CARM
Effective October 21, 2024, the CBSA is changing how you will be remitting your duties and taxes. This page provides step by step information on how to register in the portal.
CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management
Step 1
Create a GCKey
To access the CARM client portal you can use an approved sign in partner (banks) or a GCKey. We strongly recommend the GCKey as this will simplify registration for other Government programs. Note that each employee will need their own key, these cannot be a "shared secret".
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If you do not already have a GCKey, select option 2 on the login screen here and then click Sign Up on the right side.
Step 2
Register yourself in CARM
Click here to access the CARM Client Portal and select option 2 to sign in with your GCKey. When signing in the first time, it will take you through the setup of Multifactor Authentication (MFA), future sign ins will just prompt to send the MFA code to your email.
Complete video and transcript is found here.
Step 3
Video transcript can be found here.
Click here for a PDF guide to onboarding in CARM
Register your Business in CARM
The first time you log in, there will be an option to register your business, it is on the right side of the screen. This should be done by an officer of the company (CEO / CFO / Owner). If you have previously imported goods, there will be some security questions to answer regarding previous transactions. Look for invoices / transactions in a quiet month where you only had 1 or 2 entries, or contact your customs broker for the answers to "a transaction number and amount" and "the month and payment amount on your account"
If you are an employee needing access, use the box on the left to search for a business.
Step 4
Broker Delegation of Authority
Big words that mean "let your broker handle some things". Without this, we cannot submit final accounting documents to customs, they will be rejected by the portal. Note that you will still be responsible for payment of your duty and taxes in the portal.
Generally, we require access as a Business Account Manager (BAM). Make sure to select "all programs" and "Business Account Management." Check all 3 boxes for Transaction visibility. This will allow us to make corrections to other broker and couriers transactions.
Video transcript can be found here.
Click here for a PDF user guide to delegation of authority
Video transcript can be found here
Step 5
Employee delegation of authority
Once your employees have requested access to your business, you can approve them and set their authorization levels for visibility / actions that they can take on behalf of the business. Until you nominate a second person, you will get a warning message each time you log on. It is crucial that you have a second person authorized on your account as government assistance for your account can take time, so having a second person with BAM authorization will allow you to continue to get the information you need, while waiting for support.
Step 6
Statements and transactions
The home screen in CARM provides rather limited information. To see more details,, click the "view all transactions" above the center table. This will take you to a screen with some more details, there is also an option to download all transactions into an Excel file.
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To view your statements of account. From the home page, click the Financial Information link and then the statements link, select the statement you would like to peruse. What you are really looking for here is old transactions at the bottom and the amounts payable by Importer and payable by broker in fields I and J (top right).
Video transcript can be found here.
Click here for a PDF user guide to financials in CARM
Video transcript can be found here.
Step 7
Set up Pre-Authorized Debit
For regular importers, we really recommend setting this up. It is a simple and effective way to ensure your duties and taxes are paid on time. Alternatively they can be paid through your online banking, or in the CARM client portal by credit card or Interac Online
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Note that it will only accept $5000 per CC transaction, so you may have to go through it multiple times to make enough funds available, then assign those funds to transactions.
Step 8
Obtain a Release Prior to Payment (RPP) Bond
Prior to CARM, the majority of importers would pay their duty and taxes to the broker, and the broker would remit them to the government on their behalf. The broker would be required to hold a bond with a surety company that would cover all clients using this service. Under CARM, each importer will be required to hold their own bond with a surety company, or post a cash bond in the CARM client portal.
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For a cash bond, the requirement is that it be for 100% of the highest monthly duty and taxes paid in the last 12 months. A surety bond is required for only 50% of the highest monthly duty and taxes over the past 12 months. Exceptions can be requested for months where large capital purchases were made, values are reviewed in July and the CARM client portal will let you know if you require a higher bond. The minimum bond (from a surety company) is $5000 which works out to a CA$200,000 shipment with just GST on it
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If you are a new importer then you will simply be required to cover the duty and taxes for your first shipment. If the bond is not enough the entry might reject and this can cause delays that will add extra expenses to your import.
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Sounds complicated eh? Give us a call and we can discuss what is the best option for you, at this time. We have also secured great rates from a surety company, should you need that option, and can have most clients set up and ready to go in 48 hours.
If you've still got questions, we've got answers. Give us a call or drop an email and we will provide the support you need for a successful transition into the realm of CARM. There are also some links below that will provide a bit more insight into some subjects. We highly recommend attending a live CBSA webinar where you can interact with a real live CBSA representative.
CBSA live webinar schedule CARM FAQ More CARM how to videos