CRA Payroll wait times
Payroll deductions, remittances, T4 slips, and employer accounts.
Figures below cover the 30 days to 31 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 2nd fastest of the 9 CRA lines we track. It is quietest on Tuesdays (26 minutes on average) and around 8am–9am ET; busiest on Thursdays (28 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 | 18 | 29 | 33 | 25 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 23 | 27 | 26 |
| Tue | 17 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 34 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 25 |
| Wed | 17 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 28 |
| Thu | 22 | 28 | 32 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 26 |
| Fri | 18 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 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 — 27 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (18 min), worst hour 10a (33 min).
- Tuesday — quietest day, 26 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (17 min), worst hour 2p (34 min).
- Wednesday — 27 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (17 min), worst hour 2p (32 min).
- Thursday — busiest day, 28 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (22 min), worst hour 3p (33 min).
- Friday — 27 minutes on average. Best hour 8a (18 min), worst hour 5p (32 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 31 October 2026 it averaged 27 minutes, ranging from about 26 minutes on a typical Tuesday to 28 minutes on a typical Thursday.
When is the best time to call the CRA Payroll line?
Tuesdays are quietest, averaging 26 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?
Thursdays are busiest, averaging 28 minutes, and the slowest stretch is around 2pm–3pm Eastern Time.
Figures regenerated 2026-11-01T01:04:56+00:00 from readings taken every 5 minutes. See live wait times for all CRA lines.