What information do i need for direct deposit

Banks make it easy for you to pay bills with direct deposit, whether you are acting as an individual or running a business. Direct deposit is helpful because it is secure, saves time and usually saves you money in check charges. It’s good for the people you pay as well. Creditors and employees have their money put straight into their bank accounts without the hassle of going to the bank to cash paper checks.

Table of Contents Show

What you need before you enrol
Direct deposit for businesses
Browse eligible payments
Enrol in direct deposit
Direct deposit for government suppliers
Benefits of enrolling your business
What information is needed for a direct deposit?
What 3 numbers do you need for direct deposit?

Talk to your banker to determine your needs. For example, if you plan to use direct deposit to pay employees, you probably need a dedicated payroll account with online resources designed for paying many people on a regular basis. If you are doing payroll and other accounting functions yourself instead of outsourcing them to a data processing service, your bank might also offer special reports and statements designed for small businesses.
Ask the person or business you want to pay by direct deposit for the necessary information. You need the recipient’s name and address as it appears on the account to which you are sending money. You also need the name of the bank, the bank routing number and the bank account number. The routing number identifies the bank, while the account number is a unique identifier of your recipient’s account.
Log on to your online bank account and verify that you have sufficient funds in the account to cover the direct deposit payment you want to make. Follow the prompts to enter the information from Step 2. Enter the amount you wish to pay. Again, follow the prompts to authorize and send the payment.
Save the information you’ve entered in your online account. This will eliminate the need to re-enter the same information the next time you pay the recipient via direct deposit. For recurring bills for which the amounts do not change, such as rent payments, most banks allow you to schedule automatic payments on a specified date each month.

You can enrol in direct deposit for most payments your business receives. If you do business with the government, you can get paid with direct deposit. Streamline your business banking and save time by enrolling today.

What you need before you enrol

A bank account with a Canadian financial institution
A void cheque that indicates:
- the name of your financial institution
- your company's bank account number
- the branch number (also called the "transit number") and institution number of your company's financial institution
Your business number
The proper authority to makes requests on behalf of the business: usually an owner, partner, director or an individual with delegated authority

Note

If your business doesn't use cheques, there are other ways to find your company's banking information:

log in to your company's online banking
visit your company's bank and request a printed copy of the account information

Direct deposit for businesses

Your business can enrol in direct deposit for most payments it receives from the government.

Browse eligible payments

Most payments your business receives from the Government of Canada are eligible for direct deposit. Explore the list of eligible payments and benefits and the department or agency that issues them.

Canada Revenue Agency

Corporation income tax refund
Goods and services tax/Harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit
Refund of excise tax or other levies
Refund of payroll deductions

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada

Grants and contributions

Canada Border Security Agency

Commercial refunds

Note

If your company's payment isn't listed, you may contact the department or agency that issues the payment to verify whether direct deposit is an option.

Enrol in direct deposit

Once you have matched the payments your business receives with the departments and agencies that issues them, you may enrol in direct deposit. You may also change the bank account information or address that the issuing department or agency has on file.

Enrol in direct deposit with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Enrol in direct deposit with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)
Enrol in direct deposit with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)

Direct deposit for government suppliers

Your business can be paid by direct deposit for the goods and services you sell to the government. To enrol, contact the federal institution that issues your payment by searching for their name below.

