Updating your marital status with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is mandatory. You must let the CRA know of marital status changes if:

you married
you became common-law
you separated for more than 90 days (due to a breakdown in the relationship)
you divorced
your spouse or common-law partner died

Marital status changes can be completed online through MyCRA, via phone, or mail. To learn more, visit https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/update-your-marital-status-canada-revenue-agency.html

Effective Date of Your Marital Status

This is the date your marital status began. This is a mandatory field.

Types of Marital Statuses

Married

A person who is legally married (that is, has a marriage contract with another person) and that marriage remains intact.

Common-law

This applies to a person who is not your spouse, with whom you are living in a conjugal relationship, and to whom at least one of the following situations applies.

He or she:

has been living with you in a conjugal relationship, and this current relationship has lasted at least 12 continuous months;
is the parent of your child by birth or adoption; or
has custody and control of your child (or had custody and control immediately before the child turned 19 years of age) and your child is wholly dependent on that person for support

Note: In this definition, 12 continuous months includes any period you were separated for less than 90 days because of a breakdown in the relationship.

Widowed

A person who was married or engaged in a common-law relationship, but whose relationship has ended following the death of their spouse or common-law partner AND who has not remarried, married or entered into a common-law relationship.

Divorced

A person whose marriage has ended through divorce AND who has not reconciled with their spouse married again, or entered into a common-law relationship.

Separated

A person who has lived separate and apart from their spouse or common-law partner for 90 days or more because of a breakdown in their marriage or common-law partnership.

Single

A person who has never been married and is currently not in a common-law relationship

At Faithe Rouse Professional Accounting Services, we are here to answer your bookkeeping and tax questions. Contact our team to find out how we can help you.