Even with the best intentions, January often reveals the truth:
You don’t have complete information for all your contractors.
Missing SINs, outdated addresses, unclear business names—these gaps can turn T4A season into a stressful chase. The good news is that with a clear strategy, you can collect missing information quickly and respectfully, even under time pressure.
Here’s how to manage the January crunch without burning out your team or frustrating your contractors.
1. Start with a clear, prioritized list
When you’re short on time, guessing is expensive. Instead of randomly emailing people, let the data tell you where to focus.
Step one is to build a **single list** of contractors who are likely to need a T4A, then mark:
– Who has **complete** information (good news—no action needed)
– Who is missing **critical fields** (for example, SIN/business number, mailing address, legal name)
– Who is missing **nice-to-have fields** (for example, phone number)
A tool like **T4ASlip** can help by automatically flagging incomplete records so you can filter for “missing SIN” or “missing address” instead of scanning row by row in spreadsheets.
Once you see the full picture, prioritize:
1. Contractors with high dollar amounts and missing critical details
2. Contractors with lower amounts but still missing critical details
3. Minor gaps that won’t block you from filing
This keeps you focused on what actually threatens your ability to file on time.
2. Standardize what you’re asking for
January is not the time for long, open-ended emails like “Hey, can you send us your info?” You’ll get back all kinds of partial answers.
Instead, define a **standard data set** you’re asking for, such as:
– Legal name or business name
– Mailing address (street, city, province, postal code, country)
– Email address
– SIN or business number (where applicable and appropriate)
– Confirmation of residency status (for non-resident questions)
Write it down once. Use it everywhere.
3. Use forms or templates—not free-form email threads
Instead of handling everything via back-and-forth emails, use forms or structured prompts:
– An online form (for example, a secure web form) that feeds into your system
– A fillable PDF or document with clearly labeled fields
– A simple table copied into the email that the contractor can fill in
The more structured your request, the less time you’ll spend deciphering responses like “My address is still the same as last year” when you don’t actually know what you have on file.
With T4ASlip, you can keep this information in one place once it’s collected, instead of hunting through old messages next year.
4. Write one strong email template, then reuse it
You don’t have time to draft custom messages for every contractor. Build one **clear, respectful, urgency-aware template**, then customize only the details.
Example structure:
– A friendly opener (“We’re preparing our year-end tax reporting…”)
– A short reason (“Because we made payments to you in [year], we may need to issue a T4A slip.”)
– A clear list of required information
– A concrete deadline
– A brief note about privacy and how the information will be used
– Contact details if they have questions
Make sure the subject line is obvious, such as:
> “Action needed: information required for your T4A slip – [Your Organization]”
Send this template in batches, rather than retyping it every time.
5. Add a reminder schedule from day one
One email won’t reach everyone. People are busy, inboxes get full, and January is chaotic for everyone—not just you.
From the start, plan a **light reminder sequence**:
– Day 0: Initial request
– Day 5–7: Friendly reminder (“Just a quick reminder about…”)
– A few days before your internal cutoff: Final notice (“Final reminder – we may not be able to issue your slip on time without this information.”)
Use the same template with small tweaks to save time.
If you use T4ASlip, you can export a list of contractors still missing information after each round and target only those people with follow-ups.
6. Get help from inside your organization
You don’t have to do all the chasing yourself. Often, contractors respond faster to the person they interact with most—not finance.
Think about:
– Coaches answering to a league scheduler
– Designers working directly with a marketing manager
– Contractors engaged through a specific department head
Ask those internal contacts to support you by:
– Forwarding your template with a personal note (“Hey, can you help finance by filling this out?”)
– Following up with contractors they know well
– Flagging anyone who might be difficult to reach so you can decide how to handle edge cases
This spreads the workload and improves response rates.
7. Decide how you’ll handle non-responders
No matter how organized you are, there will be a handful of contractors who don’t respond.
Before you reach that point, talk to your accountant about:
– What your obligations are if you can’t obtain certain details in time
– Whether you should document your attempts (emails sent, dates, lack of response)
– How to treat those cases in your records and filings
Document your policy and apply it consistently. That way, if CRA ever asks, you can show that you made reasonable efforts to obtain the information.
8. Protect privacy while moving quickly
Collecting SINs and tax details under time pressure can tempt people to cut corners, such as asking contractors to send sensitive data via unencrypted email.
Instead:
– Use secure channels where possible (for example, password-protected forms or portals).
– If you must accept email responses, avoid re-sharing those messages internally; input the data into your system and lock down access.
– Remind contractors you will use the information only for legitimate business and tax reporting purposes.
T4ASlip can help by giving you one secure place to store this data, rather than scattering it across inboxes.
9. Turn this year’s crunch into next year’s process
Once you survive January, don’t just move on and forget the pain. Take 30 minutes to write down:
– Which types of information were most often missing
– Which contractors were hardest to reach and why
– Which internal steps slowed things down
Use that to improve your **onboarding process** so you collect more complete information up front, when everyone is relaxed and cooperative.
The more you shift into proactive collection, the less “January crunch” you’ll face each year.
How T4ASlip supports fast January cleanup
During the crunch, T4ASlip helps you:
– See exactly which contractor records are incomplete
– Prioritize outreach based on payment amounts and missing data
– Record new information in one centralized place
– Move quickly from “we’re missing data” to “we’re ready to generate slips”
With the right list, clear templates, and simple workflows, January becomes less about chaos and more about executing a plan—even if that plan is being built on the fly this year.
Next year, you’ll have the data collection and automation pieces in place long before the crunch hits.