Can my accountant set up the payment arrangement for me?

Not through this service. According to the CRA, Manage Balance for Businesses is not available through Represent a Client, so authorized representatives cannot use it on behalf of their clients. The owner, a director or an officer signs in to My Business Account directly.

Can your business set up a CRA payment plan online?

Q: Does interest stop during a payment arrangement?

No. According to the CRA's Information Circular IC98-1R8, until an amount is paid in full the CRA continues to charge interest at the prescribed rate, compounded daily, on tax and penalties.

The news in brief

On October 20, 2026, during Small Business Week, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced that its Manage balance service is now available in My Business Account. Until now, the service existed only in My Account, for individuals: the CRA launched it there in October 2025 for personal income tax or COVID-19 benefit debts of $1,000 or more.

For a business with a balance owing, the change is simple: it can now manage that debt online, without contacting a collections officer.

Which debts are covered?

According to the CRA, the service covers three kinds of business debt:

payroll;
GST/HST;
corporate income tax (T2).

It is meant for business owners, including directors and officers.

What you can do online

In My Business Account, the Manage balance service lets you:

make a payment toward an outstanding balance;
set up a payment arrangement based on your business's financial situation;
request a call back from the CRA when you need more help.

A payment arrangement is a plan to pay the debt over time in several payments instead of one. The CRA notes that you can schedule a series of payments in your online account with a pre-authorized debit agreement.

One key point: you sign in yourself

The CRA is clear: Manage Balance for Businesses is not available through Represent a Client. Payroll professionals, accountants, bookkeepers and other authorized representatives cannot use it on behalf of their clients. To use it, you sign in to My Business Account yourself.

Interest keeps running

A payment arrangement spreads the debt out; it does not erase it. According to the CRA's Information Circular IC98-1R8 on tax collections policies, until an amount is paid in full the CRA continues to charge interest at the prescribed rate, compounded daily, on tax and penalties. The shorter the plan, the less it costs.

A federal change

This news is about the CRA. If your business also owes a provincial tax agency, that agency's own collection process applies.

What we do

We keep your books and prepare your returns, so we know what is owing, on which account and since when. Before you sign in to set up an arrangement, we look with you at what your business can pay each month, so the plan holds. Then upload the confirmation of each payment with your documents: we match it to your books.