Contact information for federal institutions

Institution	Contact information
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada	Please refer to Indigenous Services Canada
Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada	General inquiries Email:
Agriculture and Agri-Food (Department of)	National Capital Region Office Email:
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency	Annette Flanagan Telephone:506‑851‑6260Email:
Canada Border Services Agency	General inquiries Email:
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions	Diane Lavallée Telephone:514‑496‑1300Email: Christian Masse Telephone:514‑496‑5966Email:
Canada Revenue Agency	CAS Vendor Code Email:
Canada School of Public Service	General inquiries Email:
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety	Linda Moreau Telephone:905‑572‑2981 ext. 4409Email:
Canadian Dairy Commission	Hayat El-Khoury Telephone:613‑792‑2046Email:
Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Elizabeth Barbe Telephone:514‑496‑7447Email:
Canadian Grain Commission	General inquiries Email:
Canadian Heritage (Department of)	General inquiries Telephone:819‑953‑8822Email:
Canadian High Arctic Research Station	Please refer to Polar Knowledge Canada
Canadian Human Rights Commission	Marcel Parisien Telephone:613‑943‑0020Email:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research	Diane Drouin Telephone:613‑960‑6204Email:
Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat	Michel Benoit Telephone:613‑355‑0848Email:
Canadian International Development Agency	Please refer to Global Affairs Canada
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency	Simon Fleck Telephone:613-415-8752Email:
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission	Karen Tarr Telephone:613‑990‑3351Email:
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission	Micheline Khouri Telephone:819‑997‑4299Email:
Canadian Security Intelligence Service	General inquiries Email:
Canadian Space Agency	Telephone:450‑926‑4840Email:
Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board	Please refer to Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Canadian Transportation Agency	Jacques Daoust Telephone:819‑953‑9886Email:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada	Please refer to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Communications Security Establishment Canada	Sylvie Paquin Telephone:613‑991‑5685Email:
Copyright Board Canada	Chantale Lafontaine Telephone:613‑946‑7288Email:
Correctional Service of Canada	General inquiries Email:
Courts Administration Service	Telephone:613‑943‑7126Email:
Defence Construction Canada	Email:
Employment and Social Development (Department of)	Accounts payable Telephone:1‑855‑684‑7827Email:
Environment and Climate Change Canada	General inquiries Email:
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)	Chantale Lafontaine Telephone:613‑946‑7288Email:
Finance Canada (Department of)	Christine Desjardins Telephone:613‑769‑7483Email:
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada	Lisa Marlot Telephone:613‑990‑4486Email:
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada	Financial operations Telephone:613‑992‑8950Email:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Department of)	Accounting Hub Telephone:1‑855‑859‑6271Email:
Global Affairs Canada	Email:
Health Canada (Department of)	General inquiries Email:
House of Commons	Financial Management Operations Telephone:613‑996‑3071Email:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada	General inquiries Telephone:613‑995‑6486Email:
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada	General inquiries Email:
Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission	Josée Boucher Telephone:613‑943‑9021Email:
Indigenous Services Canada	General inquiries Telephone:819-953-8204, 819-744-0106, 613-292-6834Email:
Industry (Department of)	Please refer to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada	Chantale Lafontaine Telephone:613‑946‑7288Email:
International Joint Commission	Pierre Montreuil Telephone:613‑995‑2986Email:
Justice Canada (Department of)	General inquiries Email:
Library and Archives of Canada	Julie Hamel Telephone:819‑934‑4438Email:
Library of Parliament	General inquiries Email:
Military Grievances External Review Committee	Julie Careau Telephone:613‑992‑7591Email:
Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada	Sylvain Roy Telephone:613‑947‑5704Email:
National Battlefields Commission	Brigitte Bradley Telephone:418‑648‑2298Email:
National Defence (Department of)	General inquiries Email:
National Energy Board	Financial accounting general inquiries Email:
National Film Board	Anaïs Gouanvic-Alvarado Telephone:514‑283‑9054Email:
National Research Council Canada	General inquiries Email:
Natural Resources Canada	Direct deposit inquiries Telephone:343-292-8331Email:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada	Telephone:613-992-5348Email:
Northern Pipeline Agency Canada	Telephone:343-292-8331Email:
Office of Infrastructure Canada	Chantale Lafontaine Telephone:613‑946‑7288Email:
Office of the Auditor General	Lise Laforest Telephone:613‑952‑0213 ext. 5978Email:
Office of the Chief Electoral Officer	Isabelle Fortin Telephone:819‑939‑1472Email:
Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs	Julie Desjardins Telephone:613‑992‑2918Email:
Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying	Joanne Cameron-Larsen Telephone:613‑943‑0092Email:
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages	Danielle Tremblay Telephone:613‑316‑5986Email:
Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner	Tom Egan Telephone:613-992-3044Email:
Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner	General inquiries Email:
Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women	Christine Teske Telephone:819‑420‑6849Email:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada	Mike Pignat Telephone:613‑995‑2719Email:
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions	Eric Miller Telephone:613‑617‑1610Email:
Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner	Michel Benoit Telephone:613‑355‑0848Email:
Office of the Governor General's Secretary	Nathan A. Thompson Telephone:613‑998‑5566Email:
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada	Lisa Marlot Telephone:613‑990‑4486Email:
Parks Canada	General inquiries Telephone:819‑953‑8822Email:
Parole Board of Canada	Rachelle Therrien Telephone:613‑946‑2637Email:
Passport Canada	Marie-Josée Nerbonne Telephone:819‑934‑3856Email:
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board Canada	General inquiries Telephone:819‑934‑3856Email:
Polar Knowledge Canada	Julie Fortin Email:
Privy Council Office	Email:
Public Health Agency of Canada	General inquiries Email:
Public Safety Canada (Department of)	General inquiries Email:
Public Service Commission of Canada	General inquiries Email:
Public Services and Procurement Canada	General inquiries Email:
Public Works and Government Services Canada	Please refer to Public Services and Procurement Canada
Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada	Chantal Lalande Telephone:613‑996‑7672Email:
Royal Canadian Mounted Police	General Enquiries Email:
Security Intelligence Review Committee	Junie Grandmont Telephone:613‑957‑5223Email:
Senate Ethics Officer	Vanessa Noel Telephone:613‑415‑9126Email:
Shared Services Canada	SSC Accounts Payable Telephone:613‑415‑9126Email:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada	Sylvie Dumouchel Telephone:613‑992-5348Email:
Statistics Canada	General inquiries Telephone:613‑996‑6023Email:
Telefilm Canada	Daniel Harvey Telephone:438-469-1188Email:
Transport (Department of)	Tanya Charlebois Telephone:1-888-639-2199 option #5Email:
Transportation Safety Board of Canada	Financial Services Telephone:819‑953‑1645Email:
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat	Christine Desjardins Telephone:613‑769‑7483Email:
Veterans Affairs Canada (Department of)	General inquiries Email:
Western Economic Diversification (Department of)	General inquiries Telephone:1-639-471-1412Email:

