If you or your spouse or common-law partner had a name change at any time during the year, you need to inform the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and/or Revenu Québec (if applicable) as soon as possible. To avoid problems when filing your tax return(s), notify the CRA and/or Revenu Québec of the name change before you file your return(s). Keep in mind that you can’t use your or your spouse’s return to inform either agency of the name change.

Canadian residents outside of Québec

Depending on whether only the first or last name was changed, or both, the process of informing the CRA is different. For a change to only the first or last name, call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 to advise them of the change. If both the first and last name were changed, mail or fax a letter with the following information to your local tax centre:

A name change certificate from a provincial or territorial vital statistics department, or a court order issued under an act on change of name

• Your old and new names
• Your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
• Your signature

Note: The CRA doesn’t accept name changes by email or online.

Refer to the Service Canada website for more information on changing your name with other relevant government departments and agencies.

Québec residents

If your or your spouse's name change application has been accepted by the Directeur de l'état civil, inform Revenu Québec of the change by:

• Telephone at 1-800-267-6299; or
• Mailing a copy of the name change certificate from the Directeur de l'état civil at either of the following addresses: 

Note: Even if you completed the simplified forwarding of information relative to a change of name form with the name change application, the Directeur de l'état civil won’t notify Revenu Québec of the change; you must inform them yourself.