How to Read Your Notice of Assessment (Ottawa CPA Guide)
Confused by your CRA Notice of Assessment? Ottawa CPA Majdi Ibrahim explains each section, your RRSP room, and the 90-day objection deadline.
By Majdi Ibrahim, CPA | Majdi Ibrahim, CPA Professional Corporation | Ottawa, Ontario
After you file your tax return, CRA sends back a document called a Notice of Assessment (NOA) — and most people glance at it just long enough to see whether they owe money or are getting a refund, then file it away (or don't).
That's understandable, but the NOA actually contains a few pieces of information worth a closer look. Here's what's on it, and why it matters.
A Recent Change Worth Knowing About
Effective February 9, 2026, notices of assessment and reassessment became available for viewing in CRA portals — My Account, My Business Account, and Represent a Client — as soon as CRA receives and processes the return. If you don't have a CRA account, or you've set your communication preference to mail, CRA may still send the notice by mail.
The practical takeaway: CRA My Account is now the fastest and most reliable place for most people to find their NOA — often appearing there before any paper copy would arrive, with an email notification when it's ready.
If you've never set up a CRA My Account, this is a reasonable moment to do it — beyond the NOA, it's also where you'd see your RRSP room, FHSA information, benefit payments, and correspondence from CRA generally.
The Four Main Sections
A typical NOA has four parts. Here's what each one tells you.
1. Account Summary — The Bottom Line
This is the part everyone looks at: are you getting a refund (sometimes shown as "CR" for credit), do you owe a balance ("DR" for debit), or does it come out to zero? This section shows the final result after all credits and deductions.
Worth comparing: does this match what your tax software (or your accountant) told you when you filed? If CRA's number is different from what you expected, that's your cue to look at the next section.
2. Assessment Details / Explanation of Changes — What's Different, and Why
If CRA's numbers match what you filed, this section may be brief or absent. But if CRA changed anything — added a T-slip you forgot, adjusted a deduction, recalculated something — this section explains what changed and why.
A common example: you forgot to include a T4 or T5 slip, and CRA added it automatically because they received a copy from the issuer. This section is where that kind of adjustment gets explained.
3. RRSP Deduction Limit — Your Room for Next Year
This is one of the most useful numbers on the entire document, and it's also one of the most commonly ignored. Your NOA shows your RRSP deduction limit — how much contribution room you have heading into the following year, based on your income, any pension adjustments, and prior contributions.
This number is more reliable than estimating 18% of your income yourself — it already accounts for carry-forward room, pension adjustments, and prior contributions. If you've opened a First Home Savings Account (FHSA), your NOA — or your CRA account more broadly — may also show FHSA participation room and carryforward information, though this won't apply to everyone.
4. Statement of Account — Any Outstanding Balances
This section shows whether you have any outstanding balances from current or prior years — including interest that may have accumulated. If everything's been paid and there's nothing outstanding, this section is straightforward. If there's a balance here that you weren't expecting, it's worth understanding where it came from before assuming it's an error.
NOA vs. NOR: What's the Difference?
A Notice of Assessment (NOA) is the original assessment issued after CRA processes your filed return. A Notice of Reassessment (NOR) is issued later, if CRA reviews a previously assessed return again and makes further changes — whether prompted by new information, a review, or something CRA catches after the fact.
Both matter, and both can start a new objection clock for whatever was assessed or reassessed. The same basic structure applies to an NOR as to an NOA — account summary, explanation of changes, and so on — just reflecting whatever changed in that specific review.
The 90-Day Objection Deadline
At the top of your NOA (or NOR) is a date — the date CRA sent the notice. If you disagree with your NOA or NOR, the 90-day date is the one to pay attention to first. CRA generally refers to a 90-day window from the date of the notice to register a formal dispute. For some individual income tax objections, the timeline can be more nuanced, but you shouldn't assume extra time applies without advice.
Don't wait until you have every document before checking the deadline. Missing the objection deadline can make the process harder.
Quick NOA Check
Next time an NOA or NOR shows up, a few minutes spent on these questions covers most of what matters:
- Does the refund or balance owing match what you expected?
- Did CRA change anything from the return as filed?
- Does the RRSP deduction limit look reasonable?
- Is there FHSA room information, if relevant to you?
- Is there an outstanding balance or instalment reminder?
- What's the notice date — in case the 90-day objection window matters?
The Real Takeaway
Your NOA isn't just a receipt to file away — it's confirmation of your tax position, your RRSP (and possibly FHSA) room for next year, a starting point for objecting if something looks wrong, and (these days) something you'll most likely find online rather than in your mailbox.
Two minutes of actually reading it — rather than just checking the refund/owing line — can save a lot of confusion later. And if RRSP room is something you're actively planning around, our RRSP vs. TFSA article covers how that room interacts with how you're paid.
Questions About Your NOA?
If something on your NOA doesn't match what you expected — or you're not sure what a section means — it's worth a quick conversation rather than guessing. If you've received a notice along with other CRA correspondence, our article on what to bring to a first meeting can help you figure out what's useful to share.
Majdi Ibrahim, CPA works with individuals and business owners across Ottawa, including helping make sense of CRA correspondence.
Book a consultation at www.treehousecpa.com
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute personalized tax advice. CRA processes and rules are subject to change.
