allowing the employer to better manage the employer/employee relationship.

Representatives with business clients are now presented with an enhanced business client list, which displays detailed authorization information including:

• program identifier
• program account
• level of authorization
• authorization process date
• expiry date

Tax preparation and payroll service businesses are now able to assign business clients to their group client list, to help them better manage their representative/client relationships. Previously, this feature was available for individual (SIN) clients only.

February 2010

The following feature was added to the Represent a Client service:

• The ability to download a copy of your Individual or Business client lists is now available. This new feature allows authorized Representatives to set a schedule or make a one time request (available the following day) for their client list.

October 2009

The following features were added to the Represent a Client service:

• The employee / representative lists have been updated to provide a view of the activities performed by representatives. The ability to view activities will be available to business owners, senior administrators and group administrators.
  
  
• Representatives will now be able to remove themselves from a group. If the representative is the only Group Administrator, they must first associate another Group Administrator prior to removing themselves from the group.

August 2009

The online tutorial for the Represent a Client service was updated to reflect the most recent changes to the service. The tutorial provides instructional steps along with screen images of activities representatives are likely to complete when using the service.

It will be especially useful to new users, showing them how to get the most out of the service.

February 2009

Representatives and businesses now have the option of entering an email address when registering with the service or updating their contact information. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may use the email address to notify of upcoming events, such as future enhancements or planned service interruptions to the Represent a Client service. At no time will the CRA contact a representative or a business by email to request personal or business tax information.

Further, a convenient Client Summary feature has been added to the My Account for representatives screen, which allows representatives to view a summary list of the most commonly accessed individual taxpayer information:

• account balances and instalment details
• assessment/reassessment details
• registered retirement savings plan/Home Buyers' Plan/Lifelong Learning Plan information
• disability details
• carryover amounts

In addition, tax preparation and payroll service businesses are now able to create groups of representatives within the Represent a Client service. This feature allows large tax service and payroll businesses, for example, to divide their employees and clients into groupings of a more manageable size.

The group feature is also available to any representative with an independent RepID. For example, representatives of non-tax-related organizations (such as a public body) can now create groups of representatives to help them better manage their representative/client relationships.

February 2008

The following features were added to the Represent a client service:

• Representatives can view their individual clients disability tax credit information.
• The taxpayer's name(s) is displayed on screen.
• Legal representatives (executors, powers of attorney, legal guardians) who have submitted the proper legal documentation to the Canada Revenue Agency, can authorize and manage other representatives through the Authorize my representative feature. The Authorize my representative link will appear under the “Do it online” heading when legal representatives view individual clients tax information.
• Some representatives who registered for more than one employee RepID had multiple RepIDs associated to one Business Number. However, a message (REG.47) will be presented to these representatives stating the need to have only one employee-to-business association.

October 2007

On October 22, 2007, the next phase of this online service will be introduced, allowing authorized employees and third-party representatives to access business tax information online.

Representatives and authorized employees who have not previously registered with this service will have to register with Represent a Client so the business owner can authorize them. Authorized representatives will access their business clients' tax information by logging in to Represent a Client and entering the Business Number (BN) of the client. Representatives will be able to obtain information for as many of their clients as they want during a session by simply entering each client's BN.

Another new feature of Represent a Client will allow representatives to view the transactions they have performed online for their individual clients.