A CERB Repayment Warning Will Be Sent To 'Thousands' More Canadians

The Canada Revenue Agency is getting in touch with "thousands" more Canadians to verify their eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and warn them about possible CERB repayments.

In a statement shared with Narcity on January 27, a spokesperson confirmed that letters have been sent to people who may have claimed the benefit in 2020 without actually being eligible.

"The CRA has begun to issue letters to some benefit recipients notifying them that the CRA is requesting additional information to support their Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) application," the spokesperson said.

"The current phase is limited to individuals who are believed to have earned more than $1000 during the periods in which they claimed CERB."

The notices ask the individual to verify they were eligible for the $500-per-week benefit. The CRA says that repayments may be required if they are found to have received the money without qualifying for it or are unable to confirm their eligibility.

How to confirm eligibility

The CRA says that those who receive the letter have not been determined to be ineligible for the benefit. Instead, recipients are being urged to share some information to verify their application.

They are being asked to provide things like bank statements, pay stubs, letters from their employers confirming income and an amended T4.

"If a recipient is having difficulty obtaining the requested information, the CRA will work with the individual to address their specific circumstances," the federal agency told Narcity.

The CRA says that those who applied "in good faith" and do have to repay the money will not be charged interest or face penalties.

It says the agency "recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many Canadians, and remains committed to being compassionate, flexible, and supportive during this challenging time."

Those who cannot verify their eligibility will need to repay the payments they received, it said.

More letters to come

The feds did not verify eligibility when the CERB was first rolled out in 2020, as officials wanted to get payments to Canadians as soon as possible. However, they did promise to follow up on applications, which they have now started to do.

In November 2020, over 441,000 letters were sent to Canadians asking them to confirm whether they met CERB eligibility rules.

A report from CTV News suggests that "a few thousand" people will receive a letter this week, with more to come in the near future.

"The few letters that will go out this week, it's the beginning," the CRA's assistant commissioner, Marc Lemieux, said.

He revealed that hundreds of thousands of letters are eventually expected to be sent to Canadians.