Boileau Opens Systemic Review as Cra Delays T1 Adjustment Requests Hit 47 Weeks
François Boileau opened a systemic examination on June 11, 2026 into cra delays t1 adjustment requests after the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson said complex cases were taking far longer than the Canada Revenue Agency's service standard. The office said it wants to get to the root causes, and it may later make recommendations to reduce the delay.
As of May 14, 2026, the CRA had been taking up to 47 weeks to process complex T1 adjustment requests, against a 20-week service standard. Routine requests have shorter targets: two weeks when filed through Change my return in a CRA account or tax software, and eight weeks for requests made by phone or mail.
Boileau and the CRA
Boileau said the office had been receiving a consistently high level of complaints about delays in processing T1 adjustment requests. The Ombudsperson's office reviews complaints about service quality and systemic issues that can affect more than one person or part of the population, which is why the office moved from complaints into a systemic examination.
Boileau said, "We understand that the CRA is under tremendous pressure to deliver its services to the public. But T1 adjustments affect many taxpayers, and delays can cause real issues for those who are seeking redress. The delays we have been seeing with complex T1 adjustment requests touch on several rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. With a systemic examination, we are hoping to get to the root causes of why the CRA is not currently meeting its service standard."
T1 Adjustment Requests
The office also sent a service improvement request to the CRA asking it to change the T1-ADJ T1 Adjustment Request web page. That request asked the agency to encourage taxpayers to file T1 adjustment requests online rather than by printing and mailing the webform.
For taxpayers dealing with income tax and benefit return changes, the practical difference is stark: a routine online request has a two-week standard, while a complex request had reached up to 47 weeks by May 14. The examination now turns that delay into a formal review of why the complex cases are not meeting the 20-week target.
Taxpayers' Ombudsperson Review
After the findings are completed, Boileau may make recommendations on solutions to lessen the delays. For readers who need an adjustment handled now, the facts in this review point to two paths the CRA already prefers: online filing for routine requests, and a formal process that will examine the causes of the longest waits for complex cases.
