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CRA program account number decoder

Type in a CRA program account number — for example 123456789RT0001 — and see what each part means: which business it belongs to, which program the two letters name, and which account the four digits pick out. This decoder explains the format only. It is not an official CRA tool, it cannot check whether an account exists or is open, and it gives no tax advice. Confirm anything that matters with the CRA.

Your CRA program account number

Spaces and hyphens are fine — 123456789 RT 0001 and 123456789RT0001 are the same number. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

What your number means

Enter a number above and hit “Decode this number”. A full CRA program account number has 15 characters: a 9-digit business number, a 2-letter program code, and a 4-digit reference number.

A matching format only proves the number is shaped like a CRA program account number. It does not prove the account exists, is open, or belongs to the business named on the document in front of you. Check that in your CRA My Business Account, or call the CRA Business Enquiries line at 1-800-959-5525.

Every program code this decoder knows

Each code below was read on a Canada Revenue Agency page on November 6, 2026. If a code is not in this table, this decoder does not recognise it — that does not prove it is invalid, only that it is not one of the program identifiers the CRA lists on those pages.

Code	Program	What it is for
`RC`	Corporation income tax	The account under which a corporation files its T2 corporation income tax return.
`RM`	Import/export (former)	Formerly the import/export program account. Since May 13, 2024, businesses register for import/export through the Canada Border Services Agency CARM Client Portal, not through an RM account.
`RP`	Payroll deductions	The account under which an employer remits income tax, Canada Pension Plan contributions, and employment insurance premiums withheld from employees.
`RT`	GST/HST	The account under which a registrant charges, reports, and remits GST/HST (and Quebec sales tax, for selected listed financial institutions).
`RR`	Registered charity	The account of a registered charity. The full number — business number plus RR plus reference number — must appear on official donation receipts.
`RZ`	Information returns	The account for information returns such as T5, T5007, T5008, T5013, T5018, TFSA returns, and other slips the CRA lists under this identifier.
`CT`	Fuel charge	The account for the federal fuel charge.
`LT`	Luxury Tax	The account for the federal Luxury Tax.
`PT`	Global minimum tax	The account for the global minimum tax.
`RD`	Excise duty	The account for federal excise duty.
`RE`	Excise tax	The account for federal excise tax and special levies.
`RG`	Air Travellers Security Charge	The account for the Air Travellers Security Charge.
`RN`	Excise tax on insurance premiums	The account for excise tax on insurance premiums.
`RU`	Underused Housing Tax	The account for the Underused Housing Tax.

Read this before you act on a result

This decoder is unofficial and explains the format only. It reads the three parts of a CRA program account number — the 9-digit business number, the 2-letter program identifier, and the 4-digit reference number — and states which program the letters name, using the CRA's own lists. It cannot tell you whether the account exists, whether it is open or closed, who it belongs to, or whether a payment or return filed under it will land where you expect. A number in the right shape can still be mistyped, closed, or belong to a different business. Before you pay, file, or quote a number to anyone, confirm it in your CRA My Business Account or with the CRA directly. Do not use this page to check someone else's number as proof of anything: there is no public CRA directory of business numbers, and a correctly shaped number is not evidence of registration.

Sources and how each code was checked

Sources (all read November 6, 2026): CRA, "Required registration", GST/HST Memorandum 2-1 (June 2026) — the 9-digit business number, the two-letter program identifier and four-digit reference number, the 15-character total, RT for GST/HST, RC for corporation income tax, RP for payroll deductions, and the note that RM was previously used for import-export but that since May 13, 2024 businesses register for that program through the CBSA CARM Client Portal. CRA, "Register as a resident with a Canadian business" — RT, RP, RC, RR, RZ, LT, RU, and PT as the program accounts registerable through Business Registration Online, and RG, RD, RE, RM, and RN as program accounts with a separate registration process, with RM administered by the CBSA since October 21, 2024. CRA, "Registration number" — the three-part table (9-digit business number, RR program identifier, 4-digit reference number) and the other identifiers RT, RP, RC, and RM. The fuel-charge identifier CT is listed in the CRA's supported program identifiers on Form RC7259X (Canada.ca). No code on this page comes from anywhere else.

Next step: read the full step-by-step guide: CRA Program Accounts Explained: RC, RM, RP and RT Numbers

CRA program account number decoder

What your number means

Every program code this decoder knows

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