Benefits of enrolling your business

Transcript/Captions – Benefits of enrolling your business

Start of clip.

(A customer is shown walking in front of a business building and entering a store)

If you are like most Canadian small business owners, you're already using electronic banking.

You know it's a fast, efficient and cost-effective way to stay on top of your business and meet the needs of your clients.

(A small business owner is shown sitting at a desk using a phone)

The Government of Canada is following suit. It's modernizing the way it issues payments to Canadians by switching to direct deposit.

(A small business owner is shown talking to a customer)

Nobody will benefit more than business owners, who receive a variety of payments from the federal government.

(The words GST/HST Returns, Accounts Payable and Corporate Tax Refunds appear on a grey screen)

They will see their office processes simplified as government moves from traditional paper payments to electronic transactions.

(A small business owner is shown talking with a customer)

Enrolling in the federal direct deposit program is the next step to helping this small business owner streamline her business banking.

(The discussion between the small business owner and a customer continues in the store's showroom)

(A small business owner is shown on the screen)

It's been a record-breaking year but it just means I'm busier than ever which means saving time is all the more important.

A lot of our business transactions now are direct deposit into our bank account,

saving time not having to go to the bank is a big improvement in terms of how I manage my time which is a limited resource.

Small business owners aren't the only Canadians who should register for direct deposit—

students counting on Canada Student Loans,

(Students are shown getting ready for graduation)

parents expecting the Canada Child Benefit,

(a family with children is shown playing in a field)

unemployed workers waiting for Employment Insurance benefits,

(a woman is shown researching jobs on a public library computer)

and seniors who rely on their monthly Canada Pension Plan payment, will also enjoy the convenience of direct deposit –

(an older couple is shown walking on a beach)

their money is deposited directly into their account, it's safe, secure and convenient.

(an older couple is shown sitting on a park bench)

From an environmental standpoint I like direct deposit because it's not only immediate but it's also paperless.

(A small business owner and a customer are shown completing a purchase transaction using electronics)

(A small business owner is shown on the screen)

Our customers are looking more and more for solutions that are socially responsible and I find that it helps reduce clutter at the same time.

So if it's good for me and good for the environment, that's a bonus.

Be part of the Canadian businesses already enjoying the benefits of direct deposit.

(A small business owner is shown completing a purchase transaction and handing a bag to a customer)

Enrol today: it's fast, convenient, reliable and secure.

(The words "To find out more visit directdeposit.gc.ca" appear on a grey screen followed by the Government of Canada Wordmark)

To find out more visit directdeposit.gc.ca.

(The words "Public Works and Government Services Canada with the Canada flags" appear on a grey screen followed by the Government of Canada Wordmark)

End of clip.

Date modified: 2022-11-01

What information is needed for a direct deposit?

Each employee needs to provide the following information: bank name, account type, account number and routing number. Some states also require employees to sign a consent form before their employer can switch them to direct deposit.

What 3 numbers do you need for direct deposit?

Setting up direct deposit is very straightforward, and largely involves providing the payer your bank information, including a transit number, branch number, and account number. These 3 numbers are easily accessible through your online banking, and also appear at the bottom of cheques if you still use those at all.