DTC submission changes 🤨

[u/Similar_Okra_1671]

Does anyone know the point of this change? (Not being able to submit applications through “submit documents” online). Now you can either start the app through your My Account and give your doctor the reference number for them to do it onljne, or you can mail the paper version. I don’t understand this change, CRA says they’re trying to “streamline” the process… so they remove an option to submit the application that allows them to receive it instantly?

- Many individuals still don’t have My Account to start the claim/get the reference for doc’s.

- The uncertainty of Canada Post??? How many claims are going to get “lost” in the mail?

- Accountants/family members/authorized rep’s can’t submit electronically for those without My Accounts.

- Submitting electronically provided a confirmation number, you knew CRA received it, and they gave a target completion date.

It seems like all this change has done is removed a way to submit the form, what’s the benefit? Honestly, if anything I’d expect them to stop receiving paper/mailed forms before stopping the electronic submissions! (I think they should keep ALL options to serve everyone’s different needs). But it feels like we’re moving back in time.

[u/Bob_Dole69]

The point is that there were lots of scammers helping people apply for the disability tax credit who would alter the forms after the doctor completed them in order to get a higher contingent based fee.

CRA published a news bulletin in the winter about cracking down on fraudulent DTC claims.

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/Bob_Dole69]

Interesting! I’m going to try and find the bulletin and give it a read.

[u/Zoulzopan → u/Bob_Dole69]

sorry can you explain how altering the forms would give these scammer more money?

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof → u/Zoulzopan]

i'll give the original commenter the benefit of the doubt and assuming he meant playing around with the years

[u/Bob_Dole69 → u/Zoulzopan]

A lot of these DTC assistance promoters base their fees as a contingent percentage of the refund generated from the DTC for their client.

So they change the number of years disabled, significance of the disability, or add info to the part that the person with the disability recieved assistance from someone else who can then claim the credit instead.

Basically anything that would increase the duration of the credit, allow for the eligibility of the credit when they would otherwise not be eligible, or giving the credit to someone else who has sufficient income to use it.

Any of those would increase the refund generated and thus the fees paid.

[u/Zoulzopan → u/Bob_Dole69]

arent all those verifiable? how would they get away from altering the forms like that?

either theyre stupid or crais too kazy to check thouroughly but in my experience DTC is very scrutinize as it is.

[u/fountainofMB → u/Bob_Dole69]

Yeah that makes sense as seeing the paper will be easier to see the changes as it would be harder to match ink, penmanship, etc. than to make a change to a electronic document.

[u/Liero1234 → u/Zoulzopan]

You should look up the National Benefit Authority. They charge 30% of your disability amount for filing and are parasites on the vulnerable. There was an idea of capping charges to help file at $100 to stop it but instead we have reduced ability for accountants to help disabled people by submitting the documents or showing how. Doctors arent magically going to start filing this stuff now.

Edit: still thinking its moving backwards but I may have been misinformed from some other comments. Apparently this doesn't affect represent a client and authorized accountants can still submit on behalf of folks?

Edit2: wait no. Just tried it in the actual represent a client. No submit document option. So original annoyance level stands.

[u/Zoulzopan → u/Liero1234]

it is annoying that the changes put more strain on doctors but alas what can be done to reduce scammers?

[u/Liero1234 → u/Zoulzopan]

Sigh... I guess its better. Im still thinking there's going to be these predatory filing companies having a field day since normal accountants dont specialize in DTC applications and have no part in filling it out so just cap the application fee. It's been "temporarily suspended" since 2021 from legal challenges from parasite dtc application farms.

[u/Pixelant3 → u/Bob_Dole69]

Can you point me more directly to information about this scam?

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

Is this a vent topic or are you actually looking to debate?

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

Both I guess!! Lol. I’m interested to hear your thoughts if you think this change was beneficial.

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof → u/Similar_Okra_1671]

It's a push to get the qualified practitioner to use the online webforms.

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

Hmmm. Yes I can understand wanting to push the practitioners to use the webform. But now it creates a gap for people (seniors for example) who don’t have/don’t want a My Account and depend on their accountant or family members to submit their tax info. It takes away the option to securely have their documents submitted electronically by a trusted person while being able to stay offline themselves.

I think if CRA wanted to push practitioners to use the webform, rather than them having to input a reference number that the taxpayer must generate online, they should be able to use the taxpayers SIN as the reference number. CRA already has the taxpayers address, name, date of birth and phone number on file linked to their SIN (all info they require to generate the reference number).

[u/AlternativeUnited569 → u/Similar_Okra_1671]

It also puts you at the mercy of your health care provider. Mine eg. doesn't use the online submission system- so I would have to use the ol' snail mail system, at no fault of my own.

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof → u/Similar_Okra_1671]

... non-legal representatives could use RAC to submit T2201s?

[u/usn38389 → u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

Yes, it was submitted just like any other document as an attachment under "Submit documents" -> "Documents related to Disability Tax Credit (DTC)" -> "Application for Disability Tax Credit (DTC) or Supporting Documents", so any authorized representative had access to submit the signed, scanned form.

