CRA Payroll wait times
Payroll deductions, remittances, T4 slips, and employer accounts.
Figures below cover the 30 days to 18 October 2026. Live wait times refresh every 5 minutes on the homepage.
The phone number for this line is published on canada.ca.
The CRA Payroll line averages 27 minutes over the last 30 days, making it the 5th fastest of the 9 CRA lines we track. It is quietest on Fridays (22 minutes on average) and around 8am–9am ET; busiest on Mondays (33 minutes) and around 2pm–3pm ET.
Our readings show this line answering Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Payroll wait times by day and hour
| 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 15 | 23 | 32 | 40 | 42 | 34 | 41 | 35 | 34 | 29 | 36 | 30 |
| Tue | 15 | 18 | 25 | 33 | 31 | 36 | 40 | 32 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 27 |
| Wed | 15 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 29 |
| Thu | 20 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 24 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 36 |
| Fri | 16 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 23 |
| Sat | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sun | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
<15Under 15 min 15–2915–29 min 30+30 min and over FullLine full Closed
View this data as text
Average CRA hold times for Payroll, by day, Eastern Time:
- Monday — busiest day, 33 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (15 min), worst hour 12p (42 min).
- Tuesday — 30 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (15 min), worst hour 2p (40 min).
- Wednesday — 24 minutes on average. Best hour 10a (14 min), worst hour 3p (32 min).
- Thursday — 28 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (20 min), worst hour 7p (36 min).
- Friday — quietest day, 22 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (16 min), worst hour 6p (27 min).
- Saturday — closed, no answered calls recorded.
- Sunday — closed, no answered calls recorded.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for the CRA Payroll line?
Over the 30 days to 18 October 2026 it averaged 27 minutes, ranging from about 22 minutes on a typical Friday to 33 minutes on a typical Monday.
When is the best time to call the CRA Payroll line?
Fridays are quietest, averaging 22 minutes, and within the day the calmest stretch is around 8am–9am Eastern Time.
When is the worst time to call the CRA Payroll line?
Mondays are busiest, averaging 33 minutes, and the slowest stretch is around 2pm–3pm Eastern Time.
Figures regenerated 2026-10-18T05:49:57+00:00 from readings taken every 5 minutes. See live wait times for all CRA lines.