Qualification
Notice of Assessment
Also known as: NOA
The CRA's official confirmation of your tax filing. Issued after CRA reviews your T1, the NOA confirms (or revises) the income, deductions, and tax owing on the return. Lenders use the NOA rather than the T1 itself as the official income verification, because the NOA is third-party stamped by CRA and can't be self-prepared.
For self-employed and business-owner files, two years of NOAs (most recent two tax years) are standard documentation. If CRA reassessed your return after initial filing, the reassessed NOA is the one that counts. If you're owed a refund or you owe a balance, the NOA shows it. If you have a CRA payment arrangement in place, mention it upfront; lenders will ask.
NOAs are downloadable from CRA My Account within minutes. If you can't find recent NOAs at conversation time, that's a 5-minute fix before the file is ready to submit.
Want the file-specific answer?
Glossary definitions cover the framework. A strategy call covers your mortgage, your tax situation, your timeline. About 30 minutes, no pressure.
Book a strategy call