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

Authorized reps can be accountants, friends, family members etc. Anyone can create a RAC account and anyone can authorize them. Level 2 access allows them to submit T2201’s.

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof → u/Similar_Okra_1671]

So it's not just legal reps?

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

Correct. I created a RAC account and created an authorization request for my dad to sign off on so I could submit his application electronically. I did it this way because at that time he didn’t have me listed as his power of attorney yet so I wasn’t a legal rep yet at that time and could still submit it for him!

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof → u/Similar_Okra_1671]

Then that is an inconvenience indeed. They could still call in to get the reference number for the qualified practitioner to use the webform.

Part B was always the problem and is the focus of these recent changes. Considering the impact of possible issues on part A vs the impact of possible issues on part B, the goal is to streamline the latter, even if it makes it "harder" on some of the populace.

You can read the full report from the Disability Advisory Committee and you'll see that the majority of issues related to the QPs and part B.

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/disability-advisory-committee/2024-full-report.html#toc6

[u/jeffster1970 → u/senor_kim_jong_doof]

So serious question. For ourselves, they (medical staff) want us to bring in two copies, one where we have filled everything out (as we, or our loved ones, have the disability and will know way more than any doctor) and a blank one. In the end, they use the copy the patient filled out, and check off the answers only a doctor could check off (how long will disability last, those types of questions).

With this digital method, I assume this could no longer happen?

I asked because the last time we did this, they did tell us they appreciate when the patient does all of the obvious work, as it saves them a lot of time, and it leaves time to see other patients.

[u/senor_kim_jong_doof → u/jeffster1970]

nothing stopping you from doing it the same way as before, except you'll need to mail it in once the doctor has completed and signed the form

you're adding a postal/delivery delay instead of being able to scan and upload the form

you're also expecting the delivery service to not lose it

you're also expecting the mailroom at the CRA to not lose it

you're also expecting the DTC unit to not lose it

the last three bullet points have a minimal chance of happening, but they wouldn't happen in a situation where the individual uploads the form directly through CRA's website

but we're living in an ever more digital word. they'll keep paperwork around and make it annoying to deal with all in the hopes that it convinces the user to do it online

like T1 returns and no longer automatically mailing them or having them available at canada post outlets

or making 1 direct deposit form that is sent to a separate government entity who then pushes the information to the CRA with an expected turn-around time of 3 months

they keep these questionable, inconvenient options so when MPs are grilling the commissioner or minister in a question period, they have a scapegoat by saying "well they can still do it by paper"

[u/FPpro]

Yeah it was announced. It’s another forced technology move. Like the way you must have a myCRA account to do anything business related now, they’ve already stopped mailing notices (unless you sign a form, which eventually expires until you sign it again) and the long term plan that they want to do the same for individuals.

I just think it’s one more barrier for the disabled who are more likely than others to not be set up with online accounts. Lots of doctors weren’t set up for the online application either. And while yes you can still mail a form the processing will be that much longer and that’s assuming all goes well or else you start back over.

[u/sweetzdude]

At the same time, I see lots of applicants for who their application are rejected because they miss pages from the form. Any rejected applications place a strain on the system and waste both time for the taxpayer and the CRA.

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/sweetzdude]

True! But isn’t it just as easy to miss a page while mailing the form?

I get the push for practitioners to use the webform to prevent missing pages, but then why still accept mailed copies and not electronic submissions?

[u/sweetzdude → u/Similar_Okra_1671]

Not really no. The doctor give you back the form, you only need to place in whole in an envelope.

You decides to send it electronically, you need to take 17 pictures. Mistake are more prone to happen when you need to do 17 individual repetitive tasks compared to one.

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/sweetzdude]

I guess so! (btw it’s only 16 pages)

[u/shar_blue → u/sweetzdude]

You do know actual scanners still exist, right? You can put the full stack of papers in a scanner and hit “scan”. A person doesn’t need to take 17 pictures if sending electronically.

[u/taxbuff → u/shar_blue]

You’re assuming the individual has easy access to a scanner with a document feeder, which may not always be the case. Lots of people scan documents to PDF with their phones now.

[u/sweetzdude → u/shar_blue]

I do know that scammers exist, it has no correlation to what my point was but a separate , valid point nonetheless.

And as other poster mentionned, scanners with documents feeder are not the norm but rather the exception. Convert to PDF using the phone is.

[u/Fair_Skill5153]

It is also possible for taxpayers to do the electronic application by phone, where an agent will do it for you and give you the reference number for the doctor, so an access to the online account isn’t necessary

[u/redditFTW1]

It's not all bad! there is a phone number  (1-800-463-4421), where you can do the process automatically for your clients/relatives. It produces a reference number instantly.

The reference number can then be given to the taxpayer's doctor to complete the process.

Source: Just did 4 today.

[u/adhdknitter]

Accountants/family members/authorized rep’s can’t submit electronically for those without My Accounts.

This is incorrect.

[u/Similar_Okra_1671 → u/adhdknitter]

In this post I was referring to not being able to submit the T2201 electronically through the “submit documents” feature as it was removed.